Adulting is overrated; laundry, bills, figuring out how to cancel plans without offending anyone, the boring tasks are endless. But maybe the biggest disappointing aspect of being an adult is that our bedrooms are so boring compared to when we were children.
Most kids are unabashedly enthusiastic about what they love and their bedrooms can tell us so much about their personality. But what would happen if they were asked to design their own bedrooms, with no limits to what they can have in there?
Commissioned by Angie’s list, a London-based creative studio NeoMam Studios asked kids from around the world to draw their dream bedrooms and then they brought their ideas to life in realistic CGI renders.
The goal of the project was to bring a new source of home design inspiration by looking through the eyes of a child. By the time we reach adulthood we have a fixed idea of what a bedroom should look like and exactly what is and isn’t available in our local IKEA. This project tears up the rulebook of bedroom design – and it’s clear that we can all learn a thing or two from the creativity and naivety of children.
To create this project, the research team briefed the above 7 children to doodle their “dream bedroom” and asked their parents to conduct a short Q&A with them to get an insight into their lives and interests. The project then moved onto design with the help of interior designer and CG artist Andrey Barinov who collaborated with managing editor Jonny Addy and art director Povilas Daknys to create the realistic digital designs you see today.
More info: angieslist.com
Seven-year-old Elias from Greece
This forest room belongs to Elias. It is a little bit theatrical: the main idea is it is made of logs, plants, tree. An oak tree with squirrels, a small pond with fish. The bed is in the shape of a leaf with a tiger head pillow, accompanied by a window with a frame resembling plants. To give the room a modern twist there is a log desk, tv hanging from the roof, and computer.
Q&A with Elias
What is his favourite colour and why?
Mainly red and blue (because of Spiderman uniform (!), red especially for action/violence and blue for the sky). Yes, I know it sounds a little bit silly and the forest room has no one of these colours either :) So, when I asked him about the green colour, he also mentioned he liked it, it represents something friendly and serene for him.
What does he want to do when they grow up and why?
He would like to have a nut shop having living squirrels as friends with him. He loves squirrels and nuts, too. He would also like to be an artist, since he likes to draw every day.
What’s his favourite game or activity and why?
He loves computers and video/mobile games, because he can play characters in various worlds or different kind of games.
What’s his favourite food and why?
Eggs (because of the yolk taste), chocolate (because it’s extra sweet) and nuts (just that).
Elias’ reaction to the finished design:
“Elias was super excited about the nature feeling of the room when he saw it. He really liked the pond, tree and bed. He said he would love to live there for real.”
Nine-year-old Viola from Ukraine
Q&A with Viola
What is her favourite colour and why?
She loves 2 colors – cyan and violet. She loves sky and waterfalls because they are cyan. And violet is a color of magic, because wizards are usually in violet.
What does she want to do when they grow up and why?
She wants her future job to be connected with toys.
What’s her favourite game or activity and why?
She happy when she drawing and also she loves to play chess.
What’s her favourite food and why?
Her favorite food is chocolate and pears because they are really tasty (what other reason could it be?) :)
Any additional features of the room?
She imagined that the wall with rainbow, sun and clouds can come alive and she can go there and interact with all of those things inside.
Viola’s reaction to the finished design:
Upon seeing her room brought to life, Voila said she felt “happiness, bright colors, a warm summer and sunny fun.”
Five-year-old Inaya from Pakistan
Inya likes nature and outdoor activities, as you can see flowers on the bedsheet, grass around her bed, and a swing/slide close to the bed. She loves oval shape and that’s the exact reason why the bed, pillows, and mirror are oval shaped. The little designer asked that her walls be like puzzles and imagined the pillows to be the bed’s eyes.
Q&A with Inaya
What is her favourite colour and why?
Yellow, because of its shine and brightness.
What does she want to do when they grow up and why?
Wants to become a doctor (because her mother is a doctor).
What’s her favourite game or activity and why?
Painting, because she loves colours.
What’s their favourite food and why?
Noodles, french fries because of their yellow colour.
Any additional features of the room
She wants her walls to be like puzzles. She loves oval shape and that’s the exact reason why the bed, pillows, and mirror are oval shaped. She imagines those pillows to be the bed’s EYES. Also, she likes nature and outdoor activities, as you can see flowers on the bedsheet, grass around her bed, and a swing/slide close to the bed. She wants to have all cosmetics in her dressing table.
Inaya’s reaction to the finished design:
“When Inaya saw her design brought to life she thought it was real and wanted to know when she could go and sit in the room.”
Six-year-old Martin from Spain
Martin asked for a “5-story bunk bed so it looks like a skyscraper” so he can invite a lot of friends over (but the top bunk is his, note it has Martín written on it). Rails were a must so they don’t fall and you climb up the ladder with s spiral slide exit. There’s a soft mat at the end of the slide. It was requested the room have a big window, a table, a huge cinema screen, a door to the bathroom, a closet for legos, a candy machine, and a chair On the table live a fish and a plant.
Q&A with Martín
What is your favourite colour and why?
Red because I like it, it’s the color of firefighters.
What do you want to do when they grow up and why?
Archaeologist, Paleontologist. I like dinosaurs and going to the countryside to look for them.
What’s your favourite game or activity and why?
To play adventures with Lego blocks or build anything with them. And run little cars around the roads.
What’s your favourite food and why?
Pasta. No reason given.
Martín’s reaction to the finished design:
“When he saw it, Martín couldn’t believe it was his room at first and wondered if he and his friends can visit. He was also very proud that his name was on the top bunk bed.”
Six-year-old Gala from Argentina
Gala’s room is a whimsical mix of nature and a bedroom fit for a princess. When you open the door you will find a tree. In the tree lives a parrot. The parrot can go out through the window and then go back to the room. Two swings are hanging from a branch of the tree, one is for Gala and the other is for her little brother Isidro. Also, an aerial silk is hanging from the ceiling. There is a big mirror with lights and lots of makeup, a bookcase full of books and real flowers, and a coral pink bed where her cute penguin doll sits.
Q&A with Gala
What is your favourite colour and why?
Fuchsia, it makes me happy.
What do you want to do when they grow up and why?
Hairdresser, I like when the people look pretty.
What’s your favourite game or activity and why?
Play mom, because we can do as if we were travelling.
What’s your favourite food and why?
Spaghetti with red sauce, it tastes really good.
Gala’s reaction to the finished design:
“Wooow!! What? I love it!” was Gala‘s response when she saw her room brought to life. She was ecstatic and hopes to save up enough money to get the room for real one day.
Ten-year-old Harry from England
Futuristic decor meets the racetrack for Harry’s main bedroom, which has an LED floor and a fake fur carpet. There is a hot wheels track that circles the room. For added comfort, the room has a purple and green sunken couch with heated seats and with an orange neon floor. The bed is sat on a platform, which connects to another platform via a wooden bridge, this platform houses a shooting range. The bed platform can be accessed by a ladder and can be exited down a slide. Underneath the bed platform is a gaming room. Even further beneath hides a secret hatch leading to a bunker, in this bunker is dress up clothes, fake guns, and important articles for his SWAT team.
Q&A with Harry
What is his favourite colour and why?
Orange, because it’s bright and flashy
What does he want to do when they grow up and why?
Wants to be a SWAT officer or racing car driver.
What’s his favourite food and why?
Fav food is chocolate as it melts in his mouth.
Harry’s reaction to the finished design:
“Harry loved his room when he saw it and said it was exactly what he had drawn. He said he would love to have this bedroom for real.”
Ten-year-old Briana from the Philippines
Delicate accessories and modern furniture make Briana’s room a unique and dreamy bedroom. The walls are painted lavender, her favorite color. As for the bed it is located near the wall but still has some space to fit a banig (handwoven mat) between the bed and the wall. It is a bit big and can fit 3 people – perfect for sleepovers. She wanted the extra space for the mat to fit more people for when she hosts her friends. The bed frame’s color is white. Under the bed, you’ll find her computer table, computer and a chair under her bed. She’ll be using the computer for school assignments, playing games and watching movies and videos especially of her favorite K-Pop music idols. A vanity mirror was placed on top of her wardrobe closet. The lights on the vanity mirror can be changed to white, warm or a combination of the two. To cozy up the room she has a soft and fluffy rug. Briana wanted a room where she could entertain herself so she had the television placed on top of a rack which will be used to store the remote, her accessories, board games, blankets, and pillows. Being able to house all of her friends was a top priority so there is a sofa bed that can fit two people. Fun accessories were placed around the room, for example, on the top shelf are the letters B and Y. B is the first letter of her first name while Y is for her nickname. These letters also light up. The letter B is color white while the Y is lavender. The cork board is adorned with fairy lights. The lights colors alternate every bulb between lavender and white. Just like Christmas lights, the fairy lights have speed settings of fast, slow and steady. The board will be used to pin photos since she likes to take selfies and photos of her family.
Q&A with Briana
What is her favourite colour and why?
Lavender because it looks cute.
What does she want to do when they grow up and why?
She wants to be an interior designer when she grows up because she wants to design and decorate rooms. She enjoys helping her sister clean up their bedroom because she gets to organize their things and decide where put their stuff.
What’s her favourite game or activity and why?
She likes to go Roblox to play a wide variety of games. While she doesn’t have a favorite game inside the platform, she feels challenged playing time trial games and therefore favours games that have time limits.
What’s her favourite food and why?
Her favorite foods are fruits and vegetables. She likes fruits that taste sweet and sour at the same time such as strawberries and grapes. Her favorite vegetable is bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon or ampalaya in Filipino) especially when my mom cooks it because the bitter taste becomes very subtle. Any additional features of the room? The ceiling of her dream room is white when the lights are on. One won’t be able to see the glow in the dark stickers during this time. However, these stickers light up as soon as the lights are off. The stickers on the ceiling include stars, moons and unicorns. In the middle is a single butterfly that moves in a circular motion.
Briana’s reaction to the finished design:
“Briana said the room looks beautiful and she particularly loved how the bed, couch and vanity desk turned out.”
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