A Superhero Bedroom for a New Boys Room

Patricia Hoyna shares how to put the Ka-Pow

into a room for Super-Boy Michael

When Michael turned 8, he was still sharing a bedroom with his 18 month old brother Leon, at this point his parents decided to make the shared room his own space. The room was lovely and big, but large rooms suffer if you haven’t sorted out adequate storage: the furniture was badly arranged and the lighting was dull. The space was pretty uninspiring, really. Oh! And the carpet had to stay. 

Michael is a serious action figure fan who loves to play games, read books and have friends over for playdates. With his brother being moved to a room of his own, our aim was to create a very special place for Michael where he could express himself and have lots of fun. 

We chose a really cool Cartoon City wall mural in comic book style: the mural instantly creates a captivating atmosphere and Michael loves it. The graphic effect of the wallpaper works well with every  other colour in the room.

We couldn’t change the blue carpet, so we decided to work with it! We picked shades of blue and mixed a matching shade for the wall and part of the ceiling next to the bed. This created a cohesive colour scheme for the room and provided visual interest.   The room felt a little dark, so we introduced some accent colours: we installed full length curtains in warm, sunny yellow, a red cabinet with a cord outlet underneath that makes it easy to gather all cords in one place. An orange sofa adds a dash of vibrant intensity and a definite feeling of happiness!

We divided the room into different zones, depending on activity. There is a gaming area, where the boys can also watch movies. Plenty of storage for Michael’s books, toys and personal belongings was important: they are neatly hidden or even locked, so his little brother can’t reach them. These touches helped us massively, as Michael can keep precious and delicate things away from little hands (the incidents of destroyed homework were dully noted).

“We couldn’t change the blue carpet, so we decided to work with it!

We picked shades of blue and mixed a matching shade for the wall and part of the ceiling next to the bed.

This created a cohesive colour scheme for the room and provided visual interest.“

An organised study area for homework and hobbies is fun and well lit: the little cupboards are carried by Superman and Thor and they provide additional storage that is clutter free .

The sleeping zone is much more restful than the other part of the room: it’s divided by a bookcase that stores books with covers facing out to make it easy for Michael to find the book he’s after.

The single pendant light creates a very flat, unhelpful light; I always incorporate several light sources in a room so that the room can feel bright and busy or calm and restful at the flick of a switch. Festoon Lights strung across the curtain rail are more interesting . Illuminating globes create a subtle glow and make learning about the world more appealing and are ideal for creating a cosy atmosphere in the run-up to bed time.

Children often like a small amount of light in a room at night because it helps them sleep better. We sourced a Superman night light for Michael for that little bit of magic. Now he can fall asleep surrounded by his favourite action figures.

TIP: A bed with a pull-out trundle is perfect for sleepovers.

TIP: There is no such thing as too much storage. If you’re doing it yourself allow time to plan what‘s going to go where and how much space it will require .

Shopping list: Bed: www.noaandnani.co.uk Red cupboard, sofa, bookcase, desk :Ikea, Mural: Rebel Walls, Cushions: Etsy, Letter M: eba

More by Patricia Hoyna…