Kids room at Columbus Circle NYC

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We finally won the space argument

The brief called for a full children's bedroom program within a single compact alcove in a Columbus Circle apartment: a toddler bed, vertical play access, elevated play space, a climbing surface, creative activity zones, and storage — all without expanding the room's footprint. The solution stratifies these functions vertically through a continuous millwork structure built from light-toned hardwood with a clear matte finish.

We live in New York. Space is the thing you're always negotiating. This was the first time I felt like we actually won. She slept up in the loft the first night and asked if she could have breakfast up there too

Alcove bed and ladder

The toddler bed sits at the base of the alcove. Curved side safety rails are integrated into the frame, and drawer storage runs beneath the sleeping surface. A ladder rises from beside the bed to the upper loft, its round dowel rungs mortised into vertical side rails with no exposed fasteners.

Loft netting

The rope safety netting enclosing the loft face is not surface-mounted: each rope passes through evenly spaced holes drilled through the upper and lower horizontal rails and is tensioned from within the frame. The netting reads as an architectural element consistent with the wood structure rather than a safety afterthought.

Interior of the upper loft play deck; rope tensioning integrated through the bottom rail, with a low wooden curb separating the deck from the surrounding drywall

Loft deck

The loft deck is sized for a small child and scaled to the ceiling height, with a low wooden curb at the perimeter separating the floor panel from the drywall. The compressed height creates a contained, defined play zone above the sleeping level, distinct from the floor below.

Stair storage

The stepped units flanking the ladder serve as both staircase and storage. Each tread incorporates handle-less drawer or lid reveals, consolidating circulation and storage into a single element. No additional shelving or cabinetry was required to meet the program.

Climbing wall and chalkboard

Climbing wall panel with asymmetric house-profile top, built as a standalone insertion off the drywall; custom pentagonal chalkboard frame in matching hardwood near the room entry

The climbing wall is fabricated as a standalone panel, built slightly off the primary drywall with baseboard molding wrapping its perimeter. The panel terminates at the ceiling with an asymmetric pitched profile, forming a house silhouette. Near the entry, a custom chalkboard is framed in the same hardwood, cut to a matching pentagonal shape. The motif is introduced once on the climbing wall and restated once on the activity board, connecting the two elements without overstating the gesture.

Materials and joinery

Throughout the room, clear-finished light-toned wood runs consistently across the bed frame, stair treads, climbing wall casing, and chalkboard surround. Rope and brightly colored resin climbing holds introduce texture and color contrast, while the structural framework holds to a single material register. Concealed joinery is used at all connections.