Theme:

The main theme for this room is an active, physical and personalized experience for a growing boy.  This was achieved with the use of bold colors, creative inclusion of personal favorites and the use of industrial materials.

 Focus:

The main focus of the room is the 12 foot long x 4 foot high elevated bed. The bed is the focal point of the room and leaves ample space for activity within the room beneath. A secondary focus of the room is the desk, positioned in a private corner of the room outfitted with custom lighting and suspended desktop designed to support growing technical needs and school assignments.

Storage:

A large floor armoire was built at the far side of the room between the bed and wall. The armoire was built with 8 separate storage units that are approximately 12”x24” by 8” deep.  These enclosed storage spaces are convenient for anything a growing boy may need to put away and convenient enough to make cleaning up easy for him. The floor is built to support the chair and desk built into the far corner of the room.

Growth:

The room was designed for active ages 8 to 18.  There are three ways to enter the bed, climb the knotted rope, custom rock wall, or pipe monkey bars up the wall and along the ceiling. The ladder was included only for parents. While these are the intended ways to enter the bed, they are also a convenient safety system to prevent younger siblings from getting into his private things.

Safety:

This room was designed for an older child but safety is still a critical element and every detail in the room was reviewed for safety. The raised bed includes extra long and higher side boards ensuring that any rolling in bed is kept safe. The decking was sanded and edges cleaned to prevent any potential splintering. Power outlets are covered using exterior industrial outlets for the switches and plugs, which also looks really cool.

Other creative details:

• 440 used automobile license plates across the ceiling.

• Sheet metal wall used for any mounting with magnets

• 2 accordion scissor lights with dimmers used above bed and desk

• 3 sets of shelves with galvanized pipe hardware

• Ceiling storage area next to bed on ceiling (with locking storage)

• Pegboard and bungee chords underneath bed

• Military field phone used as intercom system to the house kitchen

• Custom desk organizer with storage

• The use of a climbing ascender for desk anchor point

We were happy to have so many clients from around the world this year asking for designs.

Client locations: Thailand, Italy, Brazil, Texas, California, New Mexico, Mississippi, North Carolina and Florida.

CHILDHOOD:I grew up building models and forts. As I got older, I made more and more things from scratch—building with my own materials rather than relying on kits. In high school,I was the guy that made the floats, and made the sets for the plays and musicals.I joined the National Guard my junior year of high school and served active duty during Operation Desert Storm.I then attended West Virginia University and Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., and graduated from West Virginia witha BFA in graphic design. After leaving school, I worked for the CIA in graphic design and then worked for PRC (nowNorthrop Grumman) before starting a company with my current business partner, David Frank. David and I have run a marketing/graphic design firm for the past fourteen years now.After having children and in the midst of always creating things for family and friends’ rooms, David and I decided to open up an arm of MediaWorks called “Kidtropolis.” The name was taken from a neighbor’s joke referring to my home.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO CREATE INTERIORS?: I was in my first year at West Virginia University, initially majoring in Wood Science Engineering—of which I was not excelling at. I found myself at one point doing research and building a scratch model of a Greek trireme galley ship. My roommate,Ken, probably thought I was a little crazy. It was at this point I realized I should be in design. I also turned a bus into a movie theater during Desert Storm, among other interesting and random projects.

TELL US ABOUT THE FAIRY LAND PROJECT: This particular project spanned a bedroom and bathroom area,stretching approximately 225 square feet. Before I was brought into the project, the room was used as a master bedroom for the parents. The clients had a basic idea of a fairyland bedroom for their daughter—the daughter loved fairies and Tinkerbell. The only specifics were: a space for a television, a crib/bed that could be grown into, and a play room.

“The  detail was inspired from a small company that I found in Georgia that creates these very small houses. I had the idea of purchasing three of them—repainting them to fit my colors and using them as the supports for the overall shelf structure. One of the houses also has an LED light inside for use as anight light.”

To read the full interview click here to download the current issue. His article starts on page 21 (printed page 38)