I am not sure if I should be envious of parents who have daughters or financially ecstatic to have boys! My son, who needs to have an updated room to reflect his teenage status, is still in progress for a couple of years now. I have been to all kinds of sites trolled enough Pinterest that I should have an award for hours spent yet come away with only one or two pins to show for my time. All the while, being bombarded with beautiful teenage girl rooms with tons of decorative accents in a full range of colors.
To illustrate my point, here is an embarrassing Pinterest moment. My first go on Pinterest I was so excited as I kept finding what I liked only to realize an hour later, I had pinned the same pin with different angles. It was the only pin I could find with a decent design for a young male. Not everyone can or wants to spend a fortune on carpenters, designers, or custom furnishings. What happens to design for boys after the age of 10 if “sports” or “skateboards” are not their passion? OMG!
It is not just for room design either; it happens with their clothes, shoes, school supplies, etc. It is no wonder I could never interest a boyfriend, let alone my husband (unless he is making up for something he did) to go shopping. Of course, it is not fun for them; look at their choices! Whether they shop for furniture, clothes or shoes, it is all some variation on an earth tone. Little boys have all kinds of fun colors and design however once they grow out of the Gymboree family of stores, you better get some comfortable shoes to help with endurance building because you are in for a long trek to find complete outfits that don’t break the bank.
But I digress, this rant is about boys room design, and no, I do not have time to create some DIY project or deploy special wall design techniques. I want examples of good design with decent storage and lighting ideas. Is that too hard to ask?
I recently took my son to a Lamps Plus store near us, thinking we could at least find shade cover for his overhead light. Maybe even; dare I dream, of finding a starting point/ inspiration piece. I laugh now at my naivete! Aside from being almost blinded by the crystal, silver, and mirror pieces reflecting the super white Led wattage, it was all for girls. Twenty minutes later, when I realized my eyes are not irreparably damaged, I notice even the furniture was for girls, right down to the pink, fuzzy, rhinestone-encrusted pillows. Now don’t get me wrong I am the first to say color is gender-neutral, but my 13-year-old son was not into the glitzy, pink, fuzzy pillows. Not to mention the 5 foot mirrored pendulum crystal chandeliers hanging from the rafters, the fact his room has an 8ft ceiling was the least of our concerns.
The sad thing was of all the places we went that day the one piece he loved was an oversized steel blue leather chair with nailhead trim. I liked it too. It had the “look” and “feel” we wanted. It was so comfortable to sit in, but then one would expect that of a chair with a $2800 price tag. AARRGH!
It was home and back to the Pinterest boards and every known furniture store looking for a design concept. Why can’t it be as easy for boy parents like it for girls, what a dream to order a room out of a catalog? Project finished! I could cross it off my never-ending list. Whoever said boys are easier did not have to design their rooms!
