A Shared Kids’ Bedroom Gets a Marigold-Colored Half-Painted Wall

When Kas and Tom were designing their kids’, Charlie and Oscar’s, bedroom, adding color to the space was a top priority. The couple was in the process of reimagining their home in Central Hove, UK, and Charlie and Oscar’s bedroom was no exception. “It was all gray with dark wooden floorboards, like the rest of the house, although not as recently varnished, so it looked a little dull, and the fireplace was all closed up,” Kas shares of the original room.

Kas and Tom’s goal was to “inject some color” into Charlie and Oscar’s room while also leaning into more mature colors that will be relatable to their children as they grow up. The couple looked through Pinterest for color inspiration but went with Tom’s idea of using what Kas considers complementary colors: yellow, gray, and black.

But before Kas and Tom could begin painting, they hired professionals to open up a fireplace that had been covered up and replaster the walls, which were then painted using Little Greene’s Yellow-Pink, French Grey, and Lamp Black. Next, they tiled the fireplace hearth and had carpet installed to make the room feel cozier. 

There were some DIY projects in Oscar and Charlie’s room, too. For example, Kas used leftover fabric to create bunting. She used cardboard to make two triangular templates of different sizes and sewed them onto a ribbon. Their children also collect Tonies, and after finding a metal shelf (the Tonies are magnetic!) in communal bins, Kas sprayed it with the same gray color and hung it low on the wall so it’s easily accessible.

Currently, Charlie and Oscar spend most of the time in their room sleeping, however, Kas says they love reading their books, playing with toys, and listening to music and stories while they’re relaxing. Charlie and Oscar weren’t too involved in this iteration of the redesign (Kas admits there’ll likely be another in the future), but the space is super colorful and functional, too.

“I love how versatile it is; there is lots of space, and the colors allow any type of scheme in there. Everything for the boys is really accessible, their books, the Tonies player, etc., which means it’s built for them,” Kas says. “You often see things really high up — adult height — in children’s bedrooms, which means they can never actually reach things.”

To see more of Tom and Kas’s wonderful space, visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapy.

Product List

• Cot, Wardrobe, and Chest of Drawers — Silver Cross

• Toddler Bed — John Lewis & Partners 

• Shelves — Homebase

Further Reading

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