Room We Love: A Space for a 9-Year-Old Avid Reader

Designer Lauren Clement teams up with Impact Design Resources to build a stylish storage system and book nook

Lauren Clement, owner of Lauren Nicole Designs, oversaw the renovation of nearly every room in her client’s Davidson home, which included the kitchen, bathrooms, office, and mudroom. When it came to 9-year-old Charlotte’s bedroom, Clement wanted to create a fun and functional space for the avid reader. Along with the team at Cornelius-based Omnia Construction and Kristie Knorr of Impact Design Resources, she turned an awkward closet into a functional storage system for a young girl and her beloved book collection.—Taylor Bowler

SPIN THE SPACE

Prior to the transformation, the closet was an add-on that jutted out into the bedroom. “It had a ledge where people would put fake ivy back in the day,” Clement laughs. “I thought, what can we do with this space so it doesn’t look like an eye sore?” She enlisted her contractor to build bookcases into the angled space and added a raised lip in front to keep any books from flying off the shelf.

MAKE IT WORK

Since the bookshelves were so high up, they installed a wood library ladder painted in Bliss by Benjamin Moore. “It gets stored at that left angle, and it’s on wheels so it’s super easy,” Clement says. They also swapped out the closet doors with more modern Craftsman style, painted the walls in Benjamin Moore’s Classic Gray, and dressed the window in pink polka dot drapes from Fabrika.

SHELVE IT

Knorr had already done the cabinetry in the rest of the house, so Clement brainstormed with her about redoing Charlotte’ closet, too. They ripped out the wire shelving and old particle board and created a storage system that would work for Charlotte. “There wasn’t room for a dresser for her, so we incorporated drawers and shelves to store clothes and toys,” Clement says. “Now this is a functional room that will grow with her.”