Fit for a Prince
 

Boys' rooms are tough. When the children are young, they're into sports, popular music, and all sorts of things that don't lend themselves to lovely wall decorations. Here, sophisticated stripes and plaids bring order to a 10-year-old boy's room designed by Jane Churchill. "The room is my son's, and I wanted it to last a good 10 years," she says. The room is timeless enough to work through the teen years and could easily graduate into a handsome guest room.

WHAT MAKES THIS ROOM WORK

• Striped fabric that is both distinctive and understated. The scale is strong enough to make a statement but not so bold that it overpowers the room. The vertical lines visually raise the height of the ceiling.

• Durable, paper-backed cotton wallcovering. It increases the soundproofing and provides a surface for tacking up prints without obvious nail holes.

• The generous painted table, which serves as a bedside table for both beds, with an open shelf for books, cabinet doors for hidden storage, and a glass top for durability.

• Upholstered headboards with points instead of curves for a more masculine look.

• A quietly neutral rug, which doesn't compete with the patterns in the room.

• A sky-blue ceiling that picks up the blue of the stripe.

BEDROOM BASICS: Aqua or frosty blues, especially when used with taupes and chocolate browns, are sophisticated and fresh and can work in traditional or modern rooms. Coral is also hot -- including shades of melon, salmon, and nutmeg. Apple green or pistachio, when used monochromatically or interwoven with white, feels refreshing but not overpowering.

RESOURCES: Jane Churchill Interiors, Ltd., 011-44-207-730-8564, www.janechurchillinteriors.com.

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