A few weeks ago, my sister and her husband spent the weekend in Montreal settling their son into his dorm room for his second year at McGill. It started me thinking about the thousands of bedrooms that were being abandoned across Canada by students attending school away from home and how those left behind could find a new purpose the unused space.
While the space-greedy, demented designer side of my brain started plotting strategies for these prime bits of real estate, my kinder, gentler side recognized the need for sensitivity. If this is your child's first time away from home, he or she will likely be looking forward to coming back for holidays to do laundry, or just because they're homesick and crave a home cooked meal. If they return to find their precious piece of home turf replaced with a Polynesian style spa complete with hot tub and faux palm trees, they may think you don't miss them. So much of their world will be new and strange that, for a while, they'll need the psychological security of their own familiar space to come back to. If this sounds like your situation, you could wait until they're 30 to make any changes, or you could start subtly, with their input.
You know they'll be ready to ditch the bunny wallpaper or little-league duvet cover for something more representative of their new status as young adults. But, get them involved in some of the choices. It is, after all, technically, still their room. Ask them to choose a neutral wall colour with a more adult scheme in mind, such as a cool taupe or warm tan, and then build new décor details around their choice.
Primary colours and baby-soft pastels are for small fry and should give way to more urbane neutrals and accents throughout the room. When my sister and I were kids, our parents bravely allowed us to choose our own colour of shag carpeting for our rooms. The screeching blue and screaming red we chose became less and less appealing as we matured. If this sounds like Junior's room at your house, maybe it's time for hardwood flooring accented with an area rug or two. A sisal rug with a contrasting cotton edge would be an up to date, low maintenance and versatile choice.
Add fresh, new bedding, avoiding patterns that are too gender specific or trendy. One designer trick is to use a plain fabric while adding detail and interest through a variety of textures. Funky throw or floor cushions are always fun, especially if they're leather, suede, or faux fur. Or, choose a clean, simple geometric or striped pattern that will have some style staying power.
Carry the bedding colour and style through to the window coverings. Replace girly ruffled or balloon curtains (so last century) with chic straight drapes and puddle them slightly onto the floor. Hang them with cool, chunky hardware and install mini blinds for extra privacy.
Update the lighting with a new lamp or shade to co-ordinate with the colour scheme. If there's a ceiling light, install a dimmer switch for mood lighting or install dimmable recessed pot lights in the ceiling for even more flexibility. If the walls are plastered with posters, ask Junior to choose a few favourites and have them professionally framed and matted for a look that's sleek and pulled together while still respecting his or her artistic bent.
Updates like these will transform the room from kid-themed to young adult friendly.
Your young man or woman will still have his or her space with their familiar bed, desk or dresser but the new finishes, fabrics and colours will go a long way toward recognizing the new phase they've entered.
These types of changes will also set the stage for the room's next phase when, having established lives of his or her own, their visits are more sporadic. Still, as long as they continue to darken your door, you'll need a spare bed. Even though you haven't stopped pining for a home office or just a space to indulge your hobbies.
One way to stop that pining for good is to install a Murphy bed. You can either have one built into an existing wall cavity or choose from a variety of ready-made units that offer more than simply a bed. With their ingenious and sometimes sneaky disguises, they make it easy to create many purposes for a room and optimize the space in it.
When the bed portion is folded down, you have an instant guest bed in your choice of twin, full or queen sizes. When folded up, any suggestion of a bed disappears. Some Murphy beds come complete with desks and storage components. Others offer enough shelf space for literally hundreds of books or collectibles.
My favourite idea, however, is a bit more decadent: Use a ready-made Murphy bed unit to hold a flat screen plasma TV, DVD player, and surround sound audio equipment, add a bar fridge topped with a popcorn popper snuggled between a pair of comfy leather recliners, hang black-out drapes on the windows, put the lights on dimmers, et voilà , a home media room to die for.
There's only one problem with this last scheme. Eventually, Junior will come home and discover it. You may never get him or her to leave again. Maybe wait until they're 30 to try this one.
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