Kids’ Spaces

Spaces designed for children can be as complicated as the young personalities who inhabit them. Homeowners and parents want rooms that foster imagination and playfulness but also peaceful slumber. They look for spaces that are cozy for one or can expand to accommodate siblings and sleepovers. Mostly, say architects, they want something fun, something obviously created for kids that will grow up with its occupants. “One of the things that really concerns us,” says parent and architect Al York, “is not dumbing down the idea and making a cartoon space that’s only good for kids 2 or 3 years old.” York suggests making the most of nooks and crannies as places “where kids can cocoon and feel in control at any age.”

Bunk Mates What was planned as an open room filled with freestanding bunk beds became so much more with the creative input of project architect Timothy L. Clites, who was inspired by a view. During the framing of this addition to a 1913 farmhouse, Clites was checking out a new dormer that was supposed to be a bathroom. “Once we looked out at the view we decided it should be a place for the kids to look out, so we designed a bench with bookshelves and a trundle bed underneath to raise the bench up to viewing height,” he says. That led to seeing how many built-in beds could be fit into the space, so floor space would be left open. Six turned out to be the magic sleep number. Twin built-ins with trundles flank the bathroom entry with a lofty bunk above. Despite its “kids only” designation, the space had to fit with the rest of the house. Brackets supporting the bunk bed are a variation of period brackets designed for a new garage. The gable vent above the bunk is an interpretation of an exterior vent from the original farmhouse. And plank paneling outlining the builtins is found throughout old and new sections of the house. Builder: Walnutdale Building, The Plains, Va.; Architect: Barnes Vanze Architects, Washington, D.C.; Interior designer: Victoria Neale Interiors, Washington, D.C.; Photographer: Anice Hoachlander.

Lullaby Loft “From the beginning the clients liked the idea of this space feeling like a renovated attic even though it was a new house,” says project architect Michelle Rossomando.

The program called for a “little dream loft” for their youngest child—a child-sized cubby where she could stash her personal stuff, but roomy enough for a sleepover. Tucking a trundle bed and closet into 6 feet of space beneath the loft made both levels ideally scaled. Awning and casement windows are situated to capture treetop panoramas while lounging on the bed or leaning up against one of the built-in bookcases that flank the loft. Popping out the ceiling in between rafters created enough head room for the grown-ups to join in for story time. A white fence guard rail plus a rolling ladder with extra-high arms provide safe passage up and down. The chrome ladder railing as well as the painted wood fence above it are screwed and bolted into a heavy-duty beam that is oversized to hold more than should ever be needed. As a final fun bonus, a secret doorway connects this closet to the master closet. “All of the upstairs rooms are interconnected like this,” chuckles Rossomando. “The whole second floor is like this amazing tree house.” Builder: Woodeye Construction, Austin, Texas; Architect: McKinney Architects, Austin; Photographer: Greg Hursley.

Playing House In the spirit of reuse and recycle, architect/owner Al York stripped his 1935 house down to the bones, meticulously cleaned the pieces and used them to reconstruct a more usable home that still captures some of the decades-old charm of its predecessor. Part of the reuse policy included saving the quirky roof with its intersecting gables.

York saw that by splitting up the awkward spaces formed by the existing roof, a house within a house could be created and dedicated to a second-story children’s suite with central playroom, tucked-away sleeping nooks, and a quiet study area. An abstract version of the home’s façade serves as a clever divider that unites as much as it separates. Toys can be stacked in the mock chimney and deep niches of the false windows. The bedrooms consist of beds on raised platforms recessed into cozy dormers. The same warm colors in the rest of the house are used here more playfully. “We wanted them to have their own rooms, but we didn’t want them to feel shut away from us,” says York. He designed a spiral stair that winds gently from the master bedroom up to a wide open landing and allows the little ones to lean out their “window” to see below. A laundry chute also doubles as an excellent communication device for calling down to Mommy and Daddy. Builder: Woodeye Construction, Austin; Architect: McKinney Architects, Austin; Photographer: Al York.