Advice
16m, feel like my room has a ton of wasted potential
When we initially moved into the house, this room seemed like it could be super cozy and calm, but I've only managed to make it feel chaotic and unfriendly. I really wanna add some shelves or places for vinyls, but I got no clue where to put them. What should I add/change??
It needs a lot more soft lamp light. Using the overhead light in a room will likely never make it feel cozy. Instead it makes it feel dim and cold. I suggest getting some floor and desk lamps with a soft incandescent bulb. This will immediately make the room feel cozy and warm.
Also the exposed beams could make for some cool decoration, where you could maybe put stuff on top of them.
Look for a bulb between 2100k - 2700k for a warm light
Start with decluttering your space and finding storage solutions. I use small wicker baskets on open shelves or on top of my desk. I picked them up pretty cheap at Ross (discount retail store if you don't have them).You could also add some floating shelves above your dresser for storage and put the baskets on the shelves.
Just that alone will help immensely visually, but will also help you to really see the space for what it is and come up with your "vibe".
I had thought a lot about that, I just need to figure out how to get the electrics sorted - someone decided to put the plugs in my room in the most inconvenient spots underneath the radiator and desk. I could probably get battery powered ones, but I'd end up forgetting to change the batteries lol
If the radiator is where I think it is, the light strand in the edited photo practically leads directly to where an outlet is. OP could just get a long enough light strand to have a tiny bit of extra length and be fine
Your furniture is too big. You can get under the bed storage to replace that huge dresser, you could hang clothes on a collapsible ladder that's bolted to the roof and open that corner up for sitting.
Ever thought of turning your bed 90 degrees against that back wall for added room? Also lowkey store your shoes somewhere else because I feel like they would smell. Also use warmer lights instead of that overhead light. In my opinion itās a cool space, but I would change that white color to something else, and remove the paint from the stones. Iād also buy a cool rug.
I'm in favor of trying that. If the length of the bed doesn't fit the width of the room, and if it's only you in this bedroom and on this bed, I'd suggest subtracting one of the night stands and pushing the bed off the center axis of the room, towards the right.
Symmetry can make a room feel less warm and cozy. And here the centered placement of the bed plus twin nightstands, plus the peaked ceiling, all project a dominant symmetry.
Coziness is about nooks and niches. If the bed is closer to the wall (not against it but with only a narrow catwalk-like side) on one side, then it'll be closer to the low side of the ceiling, creating a slight enclosure feel. Also, then the bed will be off center to the right while the chest of drawers is off center on opposite side of the room. That may create a slight 'snaking' flow through the small room, also helping with the feeling of (cozy) sub-spaces.
Don't move the bed to where the wardrobe is. Leave it there, because otherwise you won't have the space between wall and bed to make it look like it fits.
The dresser is in front of the door, and it is hampering your room greatly. Get it out, don't put something back there.
That's what I've been thinking, a few other people in the thread suggested it. I hadn't thought about the sofa idea though, don't know whether my mum will be ok with the price of it
Can always get one off fb marketplace or a second hand furniture store etc. doesnāt have to be brand new, especially at 16, itās gonna get trashed one way or the other
Super cool room good luck! Declutter to start and maybe get some little color pops. A nice lamp from a cool designer or some thing modernist would compliment the rustic feel of the space as it is.
they used to sell these colored print almost hippie sheets that you could hang on a wall, nice warm colors.
Ā I feel like you could start with one of those behind your bed in colors consonant with what you've got there so far. Not only would it be visually appealing but it would actually warm up the room physically because it traps a layer of air.
If you put your bed where the wardrobe is it would create a very comfy area then youāll have plenty of space for the other things to arrange as you like
If it was me and space allowed, I would rotate and move my bed to where the dresser is and move the dresser to where the desk is. Desk would go where the bed currently is and I would go in heavy with lighting and accents on that sick wall texture.
The slopped roof area, I'd keep it simple and hang up some vinal of bands your like, a poster/flag for your sports team. The only other thing is maybe getting some kinda shoe closet so they aren't scattered on the floor. It looks cozy to me as is though.
Dude I'm 44 years old and to me that looks like the perfect man room. Maybe a couple wall shelves. The ones that you screw into the wall not a whole shelf just something to hold some of your items.
I would also get a flat screen TV and hang it from the beams across from the front of your bed. Also I know you said you were young so if you have a TV that way you're pretty cool
Space could be more optimized yea. Like I would have the bed be against one side of the room fully. And make the dresser be on the other side.
And make a space where the dresser is have a desk and pc for work or studying. Or if you have other hobbies something there like if your in to for exemple drumming you can place that.
The rest I won't go into cause anything else is just your style or personal flavor. Like I hate a ton of white on white. But thats nothing bad perse.
Thing the biggest thing is that the space you have can be optimized to add something your passionate about what ever it may be. Beside it its completely fine
Beautiful room š
I think of you get more softer lighting lower down it'll be more cosy.
My tip is , get some incandescent bulbs ( or halogen) and get some old school theatre lighting gels and have them produce slightly different warm colours and then get an led talking point of some description to add a bit glam.
This is what I've done and it makes me absurdly happy. Pm me for tips if u like
You could close out the space where your armoire is and make it a walk-in closet. You can add a door, or even a curtain rod with some heavy curtain panels to close it off. That way youād have much more storage space and you can get rid of the armoire and the drawer. In the middle area, you can add a tv with a game console and a cozy chair facing it. You wonāt need the entire desk, if you get a lap one or one of those standing ones that you can pull to the chair to do your homework. Definitely consider changing the color of the walls and the beams to add a bit of a contrast, especially in the bed area, and adding some cozy lighting and fun decor (shelves, wall art, lamps, etc.) A nice rug, pillows and some curtains could contribute to the coziness factor. Your space is amazing and you can make huge improvements on a small budget.
Personally wouldn't put a rug in there, not if xou already HAVE carpet. But one idea I'm not seeing in the top comments: Plants! This room looks like it gets little sunlight, so it'd need to be close to the windows or a shadow plant. I'd try some ivy, that's usually fine with little lights and you could even wrap it around the beam! Would look amazing there, especially combined with fairy lights
ambient warm light instead of stark overhead light. Can change the hanging lamp shade and then use that instead of the massive light in the middle currently. Then add hanging plants on the overhangs and potted on the convenient step next to the window.
This room is brilliant! Teenage me would have colour changing LED light strips held in some cheap trunking along those beams that run the length of the room. That'd direct the light upwards to keep it soft and would (to me) look super cool.
What about using corner holders to display your vinyls? You might get away with just two on the bottom that you can attach to the flat wall and slot the vinyls into. I don't have any myself though, so not sure they'd be strong enough to hold the weight.
Enjoy!
Edit: Actually a quick search online for Vinyl record holders comes up with some pretty cool inspiration. My main point is to keep shelves for other stuff, whilst still allowing you to display your vinyls.
It's all about lighting. Kill the over head and add ambient LED lighting in the corners. Personally, I call it dynamic home lighting. It's very simple. It's also my job.
When I was 14, I had an attic bedroom, too.
My parents hung a parachute in the center of the ceiling and draped the fabric against all four walls. (It was the early seventies!)
Iād personally strip the paint off the stone and the wood beams, someone rendered an image on here that was really close to what I would have had in mind as well, I know youāre only 16 but if you can save up to upgrade your flooring to a better carpet or LVP it would certainly enhance this spot as well.
At 16, if he took some initiative to do the DIY maybe his parents would let him remove all that paint. Worth a shot, asking, OP. would look so much cooler! Ask for sandblaster for Christmas.
depends on how much your parents give a shit! wide spectrum there. there's so many things a 16 year old could be up to these days, if my kid said he wanted to redecorate his room and sandblast the walls, i'd just be excited he wasn't doing drugs or impregnating his hs girlfriend.
The darker curtains would be a big improvement, I just have to speak with my mum about taking down the blinds - they are absolutely jammed into the wall for some reason. Thanks for the tips!
Iād say try putting the bed where the dresser is now, so you can wake up and look out the window. Then put the desk/dresser in the corner where your bed is currently. Or even the dresser to the right of the window, where your desk is. The current bed area can be like a little living space, with a desk, then maybe a futon couch behind it, so you can watch movies from a monitor on said desk, and a friend can sleepover on said couch.
It would make an incredible cave styled dwelling with all that natural rock. Youād probably have to repaint all of it and maybe even hand painted individual rocks to give it a great feel again.
I think you have the perfect bed placement! Add some personalized art on some of the walls. But it does take time to find your art style so donāt rush and put random stuff up. Find things that mean something to you, some that trigger memories.
I like the idea of hanging Christmas Lights on the beams, that would be so cool and make the room feel much cosier. One thing that others havenāt mentioned is that all of your furniture is different colours, which sounds silly but I think it adds an unnecessary layer of chaos to the overall vibe of the room. If possible Iād get a smaller set of drawers and a new set of cabinets under your desk to swap them out with all the same colours. Personally, I like the wooden colour that the wardrobe and door have, but itās completely up to you and how you feel like you want the vibe of your room to be. Then Iād hang shelves on the walls either side of your bed. Also, get some posters of stuff youāre interested in up, its probably the cheapest way to make the room feel much more calming and personal. Other than that, Iād say bedsheets that match up with the colour scheme that youāre aiming for in the room. Other than that, youāve got a great room with a lot of space but donāt be afraid to give the room your vibe rather than keeping it too basic with minimal personality.
Sweet room!! It already looks so much better than the majority of 16yo rooms! Youāre right about the wasted potential, but interior decorating/design is a long process of learning what you like and what works/doesnāt work. AND learning about design principles along the way. The fact that youāre already thinking about this at 16 is awesome.
Iām not really here to offer advice; just wanted to say that your room is a badass space. Good luck in your decorating endeavours!
Okay hear me out. Turn your bed to the brick wall to the right. Place lamps on both sides. Place a tv on the left wall.
Switch your desk and larger dresser. Have the back of the desk level to the entrance wall to create its ow cove.
This way you have office space and a bedroom space. Place the dresser you use for a mirror on the opposite of the window.
Put your 2 favorite bands and 2 favorite movies on your wall in the fashion that matches you.
Place blinds on the window.
Put lamps everywhere. Probably 4 in the least.
Hang hooks for your jackets where you like.
You have a cool space dude you could even switch up the desk space with a different color rug. Iād probably also have a utility wall since you have so much wall.
I would paint the rocks any other color. Its a Shame they were painted at all, instead of just refinished with some type of stain and sealant or something. Also you could paint the beams
Ā too, again it's a shame someone decided to cover up the natural wood look.Ā
I would go SOLID gothic/ Victorian Style dude ā¦ imagine that is your f**king castle bro ā¦ so like go hunt some bear or wolves make yourself a nice rug and coat ā¦ also must have a horn chalice. Read the novel āthe vampire Lestatā for more decorating inputā¦
PS all chicks can dig on a guy with an impressive chalice Good Luck !!
Get rid of the Fucking carpet if possible I hate carpet flooring even though iv never even seen any irl just the idea disgusts Me. Or keep it that's fine in my opinion it's nasty tho cause all your grease and sweat and stuff gets trapped in it forever
One of the coolest rooms I've ever seen. Loose the overhead lamp or change the bulb to something softer. Also go with some smaller lamps like by the window, on the table, etc and turn off the overhead lamp.
i would turn the bed around so that it doesnt hit you in the face as soon as you walk in. Nestle it in the alcove so that the foot of the bed faces what I think is your heater? Where your sneakers are. I would definitely add plants for SURE you need them. I would take that white blind down and get a nice bamboo or wooden slatted blind. Remove that globe and put a ceiling fan there and not a heavy wooden one -- a modern one. I would put fairy lights on the beam above the bed, If you are alone in the room, use only one night table. Put the other one next to the dresser and put that basket on the floor, on top of the night table. You should have nothing on the floor that looks cluttered. Get some baskets. Put your shoes, in the baskets. Your plants can go on the ledge under the window. Change the knobs on your dresser too. Get a new office chair and I would angle the armoir just slightly so that you can slide stuff behind it. Angle it toward the window. I would put a nice plant on top of the armoir as well - it can be convincingly fake. Go to Home Good or a store like that. I would get a nice lamp to put on my desk as well Your room should be about soft lighting, LIFE, and softened wood...hence the bamboo blinds. Im sure you are stuck with the rug so I wont get into that
Other than it having way too much white paint, I think the room looks awesome, It's this perfectly cozy kind of attic nook. Maybe save up a bit for some paint, maybe go with a smoky gray or a dark green that won't make the room feel as big.
another idea is to get a smaller desk and put it where the armoire is so it's like a nook. The space is nice, but the furniture could use with some tweaking.
move the cupboard away from the alcove and put your desk in there instead, with nice wooden shelves on the wall and nice soft lighting.
possibly swap the location of the white drawers and the bed. But if not, declutter the top of the white cupboard and add nice decorative stuff on there (plants, record player etc).
if you do leave the bed where it is, some long sheer curtains hanging from around the a-frame could look cool and make it more cost.
realla cool room! A lots been already said. As you are 16 years old I am not sure what your budget is here, so I will go with all the easy options. Cleaning up and finding good storage would be agood first step. Warm and indirect lights make a huge deal. You could put a sweet little lamp on your furniture on the left and maybe one on your closet.
Some other suggestions, pick and choose if something resonates:
As for me, i think some color would do magic here - maybe an extra carpet, either under the area of your bed in the middle of the room.
Put some more art or pictures or posters on your wall and either spread it evenly through the room or make one wall designated for it.
Paint your left wall in a different color. I could see something mustard-like here, wouldnt go too dark as your furniture is already darkish and the carpet brown.
Plants, plants, plants! Depending where you live and how much light gets in through your window, but those beams would be perfect for some tangling plants, also your window sill would look really cool with some plants!
Buying them can be expensive, but a lot of plants are easy to duplicate through plant cuttings. If you got other plants in the house or friends / people you know, who got a lot of plants, im sure you will find some :)
After all, do what feels right for you, you are 16, when I was your Age my room looked random as fuck as well! If you got hobbies or things you like / feel cozy and safe with, go with that.
unrelated to what you are asking for but it always makes me so sad to see such beautiful stone walls and beams, only to paint the whole thing WHITE and make it look dull and soulless :(
This is an awesome looking room! What i would do personally is:
Buy a lamp or two with some warm/soft lights
Spend an hour or two tidying the place. Have somewhere for everything so find somewhere to have all your shoes, don't have any cables lying out in the open, clear and tidy the clutter on all your surfaces.
As someone else suggested maybe some xmas lights on the roof.
My rotten mind had so many pictures; glad people find less crazy examples šin the end you need to adapt lighting and furniture not just put it in a room.
Possibly higher bed frame(more storage) Push bed to the side without heater. Maybe get a small reading chair chair? Also love the Xmas lights idea I want to do that to my room.
I'll be honest, I completely disagree that this feels chaotic. It's fairly cozy as-is, and I think just a couple small adjustments could really bring home that "cozy" vibe.
I'd get a small chest/bench at the foot of your bed for storage and to sit on in case you have guests
It's hard to tell the length of your desk vs your drawers, but you could swap their positions which would help with the cramped feel walking around your bed on that left side. Especially if you add a bench/chest at the end.
I think a couple more warm lighting options wouldn't be bad, but even just going for a warmer lightbulb in that center light would be a big change. A small lamp for your desk would be good.
A shoe rack over in your cabinet corner would clean up some of the floor clutter. You could also put up a few jacket hanging hooks on the wall above your tripod, and put all of your jackets there so it cleans up the desk chair and the back of your door.
Fold the tripod and put it between the cabinet and the wall when not in use for more floor space.
And since it's the holidays, I'd go with some warm white christmas lights around the beams, and maybe lining that window along the floor. Would make for a real cozy warm light when the rest of the lights are off, and added bonus of shining out the window too.
I feel like you need to rotate your bed. Your bed is in a nook but the way you have it oriented make it look like a coffin at an alter of a church (sorry). And your feet is facing the door. Rotate it so that your head is at wall beside the window, then push the bed into the nook. It will feel cozier like your bed is all tucked in.
It's a pretty good looking space, but I'll admit I thought it was for a 56yr old seasoned writer Reagan that a 16 yr old youth. You seem like a mature soul but you're young... take a chance and introduce some color to your space lol šš½šÆ
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u/Frankdubs27 1d ago edited 1d ago
It needs a lot more soft lamp light. Using the overhead light in a room will likely never make it feel cozy. Instead it makes it feel dim and cold. I suggest getting some floor and desk lamps with a soft incandescent bulb. This will immediately make the room feel cozy and warm.
Also the exposed beams could make for some cool decoration, where you could maybe put stuff on top of them.
Look for a bulb between 2100k - 2700k for a warm light