Mood Board | Modern Vintage Boys Bedroom

A couple of months ago, I worked on a shared boys bedroom with a modern vintage vibe. The clients are the two oldest (age six and eight) in a family of five children. Their bedroom is big and bright, with a gorgeous fireplace and lovely high ceilings. It had been newly painted in Farrrow & Ball’s Ammonite (a soft, warm grey), and had new carpet installed, so the design was really all about finishing touches to create a calmer, more cohesive space.

Requirements

They listed their needs/wants as:

– A large bookcase for their growing book collection and board games
– A place to do home work (a drop-down desk)
– Somewhere to display their football kits and medals
– A magnetic chalk board wall

Inspiration

They wanted something with a vintage/industrial/rustic feel, but were also really drawn to Scandinavian design. Focusing on the former, but with the intention of bringing some Scandi in with a muted colour scheme of blues and greys, I put together an inspiration board of spaces that I thought captured the right feeling

Modern Vintage Boys Bedroom: Option One

They didn’t really have a budget for the room, so I tried to keep it as affordable as possible, without being cheap. The total cost for the mood board I gave them clocks in at just over £1000, excluding the bunk beds, which they already owned; there’s a heavy dose of Ikea in there!

 Sources

1. Bedside Lamps x2 – £36 // I used the white version of these in our kids’ room, and they’ve held up really well. The LED bulbs don’t get hot, which is kind of a must near kids.
2. Wall Pockets x2 – £17 (on sale) // To give the boys somewhere to stash books by their beds (there’s no room for a nightstand, even on the bottom bunk). No hard corners is a bonus.
3. Pendant Shade – £40 // Something big and organic to make the most of those high ceilings.
4. Wall Hooks – £12 each // Personalised with each boys’ initial, these would give them a spot to hang their treasured football kits on display.
5. Map – £25 + Large Frame – £15 // They needed something big to hang over their fireplace, and this scratch map is fun. They could go with something more personalised here too though.
6. Bookcase – £300 // This free-standing bookcase captures the industrial vibe they liked, but they could take it a step further with something custom made like this steel pipe shelving from Etsy.
7. Magazine Files – £5 // To keep their football magazines neat.
8. Baskets – £36 // Because it’s all about the accessories!
9. Vintage Football Programmes – £10 // The boys love football, so displaying vintage programmes from their favourite teams would be fun.
10. Bedding x2 – £40 // Simple, affordable and cute.
11. Bed – £399 (on sale) // Perfect for that vintage industrial vibe, and already owned by the family.
12. Rug – £269 // The rug anchors the whole space and brings together all the colours in the scheme. It’s since sold out in the largest size, which is what they’d need for their room. This one and this one could work – they’re both a little brighter, but still bring in pattern and texture, and are more afforable at £170 for 200cm x 300cm. This one is cute too, but more expensive.
13. Bulletin Board – £5 // This might be too small for the space, but a larger version would provide a perfect spot for displaying medals and things.
14. Desk – £29 // A perfect space-saving solution (I should know!).
15. Stool – £45 // Adjustable to be the right height for both boys.
16. Desk Lamp – £12 // Again, a no-heat LED bulb makes this great for kids.
17. Curtains 167 x 228 – £95 // The small-scale print on these curtains will add texture, the eyelet heading means they’ll hang nicely, and having them floor-length will keep them looking intentional.
18. Round Knobs – £12 / Long Knobs – sold out // Co-ordinating knobs on different cupboards will add to that sense of cohesion.
    Magnetic Black Board Paint – £32 // To cover the closet doors and give the boys space to be creative.

Modern Vintage Boys Bedroom: Option Two

After I’d put the first board together, we spotted a gorgeous vintage chest of drawers, which inspired some tweaking. I was saving this second mood board for round two. Usually, I send over an initial draft, then tweak it based on their feedback. Well, these guys said they loved everything, so we never got as far as round two! As a result, we didn’t need this alternate version, and it doesn’t actually fit their floor plan as well as the first. But there are some good alternative options.

Sources

Items listed above with these exceptions:

• 3. Pendant Shade – £15 (sold out) // Still organic but more afforable. It’s very similar to the one I seriously considered in our master. I actually think the scale would be a little small, having since seen it in person.
• 4. Wall Hooks – £12 each // Love the old school feel of these ones, and the chalkboard surface.
• 6. Chest of Drawers – represents vintage piece from The Old Cinema.
  Shelves – DIY (source)
• 10. Bedding x2 – £40 // Another option, equally as cute and afforable as the first. This one has a smaller scale print to better compliment the different rug.
• 12. Rug – £150 // A little smaller but more affordable; the yellow would echo the brass on the dresser.
• 18. Ladder Bookcase – £149 // My one concern would be the climbability factor – not so much for the boys, but for their younger siblings.
• 19. Round Knobs – £10 for two / Long Knobs – £6 on sale // This option is a little more sophisticated than the first but still fits well.

Floor Plan

We were pretty restricted on the floor plan, because there was really only one spot for the bed to go. I mocked up a couple of options, based on the two different boards.

This was such a fun project to work on – I love the vintage vibe and the muted palette. And the clients were awesome.

If you’d like details on Emmerson & Fifteenth’s interior design services, read more here.