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Kids' Rooms We Love
August 18, 2012
Kids' rooms often tread transitionary territory when it comes to modern design. What might be good for a five-month-old may not work well to when he or she is five years old. The residents of these seven houses found ways to accommodate their growing broods while still maintaining their unique aesthetic sensibilities (ie. not succumbing to a toy-strewn existence). With clever space-efficient structures that subdivide rooms to ample storage that makes it easy for kids to clean up after themselves to bright textiles that can easily be swaped out when the wee one no longer likes them, there's no shortage of ingeneuity in the slideshow that follows, a follow-up to our popular round-up from 2009.
In a former fishermen’s cottage outside Copenhagen, Peter Østergaard and Åsa Olofsson have carved out a cozy, light-filled home. A small bed for their daughter Maja, 6, is tucked under the eaves in the renovated attic. Though it’s a tight fit for the family of four it’s not yet cramped, and for a while longer should fulfill Olofsson’s original fantasy: “a house where we could live close together but not on top of each other.”
Photo by
Originally appeared in Light-Filled Family Home Renovation in Copenhagen
With ingenuity and plenty of elbow grease, architect John Tong turned an old Toronto dairy into the ultimate family clubhouse. His daughter, Uma, has a private room just over the wall from her parents. She’s sitting in a vintage Eames chair that John’s friend scored at an auction. "Our house is still evolving. John loves mixing things together, and there’s a lot of experimentation. With the kids it makes sense to live that way," says Anne Tong.
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Originally appeared in Play's the Thing
h2o architectes, a young firm led by principals Charlotte Hubert, Jean-Jacques Hubert, and Antoine Santiard, designed this kids' room to accommodate a growing family with one four-year-old and a baby on the way. There's no one way to use the space; the architects let the children determine how to use the different elements of the room. Though the desk is often used for tea parties and drawing, it can also become a handy hiding place from parents or a nosy toddler brother. "It's a house in the house," says Santiard. "What's better than hiding under a table to play?"
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Originally appeared in Kids' Room Renovation
"When our older son Edouard was two and Victor was on the way, we decided to expand. We were tripping over the kids’ toys. So we designed two additions: a playroom and an office," says Paul Bernier of his Montreal renovation. One wall section in the playroom juts in to sidestep a mature tree outside, while slender windows allow the kids to monitor its progress through the seasons.
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Originally appeared in Separate Boîte Equal
When Svetlin Krastev and Dessi Nikolova had their second child, they saw two options: Go broke buying a bigger apartment, or renovate their existing 620-square-foot home. For now, Kimi, age six, and Darin, age two and a half, happily share a room and bunk bed. Kimi’s clothes are stored on low shelves in the built-in closet, so he can dress himself, and the children’s toys are stored within easy reach in open drawers.
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Originally appeared in All Together Now
By keeping the budget strict, the insulation tight, and its values clear, Philadelphia’s Postgreen Homes shows a little brotherly love for green, urban housing. In keeping with their strict budget, residents Chad and Courtney Ludeman furnished their home for $7,500. Their son, Teague, plays in his Hiya crib from Spot on Square.
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Originally appeared in Green Urban Housing in Philadelphia
Architect Jamie Darnell had a simple plan for his family’s home in Kansas City, Missouri, but the result is anything but plain. His daughter, Maple, performs in the basement playroom.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Affordable, SIP-Built Family Home in Kansas City
In a former fishermen’s cottage outside Copenhagen, Peter Østergaard and Åsa Olofsson have carved out a cozy, light-filled home. A small bed for their daughter Maja, 6, is tucked under the eaves in the renovated attic. Though it’s a tight fit for the family of four it’s not yet cramped, and for a while longer should fulfill Olofsson’s original fantasy: “a house where we could live close together but not on top of each other.”
Photo by Jonas Bjerre-Polsen.
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