Combine elements of a period house with contemporary materials to create an interactive study room with features for both adults and children.
Article taken off bbc.co.uk
Interactive Study Room
Walls and floor
Give the bare plaster walls an undercoat of white base coat, then paint in light grey. Paint out the woodwork and coving in the same colour but in a water-based eggshell. Paint the floor in a slightly lighter shade of grey over the existing floorboards.
Table
Remove most of the existing furniture from the room and construct a large table to act as a computer/work/play table, using planed scaffolding planks attached to four junk shop table legs. Sand and paint the table in the light grey water-based eggshell.
Furniture
Spray pieces of junk shop furniture to produce a flat, smooth hard wearing finish. Spray paint the dining chairs, filing cabinet drawers, a display cabinet and picture frames using a hired compressor in the light grey water-based eggshell.
Magnetic world map
To include an interactive feature and to add colour to the otherwise monochrome room, paste a large six piece wall map onto sheets of mild steel to make it magnetic. Attach it to one wall. Customise small picture magnets with photographs and images.
Fire surround and shelves
Fit an ornate plaster Victorian fire surround to highlight the age of the room and spray it light grey. Construct box shelves from 18mm MDF to sit either side of the chimney breast and paint it out in the light grey water-based eggshell.
Curtains and cushions
Replace the original curtains with traditional damask ones and dye the fabric to the light grey wall colour and print it in an illuminous fabric paint. Use this fabric for cushions on the window seat along with grey velvet and light grey linen.
Wall boxes
Make a series of small boxes from 12mm MDF to hold wooden blocks 5cm x 5cm x 5cm. Stencil the blocks with traditional letters in the light grey and hang them from picture hooks and wire along one wall to act as an interactive spelling game.
