When homeowners hired Kristin Peake to redo their children’s bedrooms, the edict was that “over the top” was not too much. Peake interviewed each child and found that the couple’s 12-year-old son had a particularly clear vision for what he wanted.
Because the small room had a very high ceiling, Peake and her young client decided early on that a loft design would best utilize the space. The designer created a loft area that can be accessed via a custom ladder through a concealed door that, when shut, looks like a wall panel near the ceiling. The loft space can accommodate three or four kids and includes a window that keeps the space light.
In the bedroom, Peake kept the furniture to a minimum. A built-in, paneled wall houses the bed and offers hidden drawers and compartments; a built-in desk is the only other piece of furniture.
When it came to décor, the boy had his own design concept. “He was drawn to the geometry of circles,” Peake explains. “We worked around designs with bubbles and circles.” For example, panels outside the loft have circular cutouts filled with colored, synthetic glass that lets the light through. An acrylic bubble chair hangs from the ceiling; Peake adhered a protective gymnastic mat to the wall beside it, then upholstered it in fabric with circles. The rug has a circle motif. The primary color scheme was hand-picked by the boy.
Though family rules dictate no computers in the bedrooms, the high-tech room has a Lutron system that operates lights, a fan and such gadgets as are allowed—all from the comfort of bed.
INTERIOR DESIGN: KRISTIN PEAKE, Kristin Peake Interiors, Rockville, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG.
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