This is a first,
A reader of ours asked if we had any decor advice for her 16-year-old son’s room.
There were a couple of lengthy emails detailing the objects he has accumulated and the meaning behind them.
She writes:
“About Grey:
As I mentioned, he’s sixteen. He is a venture crew scout and loves the outdoors. He has been on fifty mile hikes, and canoe trips. He’s been diving and caving, etc. He doesn’t mind the heat, cold, no shower thing. He is a wrestler. Yes, those are wrestling shoes on his headboard! He likes cars and skateboarding. He likes hunting, fishing and target shooting. He’s not a huge gaming kid. He would rather do it for real. He loves to go paint balling. He’s into music and played percussion in middle school and his first year of high school
My boy…”
As I mentioned, he’s sixteen. He is a venture crew scout and loves the outdoors. He has been on fifty mile hikes, and canoe trips. He’s been diving and caving, etc. He doesn’t mind the heat, cold, no shower thing. He is a wrestler. Yes, those are wrestling shoes on his headboard! He likes cars and skateboarding. He likes hunting, fishing and target shooting. He’s not a huge gaming kid. He would rather do it for real. He loves to go paint balling. He’s into music and played percussion in middle school and his first year of high school
My boy…”
Here are the pictures she included…..
Looks like a teenegers room to me,
But overall, a pretty good start……..
Here’s my advice:
Kim,
First of all, I’m flattered….SOOO very flattered. (my friends never ask my advice…they think my house is too junky) …….and I’m extremely relieved to know that my style is perfectly suited for a teen boy. It’s a little “fluffy” with all the pillows sometimes…but there is a lot of wood and metal and toys and old things.
I’d love to help with Grey’s room. He has so much cool stuff in there…LOVE the tool cabinet as a bedside table…..I may steal that idea for the guest room. And I love the old wood cabinet (pie safe?) on the wall to the bathroom.
Don’t like the wall color so much….is it a “sage green”? It’s hard to tell. What about a cool blue gray color…or steely blue. Just NOT the same color as the wood cabinet. (BTW, if he outgrows that peice…..I’ll gladly take it off your hands.)
But DO paint the ceiling back to white…it reflects light down in a small room. Makes it a little less cave-like.
If he doesn’t like the idea of the wood wall, you can always paint just the wall the bed is on a much darker shade of the blue or gray. And yes, the bed could be painted black, I think black furniture “grounds” a room. Our master bed is satin, but the guest bed is gloss – because that’s all I had at the house at the time and was too lazy to go to Home Depot.
If he likes the pipe things, and has the energy, a pipe and wood shelving unit could be cool on the wall where the magnetic phallus currently is. They are pretty easy to make any size that he needs…..
Here’s a link to an excellent tutorial http://www.the-brick-house.com/2009/09/shelving-unit/
Here are those above shelves covered in “boy crap”….
Perfect place to maybe put the TV, Peace Sign, severed turkey wings, giant fishing lures, animal skin, or even athletic shoes so he doesn’t have to sleep with them 6 inches from his face.
(boys)
Love the old wood boxes above, ……but metal tool boxes, fishing tackle boxes, or wire locker baskets will store even more of his trinkets and treasures..
That jar of bottle caps would be great here too…we have jars of everything in our house (bottle caps, corks, baseballs, matchbooks, Milk Bones, and even Matchbox cars)
And/or you could us plumbing pipes as curtain rods over the window.
Our curtains are all drop cloths from Home Depot with Grommets and shower curtain rings…….on plumbing pipes like these.
BUT since he like the outdoors…….what about a wooden paddle over the window?
These start at only $12 at Bass Pro Shop and Cabela’s depending on the length you need.
I really dig the flags in the picture. Didn’t you say the he likes flags? The ones above are attached with loose zip strips. VERY easy to do.
Also Love the jersey in the shadow box, but why not shadow box some of those wrestling medals too. A grouping of them either hanging over the bed could be really cool. Maybe like this …with or without the jerseys.
It might be time for a new lamp on the side of the bed? I’ll guessing that the current one was a “hand-me-down”. This one is a little more masculine….and from PoteryBarnTeen only $50
Keep the brown duck comforter he loves and give him some new sheets in a different color. Jersey sheets are amazingly soft…like sleeping on a giant t-shirt.
Target has twin sets for $20.
I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you, but once I got started I couldn’t stop. It was seriously fun….you’re lucky that you caught me on spring break with a little time on my hands this morning.
I hope you and Grey like the suggestions. We’d love to see what happens in there.
All my Best,
James
THE CAVENDER DIARY 
My boys are still young, but I love some of these ideas (especially the pipe shelving) for my 7-year-old!
Rhonda, it’s pretty easy to do, (just follow Morgan’s tutorial) the pipes are already sold in almost every size too…if not, Home Depot will cut them for you
I love your ideas for Grey’s room!!! I hope he and his mom implement your ideas…and send pictures for us to see. The best part of these ideas (and those you have used in your own home) is that they are made from “everyday” stuff that can be found easily and doesn’t break the bank.
Tina B.
PS How cool is it that someone asked for your design advice? It’s waaaaay cool…props to you.
Love all your ideas and hope we get to see “after” pictures too. I am only surprised if Grey’s mom is the first to ask for your design advice! Good for her for asking and for you for taking the time to answer with such great ideas!
Cathy, she caught me on a day with no projects of my own to tackle…..other people just want to know our paint colors….or where that Indian art peice came from
I love all the suggestions too! I’ll definitely share our progress however slow it may be! Thanks James for all your ideas! As a wife, mother of two boys, the sister of an awesome brother and the daughter of a camera/pistol toting father, I feel like I know boys. But, I know my knowledge and experience has its limits! That’s why I reached out to you. First step, paint. We’ll see where it goes from there.
Grey’s Momma
This may be the beginning of a new business venture…
It’s entirely possible….it wouldn’t be so terrible if this blog started paying me for a change
um. so you do design consultations?! i’m in!
as soon as i photograph the room that is FRUSTRATING me!!! ok?!
you’ll be waiting by your email inbox right?!
p.s. love Grey’s room plans!!!
LOL, Jamie warned me that this might be where I was headed….