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Yorkshire Post - 18th August
Interiors
Too old for Thomas the Tank Engine yet not quite ready for teenage love of black. So how do you create the perfect room for a pre-teen? Interior Designer Jamie Hempsall tells us how.
When it comes to designing a room for pre-teens, especially boys, you have to be really careful to choose a theme that is not too grown up, but that they will not be embarrassed by within a couple of years.
As the excess of bulky, brightly coloured toys get put aside in favour of X-box and board games, this age range need a room that is relatively smart and a little more mature, but that also reflects their childhood interests.
Generally, I would advise if you are designing for pre-teens to avoid patterned character or theme papers (as these can date very quickly), opt for a subtle wall colour (blue is fine, but avoid shades that are cold, bland or overpowering) and then dress the room with wall-hangings, pictures and accessories. In this way you create a theme that can be changed with relative ease, but if done correctly will last quite a few years.
This room in a house we recently completed was designed for two brothers who fitted the pre-teen category perfectly. A flag theme based around the Stars & Stripes indulged their passion for all things Stateside and allowed the use of blue as a dominant, but not dominating colour though out the room.
The walls were painted in Zoffany La Seine, a subtle blue that is relatively light, but still has plenty of body. This was matched with a plain carpet, some terrific oak bedroom furniture from Aspace, and plain duvet covers and pillow cases. Bunk beds are terrific space savers (providing room for those sharing or a sleepover treat) and always seem to be popular with children of pretty much any age.
The blinds and pelmets were covered in Calvi Lacquer Red from Romo, a simple stripe which hints at the American flag. I opted for chain operated blinds, rather than curtains as they allow the more independent young adult to be responsible for opening their window covering without the need to dress them neatly. I find curtains also tend to be more at risk of being damaged by being dragged open from those operating them at a lower height than most adults.
This simple colour palette, furniture and blinds provided a basic bedroom design that could be adapted as tastes develop without any further major expense.
Flags were introduced in cushions and bed throws, a star covered blue rug and the great square Stars & Stripes trunk from Halo. The walls were dressed with USA themed art and a draped “antique” American flag (actually a brand new cotton flag that was left in cold tea for a couple of days) to provided a final, strong focal point.
Jamie Hempsall is a member of the British Institute of Interior Design and one of the region’s leading designers. Contact him on 0800 0321 180 or visit his website www.jamiehempsall.com.
Yorkshire Post Mid-Week Life & Style Section 17th March 2010
Interiors
Interior Design Expert Jamie Hempsall answers readers questions
HOW SHOULD WE PAINT A CEILING?
We have a Victorian House with a tall narrow hallway which we are looking to repaint. We know what colour we want on the walls, but are unsure about what tone and finish to paint the ceilings and woodwork? AC, Easingwold
When decorating any room, I always recommend continuing the wall colour on to the ceiling; regardless of the pigment you are using. This ensures that your sight lines are not artificially halted by a change of colour. It helps to standardise proportions of the room lowering the effect of overly high ceilings, but counter intuitively adding a feeling of height to low ceilings. It also helps with painting as there is no difficult cutting off to contend with.
In a hallway, the normally narrow proportions are best served by painting the woodwork in a lighter tone than you use for the walls. Avoid brilliant white, as this can be very harsh. If you do need a really light, neutral colour opt for something such as Zoffany Architect’s White, which has subtle hints of grey (www.zoffany.com; 0844 543 4748).
Use Flat Emulsion for ceilings and walls and Eggshell for woodwork; this has a slight sheen which gives a softer finished than Gloss, but is still durable.
IS SILK SUITABLE FOR BEDROOM UPHOLSTERY?
I am upholstering an occasional chair for use in a bedroom. I would like to use silk, but am worried about it being easily damaged. Can you recommend a fabric that I could use? TF, Bedale
Silk creates a beautiful look in a bedroom, but can be difficult to maintain. If this is not a piece that will be sat on regularly you do not have too much to worry about, but you will need to be careful about fading and weakening of the fabric if it is regularly exposed to sunlight.
There are a couple of options open to you that are more specifically suitable for domestic upholstery. Kediri Silk by Osborne & Little is a Silk/Cotton blend which comes in a great range of contemporary shades (£61.10/m – www.osborneandlittle.com; 0207 352 1456). Alternatively, the Sateen Range from Casamance is actually a Cotton/Polyester blend, but you would be hard pressed to tell it from silk (from £35/m - www.casamance.com; 0844 369 0104).
IDEAL DUVET SET FOR A YOUNGSTER?
We are re-decorating the bedroom for our five year old son, who wants something a bit more grown up. His is mad about robots - can you suggest a suitable duvet set? LG, Driffield
Aspace are a terrific company who specialise in good quality, hard wearing products for Child friendly areas. As well as a comprehensive range of furniture, they also have some extremely nice bedding accessories with duvets, throws and pillows that feature classic, contemporary designs and which are finished to a high standard.
They have a great cotton duvet set featuring an applique robot design (a single duvet and pillow is £50). They also sell a range of matching accessories including curtains, a rug, pin board and cushions. (www.aspace.co.uk; 0845 872 2400).
WHERE CAN WE GET THE FISH WALLPAPER?
We really loved the wallpaper that was pictured behind a mirror and chest of drawers in your article on March 3rd. It featured stylised gold/ silver fish on a grey background. Could you tell me who it is by? TK, Wakefield
So glad that you like wallpaper, it is one of my personal favourites: it works particularly well in bathrooms. The design in question is from Osborne & Little and is called Derwent. It actually comes in 6 different colours, so can suit a variety of interiors schemes. The wallpaper is £49.35 per roll (inc VAT); the rolls are 10m long and 52cm wide, with a 61cm pattern repeat.
To find your local stockists either visit www.osborneandlittle.com or call their London showroom 0207 352 1456).
Jamie Hempsall is a member of the British Interior Design Association. Send your queries to him at studio@jamiehempsall.com or contact him on 01777 248463.
