How do you design a bedroom that delights a tween, impresses a teen, and still makes the parents happy? You call Marilize Jacobs. The interior designer who thinks wildly outside the box and brings a dash of quirky fun to every space she touches.
When Marilize Jacobs from Pigs Can Fly Interiors received the brief for this project, she laughed and said, “This is the kind of job that’s equal parts dream … and challenge.”
A Woodhill Estate family reached out with a request that most parents of Gen Alpha daughters will understand all too well. “We have two girls, Katryn and Nina, sharing a room,” the mom told her. “And they’re definitely not ready for a boring adult space.”
What they wanted instead was something vibrant, personal and Marilize’s favourite word, intelligent. A room with staying power. A room that could take them from their tweens into their teenage years without needing a full redesign every time their taste changed … as it so often does.
Where it all began …
“When I walked into that first consultation, it felt like stepping into a fizzy, creative tornado.” Between colour combos, concept boards, (Marilize prefers that term to mood board), and two girls bubbling with completely different tastes, it was clear this was going to be fun.
Katryn, the eldest, loves her greens. Nina, her younger sister, lives solidly in the land of pink. Their parents, however, had one non-negotiable. The new space needed to fit in with the home’s elegant French-inspired interior and it had to last.
“Future-proofing the room was key,” Marilize explains. “I needed to design a space that feels magical right now, but that will also still feel right five years from now.”
A colour story with personality
Instead of choosing one daughter’s favourite colour over the other’s, Marilize leaned right into the contrast. “Pink and green actually love each other,” she laughs. “As long as their intensity matches.”
To keep things timeless, the walls were kept neutral and warm. “Wall colour is the easiest and most disruptive thing to change. So your base? That needs to be calm and classic. Everything fun can happen on top of that.” And fun … did happen.
Custom pieces with heart (and a touch of mischief)
“Mass produced?” Marilize says, shaking her head. “Not for a space like this.”
Every key piece in Katryn and Nina’s room was either custom-made or sourced from local artisans. But the stars of the show? A pair of occasional chairs upholstered in fabric hand-painted with the quirkiest, most charming little beetles.
“They’re elegant, but a little mischievous. Perfect for girls who love personality.”
Speaking of mischievous … one accessory always gets a reaction. A little pup caught mid-sprinkle. “The girls burst out laughing when they saw it. That’s the point. A kids’ room should make you smile. It should feel lived-in, loved-in … and a little cheeky.”
The big reveal
There’s a special moment in every design project. The first time the client sees their new space. When Katryn and Nina walked into their room, the reactions were priceless.
“Their eyes got huge. They flopped onto their beds. They pointed at everything. It was magic,” Marilize recalls with a smile.
But it was Nina who delivered the moment Marilize will never forget. She looked around, beaming, and said, “Wow, aunty Marilize, thank you so much.”
“That is the highest praise. That’s when you know you got it right.”
The lesson for parents designing a kids’ room
According to Marilize, designing for children requires “a bit of vision in both directions.”
“You have to honour who they are right now, but also create a solid design foundation for who they’re becoming.”
Her advice?
• Invest in custom, quality pieces that don’t date.
• Keep the walls neutral and the base classic.
• Add personality through colour, texture and unique accents.
• And don’t be afraid of maximalism. When it’s curated, it’s magical.
Because, as this project shows, kids’ rooms don’t have to be babyish or adult. With thoughtful design, they can be beautiful, joyful and timeless all at once.
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Images: FRANCOIS PISTORIUS.
