19/20

“The room I'd like to make over is my boys’ bedroom; it's small and a huge mess! The boys would love something with a bit more colour and personality; they're five and eleven years old. I need to swap the furniture around and make a bit of space in the corner by the window for my eldest to study now he's off to high school.”

Joanna Thornhill's recommendations:

1. There's a bit of an age gap between the boys so it must be difficult finding designs to please them both! To start things off, I suggest opting for different bedlinen sets which complement each other, without being exactly the same. Perhaps one child could have a striped design and the other, stars, but in the same (or complementary) colourways. Great Little Trading Co has some fab star bedding in both blue and grey, which would look great and add a fun feel without being too kiddie. You could then bring one of these colours through into a window treatment - a roller blind would look smart for a boy's room, and opting for a blackout finish or lining might help encourage any lie-ins, too!

2. The slim shelf under your window looks like it's fairly redundant - I'd lose that, then you'd have space to turn the whole alcove next to the window into a floor-to-ceiling storage/desk space by adding fitted shelves. You could position one at desk height to provide your older son with his study space, then add extra shelving above, going almost up to the ceiling, making the most of the whole space.

3. I'd keep the bed where it is, but there's room for some larger furniture where their chests of drawers are. If you incorporate the desk area into the alcove as discussed, your wooden chair could go there, allowing you to include storage which goes almost to the door. Perhaps a couple of identical units butted up next to each other with cupboards below and open shelving above - so each child could have one to themselves - would allow toys or clothes to be hidden away at the bottom with books and games remaining accessible. You could even look into some sort of corner unit to maximise the space (try IKEA).

4. You could encourage each son to keep their posters to the area by their own bunk, to help them feel like they have their own personal spaces to decorate as they choose, then perhaps a cool wall mural would finish off the space on the chimney breast. Visit Notonthehighstreet.com for a selection and you may even be able to find something which can be personalised to incorporate both their names, to help them feel a sense of ownership.