A Mom Says This IKEA Unit Is the Storage Secret Weapon in Her Sons’ Shared Bedroom
When Cheylene Thongkham moved her family into their London townhouse, she made what some would consider a sacrifice: She gave the primary bedroom to her two youngest sons. “We joke that they have the best room in the house,” Cheylene said at the time of the House Tour.
While the original room boasted gorgeous views of London, the orange walls with matching curtains didn’t necessarily scream “kid space,” so Cheylene began browsing kids’ shared bedrooms online, pulling elements she appreciated and combining them. It was important to her to acknowledge and emphasize the room’s original details, too.
“My general design approach is to complement the architecture of a space,” Cheylene says. “Thankfully, this room has great architectural details — high ceilings, crown molding, picture rails, and a fireplace surround. With all that going on, I knew I wanted to keep the walls simple and paint them a solid color in a durable finish.”
Cheylene went with Dulux’s Vast Lake, a blue-gray she liked because it matched the childrens’ existing furniture (they didn’t purchase any large pieces when moving in) and wasn’t too dark. “The finish is also tough as nails and stands up to all kinds of smudges, fingerprints, and sticky tack,” she says.
Cheylene’s sons have a lot of colorful toys and trinkets, so she gave the room a blue through line so it would “feel cohesive rather than chaotic,” then added a few red pieces to “balance the overall color composition of the room.” She also bought colorful posters of her sons’ favorite athletes. She says the boys loved decorating with the posters as well as choosing the layout for the beds and picking out which bed would be theirs.
One of the other major furniture items in the room is the IKEA VIHALS storage unit that Cheylene dubs their “storage workhorse.”
“It fits both kids’ clothes (we use drawer organizers to keep things separate), all their books, and is short enough to store or display things on top (e.g., plants, night light). I don’t know what I would do without it,” Cheylene says.
Speaking of smart storage, Cheylene also credits plastic under-bed storage bins for keeping winter clothes, spare bedding, toys, and more contained.
Cheylene says this room gives her sons the space and freedom to play, learn, and relax. (Her teenage son even hangs out in the room after school sometimes.) She says it’s the site of many wrestling and mini soccer matches, and where the boys unwind by reading books with the family’s dog.
“I love how much of the kids’ personalities and interests are reflected in the room,” Cheylene says. “They’re in that magical stage of childhood where they’re interested in so many different things. I’m glad we were able to create a space that captures their enthusiasm and interests, and will hopefully grow with them.”
To see more of Cheylene’s family’s home, visit the full House Tour on Apartment Therapy.