How to Make Over a Millennial Boy's Bedroom
I should start with crossing out 'boy' and replacing it with guy/man? Dude? Bro? Bruh? I'm not even sure...
It's true. Millennials are staying home longer these days. And you know what? That's A-ok with this mama. I'm seriously in NO hurry to fluff my empty nest. But how do you transition a teenager's room into a room fit for a twenty-something-year-old?
That's when I had the opportunity to partner with Schneiderman's Furniture a local and family-owned furniture store and together with their own experienced in-house designer (Thomas) and my son, along with myself we came up with a room fit for a twenty-year-old.
Let me preface this with we moved into this house about 3.5 years ago and I never really had the time to sit down and think about his room. He's not a little boy anymore so there's no toys to clean up and he's not a teenager where his room smells of dirty socks and sports gear so, to be honest, I really don't go in there often. Twenty-year-olds sort of just want to do their 'thing' and "live their best life". But when Schneiderman's reached out I thought what a great opportunity to create something together and if the dude does decide to fly the coop he has a fresh start with some new, grown-up furnishings.
Here's what his room looked like before:
Needs a LOT of work, right?
This space was far from comfy and cozy or any space you would want to retreat to. In fact, now that I look at it in this way, it looks very grim.
So first thing we did is the plan, I had my son pick out pieces that he liked and sort of create an idea board, like a visual "wish list".
This is what he came up with. I have to admit, it's looking better already!
Working on a $4,000 budget with Schneiderman's, we made an appointment to sit down with one of their designers to help us make selections/recommendations, keep us within/below budget and ensure everything we selected would fit into the room. The best part? The designer was FREE! You guys! Working with a designer not only saved me the headache of trying to manage this all but he knew of pieces that would work that we never saw or thought of! The designer really is the secret sauce!
Here's what my son created off of the drawing Thomas did in-store to help visualize actual dimensions and scale of the selections (this is not Thomas' drawing, his was MUCH better):
But you get the gist of it. I love how he even inserted our dog, Remi into his draft.
Ok, so now that we knew what the plan was and Thomas placed the order, next up, the furniture was delivered. I didn't capture that, although I should have because Schneiderman's has an amazing installation team.
So what did he/we select?:
Bed ($869.75) - it was a queen so we needed a new mattress because my son had a full size before.
Mattress ($449) - no box spring as his new bed is a platform-style bed
Nightstand ($426.75)
Computer desk ($974.75) - motorized so he can sit or stand
Swivel chair ($399.88)
Lounge/reading chair ($299.75)
With tax ($250.72), delivery ($99), mattress recycling ($20) and Schneiderman's Exactly Care 5-year protection plan ($349.99) we just went over budget by a smidgen ($119.59 to be exact). But it was worth every penny. Did you know their 5-year protection plan covers things like food stains, ink, water rings, dye transfers, etc. not to mention the more obvious things like lifting veneer, scratches/dents, broken frames? That is protection dollars well spent!
Ok, are you ready to see how it turned out?
We are still waiting on an area rug (it's on backorder from another store, I'll share that later) and we are still selecting wall art but art takes time...
Anyways, he LOVES the modern design of his furniture and I admit I do too! Here's a closer look:
All of his bedding we found at Target except for the lumbar pillow which I found at Homegoods.
The wall lamp is by CB2.
Love his reading nook.
Sources: Wall Lamp, Throw Pillow, Table, and Large Vase. All other decor are found pieces available online here.
We also need to select a shade for this window and are thinking of a motorized shade, I'll update you when I find the perfect fit.
As you can see, he's VERY serious about technology.
Just a reminder of the before:
And After:
More updates coming soon so be sure to check back to see how we're doing!
a HUGE thank you to Schneiderman's and Thomas!
Photography by Sage E Imagery
All my best,
Lea
