A Little Imagination Goes a Long Way in This Whimsical Bunk Room

Children’s rooms don’t have to be brightly colored or wildly themed to be fun, says interior designer Rebecca Hughes, who, in this Norfolk country estate, has created something much more imaginative: a tucked-away world of bunks, nooks and secret dens that makes the best of an awkward pitched roof. Designed to sleep six, the room began with a decidedly unromantic yet simple problem – getting a pile of mattresses off the floor.

‘The brief was very much about balancing practicality with a sense of magic,’ says Rebecca. ‘I think children’s rooms benefit enormously from being treated with the same care as the rest of the house, rather than becoming an afterthought,’ she adds of her approach. The result is somewhere they can ‘hide, play and create their own little world’. So rather than disguise this space’s unusual proportions, she celebrated them, using the architecture to create individual pockets and surrounding everything with swathes of textiles to soften, separate and zone.

‘We embraced the shape rather than trying to fight it,’ she explains. Two raised platforms sit either side of a central ladder, which brings visual connection to the multiple zones, while the lower level houses a double bed. ‘The pitched roof naturally creates a feeling of being tucked away, so we used the architecture to make the sleeping areas feel like little individual retreats.’ Space beneath and around the bunks was left open for playing, while the reading nook conceals a secret den built into the eaves, turning what might have been dead space into part of the adventure.

The bunk structure is deliberately characterful but never overwhelms the bedroom, despite its stature. Rebecca wanted it to have a ‘slightly old-fashioned, almost storybook quality’, achieved through a balance of hard and soft. The dark metalwork provides contrast against the warm tones, while the vertical paneling keeps it feeling ‘calm and architectural’. ‘I love that the bunks feel quite grown-up in their detailing, but the whole arrangement is still incredibly playful,’ she says.

That sense of restraint is important. Rather than introducing something too juvenile, Rebecca has given the bunk room the same level of consideration as you find elsewhere in the home. This way, the space can grow with its occupants. Curtains soften the harder lines further, introducing pattern and whimsy, and giving each child their own private hideaway, which is incredibly valuable in a space that’s designed to accommodate so many people.

The textiles are ultimately what gives the space its charm, doing some of the hardest work. Rebecca worked with The Boys Who Sew on the window treatments, including wraparound blackout curtains for the upper bunks. ‘I love mixing patterns because it adds personality,’ she notes. The trick, she explains, is not only to mix scale of patterns but also to give everything a common thread. Stripes, checks, geometrics and florals work together to bring a collected feel to the space, united by a warm, slightly muted palette and plenty of texture. The beauty is that none of it is purely decorative; every fabric pulls its weight, from zoning the sleeping areas to making the room feel cozier and more playful.

The color scheme follows the same spirit, but avoids anything too saccharine. ‘I wanted the foundation to feel warm and timeless, rather than traditionally “childish”,’ says Rebecca. Ochre, rust and touches of red bring warmth and energy, while hints of blue provide the cooler counterpoint. ‘I always prefer using color in layers, rather than giving a room one obvious color theme,’ she says. This is a grown-up approach to designing for children, where the mix feels relaxed and collected, with color and pattern building gradually rather than competing for attention.

It is the smaller details that turn this from the ultimate sleepover spot into a room the children can really make their own. Curtains create privacy around each nook, while the space within the eaves conceals a hideout for smaller children to play and read. It’s a ‘proper adventure for children’, says Rebecca, who encourages people to ‘think beyond the obvious when designing children’s rooms’. Even the unusual oval window becomes part of the story, with a bespoke cushion used to block out light and add another layer of charm. For Rebecca, these are the moments that make a room memorable. ‘Look for opportunity in an awkward space,’ she advises. ‘Beautiful textiles and a little imagination can create something that children genuinely want to inhabit and remember.’

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