ROOM WE LOVE: Sweet Dreams

Whitney Sturge designs a built-in bed to maximize space in tiny bedroom

When Whitney Sturge’s clients hired her renovate their dated two-story colonial in Barclay Downs, they wanted room to entertain guests and host sleepovers for their three young children. For their 7-year-old daughter’s bedroom, Sturge had to come up with a creative way to accommodate a bed, desk, play space, and plenty of storage with limited square footage. “I’d seen the idea of a built-in bed on Instagram and Pinterest, and thought this was the perfect solution,” she says. “This gave her more play space in the bedroom, but it’s still really functional and an efficient use of space.”

MAKE ROOM

Prior to the renovation, Sturge describes the space as “the tiniest room you’ve ever seen.” With the position of the door and window, she knew she’d be limited with furniture placement, so she created the design for the built-in bed. She made sure the unit included drawers, cabinets, and bookshelves, and handed it off to a woodworker to construct and install. “This is every parent’s dream,” she says. “Everything is hidden and it’s easy for kids to keep clean.”

LIGHT IT UP

The entire family loves to read, so a good reading light was a priority. “We had to incorporate that sconce into the design so (the electrician) could hardwire it in,” Sturge says, “but it had to be high enough so it wouldn’t hit her head.” Instead of painting the built-in unit a bubblegum pink the girl would likely outgrow, Sturge chose Farrow & Ball’s Cinder Rose, a duskier shade that would age with her. For the Roman shade, she selected a linen floral design from Pindler to incorporate some periwinkle and lilac tones.

THINK PINK

Sturge chose brass fixtures for the cabinets and drawers and had the installer hand score the vertical slats to give it a timeless look. She found a simple off-white bedspread from HomeGoods and used the homeowner’s medallion area rug to warm up the space with more mauve and berry tones. “That pink is unexpected, so you walk in and really notice it,” Sturge says. “It’s very inviting and a good place for sleepovers. You’re not gonna go to another friend’s house who has this as their bed.”