I have a friend.
She has 4 boys.
They are the kind of boys that are sweet, well- behaved and liked by everyone.
In their spare time they go around the state winning chess championships. When they aren’t doing that, they’re out winning tennis, baseball and basketball trophies.
I have no doubt they’ll probably run the country in a few short years.
They’re like the modern day version of the Kennedy’s…living right down the street.
She’ll laugh, but it’s true.
They live in this house that was made for a family with boys.
Two of the bedrooms have tall ladders that go straight up to their own private loft.
Can you imagine? It’s like Narnia except the closet is a loft.
For Christmas she was thinking of surprising them by giving the lofts a mini-makeover.
The space is going to be used for the boys and their friends who will coming in to their teenage years shortly. Video games, Kendama-ing, talking about girls (?). Of course the first thought was to deck it out like a man cave and do sports memorabilia everywhere. While that’s fun, I’ve found that kids outgrow that look rather quickly even though they may still love sports. I’m envisioning the space to be centered around things they’re interested in yet still be able to grow with them.
All furniture that will go in the loft needs to be carried up a ladder. A plumbing pipe bookcase is perfect because it can be carried up in several pieces then put together on site. In addition, it’s also perfectly customizable to the space. You can make space for the the tv, video games and the hundreds of trophies they have. The ceilings are really tall. These chord pendants are great because they can give light off at any height plus they are a fun pop of color.
When it comes to seating, bean bags are perfect for tweens. They’re great for lounging and they can be easily transported up that huge ladder. $200. might be a bit pricey for 3 or 4 bags so I’ve offered a DIY version as well.
When it comes to kids (especially boys) carpet tiles are a no-brainer. They offer the cushion for wrestling boys and they can also be removed and cleaned right in the sink if there’s a spill. Flor offers fantastic options. For an inexpensive option, I was at Dollar Tree the other day and found a whole box of gray striped ones for $1.00! They say sold out on their site but I’ve seen tons of them in store. Mix them up and you can make an awesome pattern.
Huge prints of the boys is a great way to personalize a space. Staples will do Engineered Prints for less than $10.00 and they are BIG! Magnetic boards are also a great solution for tweens as well because they can arrange whatever they want on the wall and it’s not permanent.
So “A”…are you ready to get to work?
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
I had no clue the dollar tree had a website let alone floor tiles. I am so excited! As I was reading this I just kept thinking, you have a really upscale dollar tree to have floor tiles!
which one did you go to? i would love the tiles!
These were found at the one in the Ft. Union shopping area in Midvale, UT.
Love the idea with the huge photograph on the wall! Trying to find ideas for my home office – thank u!