Ideas for a Teen Loft Bedroom At The Cottage
Is there a way to make time stop? Chloe graduates from Grade 8 next week and I
am in no way ready to be mom to a high-schooler in just a few months. She, on
the other hand, is ready to cast off all the trappings of being a kid. The
latest casualty? She wants to ditch
her cottage bedroom
and move up into the cottage loft.
I get it. Sleeping up in the open loft is much cooler for a teen. Now
while I'd really like her to be sleeping at ground level, I'm not fighting
this idea too much - because it means I get to redesign two rooms! Yay!
Unsurprisingly, I don't have any current photos of the loft so these photos
from 2016 will have to suffice. Fun fact,
you become more afraid of heights as you age
and that has been the case with me. I can ride roller coasters no problem, but
these days if you put me on a ladder, I instantly feel a sense of imbalance.
Have you felt that too?
As you can see, the loft has slanted ceilings and low walls (the right side
much more slanted than the left) which will make furniture placement a
challenge. It's a good sized space at 17'x12'. We currently have an IKEA
sectional sofa up there and a coffee table, both of which are staying.
Loft Bedroom Layout
When designing a room, I start with the layout. Scratch that - I start with
determining the function first. That's one of the things I teach in my course
Room Design Simplified.
When you know how you want a room to function, you can then determine what
furniture you will need to meet those functions. Once you know your furniture,
you can figure your layout. And once you decide your layout, you can start
shopping and decide on your decor. See?
Designing a room is easy if you take it step by step.
Teen Bedroom Function
For this loft bedroom, we had a few requirements:
- a place to sleep
- a place to lounge/sit/hang out with friends
- clothes storage
- a private place to change your clothes
- maintain access to the small storage room door on one of the short walls
Though Chloe will be watching movies or shows up here, she decided she didn't
want to have a TV. She'd prefer to watch on her laptop, with her headphones
on, which is actually more convenient because then her sound doesn't interfere
with the sound of the living room TV which is just on the other side of the
railing on the ground below.
One also important consideration was maintaining access to a small storage
room on the right hand wall. The room is used for off-season storage so it
needs to be accessible though we can have something in front of it, as long as
its not there permanently.
Knowing those functions, I knew we had to add a dresser, bed, and dressing
area to the furniture we already had. Want to see some of the layout
options?
Option 1: DIY Canopy Bed
In laying out a room, I feel you should explore all your ideas, no matter how
crazy and impossible they might seem. I've had
this DIY canopy bed idea
stored in my memory bank for years and thought the loft might be a place to
replicate it.
|
| DIY canopy bed by Margot Austin |
Having curtains around the bed would allow for two things:
- Providing a sense of coziness in the open loft space
- Allowing for privacy when Chloe is changing her clothes
Here's how this layout could work, with a sleeping zone and entertaining
zone. All of the 2D and 3D plans you see below were created in
Floorplanner.
While this does create a cozy sleeping spot, the curtains really "clutter"
up the open and airy loft space. They make the space feel smaller, shorter,
and chop up the layout in two. Having a curtain track on the ceiling also
might not work because of the slanted walls.
Option 2: Loft Bedroom With Dressing Zone
The next option I considered was having a dressing zone at the back half of
the loft. There would be room for a larger dresser, plus a changing area
blocked by a room divider.
While this did provide ample space for dressing, having the foot of the bed
up against the railing just didn't feel right. Looking at the plan in 3D,
the bed felt squeezed up against the wall. There was ample floor space, but
all the furniture looks awkward and pushed out to the perimeter of the room.
Option 3: Loft Bedroom Balanced Layout
With this third option, you see how the layout is much more balanced and
pleasing to the eye. By placing the bed with the headboard against the wall,
you create space on either side and still allow for traffic flow.
Using a short but wide dresser provides needed storage space and allows the
dresser to act as a night stand. This leaves just enough space on the other
side of the bed for a small dressing area with a mirror, laundry hamper, and
room divider.
The sectional and coffee table are in the optimal position as well, with the
right amount of headroom to sit under the slanted wall. This allows for
conversation if one person is sitting on the bed and others are on the sofa.
This plan also makes the room feel much more like a bachelor apartment, with
different zones and an optimal use of the space.
With the floor plan finalized, it was time to have some fun and pick out
decor items. Since our cottage sits amongst the trees, the idea was to bring
in botanical motifs and white accents. Chloe loves white walls and white
furnishings so we kept the look bright and fresh.
I wanted to decorate this room on a budget so I'll be re-using some items
that were already in the space and bring accessories from home.
- We've had the IKEA Soderhamn sectional with chaise for years in a light aqua colour. It's very comfortable and a few guests have slept on it with no complaints
- The coffee table currently has a faux wood top. I'll be whitewashing it to give it a lighter look.
- The existing ceiling light is not something I think needs replacing. It's simple and casts a good amount of light so we'll stick with it. I will be using one of my remote bulbs as the only switch for this light is at the base of the ladder. With a remote, Chloe will be able to turn the light on and off herself.
- This basket turned hamper, a vintage metal street sign, and jute-wrapped brass hooks are items I've had for years and will find their way into this room
The rest of the decor items reflect Chloe's tastes - contemporary,
clean-lined, with a Scandinavian feel - with a few pretty florals to keep
mom happy, ha!
- The Nordli 2-drawer chest sits lower than a typical dresser, making it a good fit for our slanted walls
- I quite liked the look of the Nordkisa nightstand. The bamboo wood finish picks up on the wood finish of the loft railing
- The modern swing-arm lamp and hanging pendant light pair well together and have a very contemporary look. I opted for plug-in lights so we wouldn't have to bring in an electrician.
- This Deco screen would be an investment but it is definitely a showstopper in this. The curves would be a lovely counterpoint to the angular slanted ceilings in the loft
- A floral duvet cover, flower market prints, block print pillows and framed art finish off the space
So that's the plan for this teen loft bedroom. All we need to do now is
get everything to the cottage and lug it up the
scary ladder!
Follow along on Instagram
where I'll share our progress.
P.S. Do you have a space of your own to decorate? Learn the exact
process and tools I've used in my course
Room Design Simplified. It's 7 easy steps to decorating any room in your home.
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