It’s bright and cheerful… and anything but azure. And it has some of the smartest, space efficient planning we’ve done in this home. Welcome to the girls’ room of Falak Azura.
Girls’ Room of Falak Azura
I don’t usually share before pics right at the beginning of a reveal, but in this case, I can’t help it.
Look at the pic below.. and then the pic above. I promise you they are both the same room.
When the clients said they wanted this kitchen to become the girls’ room, my first thought was, ‘Really?! How?! Poor girls!’
But then, we don’t shy away from challenges easily.
So we got around to doing what we do best.. and transformed that gloomy grey kitchen into the most happy and joyful space in the home.
The end result is this smart, super efficient and vivacious room, just perfect for two lovely girls.
The Plan
The odd ‘L’ shape of the room, with the beam running low across it, made this a difficult space to plan. We went back and forth on this layout more than any other room, till long after the layout of the rest of the home was finalised and frozen.
The first thing we automatically did was separate the function of the two arms of the ‘L’. The wardrobes obviously went to the shorter arm which is also close to the bathroom. The longer arm had to house the beds and study tables.
One option was to put both the beds in the window alcove and the study tables along the entrance wall. Since the girls are fast approaching their teens, the clients preferred that each one should have their own space within the shared room.
So we separated the beds, one on either side of the room. Instead of facing them both the same way, we have them facing opposite directions. This way the bed above has its bookshelf against the study table wall, while the bed below has its own bookshelf on the wall behind it.
A long study table runs between the bookshelves, with each girl using the table near her bed.
Which means both the girls have their own bed, study table and bookshelves making their own cosy corner in a shared room. It’s truly the best of both worlds!
In the smaller arm of the ‘L’ there is a wardrobe on each wall, one for each girl. The storage near the lower wardrobe is essentially a cover for the duct door. It has a folding shelf inside which can be removed when they want to access the duct. We also fit the dressing storage into this.
The Beds & Bookshelves
Both the girls are avid readers, so it was essential for each of them to have their own space for their favourite books.
We placed the first bed along the entrance wall, right near the bedroom door. It has a set of bookshelves behind it. The lower end of the bookshelves are packed to make a comfortable headboard. A reading light near each headboard ensures that the girls can read late into the night without disturbing each other.
On the opposite side of the room we have the second little girl’s bed with her set of bookshelves.
To maximise the storage in the room, both beds are a little higher than normal, with two sets of drawers below the beds instead of a single drawer. We used a four inch mattress on the beds instead of a higher one to compensate for the increased bed height.
Also notice the dressing mirror along the wall… we’ll come to that soon.
Between the two beds we have a long study table. The super long surface makes enough space for both of them to be able to spread their books and stationery while studying. Separate overhead cabinets and a common set of drawers between the two tables takes care of all their books and stationery.
The Dressing Area
The cabinet that encloses the duct door has been used two ways. In the front, the shutter opens to expose the duct door at the back of the storage. On the side, we have another shutter which encloses the dressing shelves.
You can see here how we’ve used both sides of this corner separately. We also clad the entire corner in mirror, which makes it visually disappear away from the room. So a corner that would have intruded into the spaces seems to fade away because of the mirrors on the surface.
Beyond the mirror, on either side of the bathroom door, we have one wardrobe each for both the girls.
Look and Feel
These girls love their colours.. the pinks, and the not-pinks.. all of them! Remember this post I wrote a looooong time ago, about girly rooms that are not all pink? That’s what we went with.
A pretty, girly room that’s pink… but not ONLY pink.
And if that’s the design brief.. can you think of a better rug than this to start with?
With pinks, oranges, blues and purples, this rug allowed us to add any colour we liked to this room.
The white sheers have raindrops in a multitude of colours. But the white base keeps them from becoming too loud. The headboard fabric is a gentle pattern in shades of pink and lavender.
The bedcover is the balancing act. Though the deep maroon adds a ton of color, the solid shade balances out the pattern all around.
We found these ready chairs in a similar colour to go perfectly into the study area.
Before and Afters
Here are some astonishing before and afters from the stunning makeover of a kitchen into the girls’ room of Falak Azura.
The view as you enter the room…
A bed and bookshelves fit snugly into that window corner.
Along the right wall…
… the kitchen counter is replaced by a study table that runs the entire length of wall between the two beds.
In the opposite corner..
We have the second bed with its own set of bookshelves.
In the shorter arm of the ‘L’…
.. we made space for wardrobes on either side, with the girls’ bathroom beyond them.
Get The Look
Here are links to a few of the pretty things that went into making this vibrant room.
| – 1 – Wardrobe Handles | – 2- Pink and Gold Knobs | – 3 – Serpens Reading Light | – 4 – Wine Velvet Dining Chair | – 5 – Banjara Cushion Cover | – 6 – Mehulika Bedcover | – 7 – Pink and Orange Suzani Rug |
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With almost standard sized rooms across most apartments of the city, planning the layout of a bedroom can become quite mechanical in itself. There is usually just one of the four walls against which you can place your wardrobe and another one for the bed. The creativity follows in the design of the space… after the layout has been finalised.
In this case, we used a whole lot of creativity in the planning of the space itself. The entire process was fun and I love how well everything has fit in and how beautiful it all looks. Not in your wildest dreams would you ever imagine that this pretty girls’ room was previously a kitchen.
When I see the pics of this room, I now think, ‘Gosh, lucky girls!’… and that’s what I call making magic!
I hope you’ve seen all the beautiful spaces of Falak Azura that I have shared so far. A few more are still remaining, so stick around for them.
Until next time,
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Photography: Biju Gopal of @bizou.photos
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links