Bay Area interior designer Sherry Hope-Kennedy, Studio SHK, known for her creative, functional design, veered from the expected when tackling this bedroom project. Tasked with creating a playful yet sophisticated kid’s bedroom — a room that would feel young without feeling too elementary — she turned a white box into stunning, safari-themed bedroom.

Designed with the young explorer in mind, Sherry and her team took cues from the wilderness deep within the desert to create a space for climbing, hanging, and pure adventure. Photos of the African sky at dawn, coupled with safari animal and tree motifs, were the foundation of the design concept, paving the way for a room full of all things fun and free.

To create the space, colorful, whimsical and textural design elements were integrated throughout. The walls, wrapped in pink-coral-azure ombre wallpaper, are the landscape, a song to the dawn-lit sky. They provide the backdrop to a mural of silhouetted, hand-painted safari animals and a light-projecting elephant mask that casts illuminating patterns.  A circular hide rug, reminiscent of a giraffe, roots the room while a tree fort bunkbed creates lofted space — as if you’re in a canopy of trees. The desert theme is further conveyed with a termite mound-inspired play space; a haven for kids to crawl inside. Gym rings, carved from wood, hang from the ceiling, a nod to the flattop trees that dot the desert.

Status Completed works

Type Single-family residence / Exhibition Design / Interior Design / Exhibitions /Installations