Kid's Bedroom with a Hexagon Tile TV Feature Wall

It is a hinged wardrobe, not sliding, with the shutters split into two tones so a tall bank of storage does not look like one heavy block. Hinged doors open the whole inside at once, which helps a child find things. The cost is swing space, so we kept the walkway in front of it clear.

The study sits in its own nook beside the bed, so a child can move from sleeping to homework without the two zones overlapping. The desk is wall-mounted, which keeps the floor clear underneath and makes the daily sweep quick. Above it, a run of cabinets with arched glass fronts holds books where they can be seen and reached. A light strip runs under those cabinets, because a desk against a wall usually falls into its own shadow, and this clears it without a bulky lamp on top.

Behind the bed we used ribbed white panelling with a soft blue upholstered headboard set into it. The ribs run vertical, which makes the wall feel a little taller and hides scuffs better than flat paint would in a kids room. The blue is the only real colour in an otherwise white and grey scheme, so the room stays calm at bedtime. Fabric on the headboard also means no hard edge to knock against.

Lighting is layered. Recessed spotlights in the false ceiling give the general light, a few surface-mounted round fittings add fill, and a strip under the study cabinets covers the desk. There is no hanging fixture, which keeps the ceiling clean and safe for an active room.

Yes, though something would give. In a smaller kids room the built-in study nook is the first thing to shrink or move, because the bed and wardrobe have to come first. The hexagon tile wall can stay, since one feature wall actually helps a small room by giving it a single clear focus. A hinged wardrobe this wide would likely switch to sliding doors in a tight room to save the swing space.

A hexagon tile wall is easy to live with day to day. The tile wipes clean, which matters more in a kids room than anywhere else, and a raised tile hides small marks better than a flat painted wall. The one real job is the grout. The lines are thin here and pick up dust over time, so a soft brush now and then keeps them crisp. Sealing the grout once makes even that easier.

Most of the spend here is the carpentry, not the surface finishes. The hinged wardrobe, the wall-mounted desk and the overhead cabinets with arched glass fronts are all built to size, and made-to-order joinery is where the money goes. The hexagon tile on the TV wall is a small part of the total by comparison. What moves the figure is how much built-in storage you ask for and the shutter finish you choose, so it pays to price the wardrobe in two or three finishes before you sign off.