A thoughtful renovation can give a growing family more square footage. A great renovation gives every family member a place that feels unmistakably their own. In the Lexington Colonial project, interior designer Jared Sherman Epps transformed the expanded second floor into a practical, personality-filled retreat for three sisterswithout turning the hallway into a battle of unrelated decorating themes.
A Second Floor Designed Around Real Family Life
The Lexington Project began with a familiar family problem: the house technically had bedrooms, but it no longer fit the people living in them. Homeowners Jody and Jeremy Kieval shared their 1966 Garrison Colonial in Lexington, Massachusetts, with three growing daughters. The youngest two girls occupied one cramped bedroom, while all three children relied on a small upstairs bathroom.
That arrangement might work when children are little and their possessions consist mainly of stuffed animals and mysterious plastic objects that hurt when stepped on. It becomes less charming as homework, clothing, hobbies, and the need for privacy enter the picture.
The renovation, documented during Season 36 of This Old House, expanded the approximately 2,900-square-foot home with an addition of roughly 1,000 square feet. Architect Bill Hubner of Incite Architecture placed much of the new living area above the attached two-car garage. This economical strategy allowed the family to create separate bedrooms for the three girls, along with a full bathroom, an adjoining vanity area, laundry facilities, and a small sitting room.
Interior designer Jared Sherman EppsJody’s brotherwas responsible for translating that improved floor plan into spaces reflecting the girls’ individual personalities. His second-floor design tour demonstrates that children’s bedroom design can be playful, polished, and practical at the same time.
Why the Over-the-Garage Addition Worked
Building above the existing garage gave the renovation team a useful footprint without consuming more of the wooded property than necessary. It also created a logical children’s zone connected to the original second floor.
This was not simply a matter of stacking three bedrooms in a row. The expanded plan had to manage circulation, daylight, storage, plumbing, laundry, and the transition between the original house and the addition. Bedrooms needed privacy, yet the floor still had to feel connected. Shared facilities needed to be convenient without becoming bottlenecks during the morning rush.
A Better Relationship Between Private and Shared Space
Separate bedrooms gave each daughter control over her immediate surroundings. Meanwhile, the shared hallway, bathroom, vanity room, laundry area, and sitting space preserved opportunities for interaction. That balance matters in family design: children benefit from having personal territory, but a floor made entirely of isolated rooms can feel like a tiny hotel with stricter snack policies.
The adjoining vanity area was an especially practical move. By placing an extra sink outside the main bathroom, one child could brush her teeth while another used the shower. The layout separated tasks instead of assuming that every bathroom activity must occur behind one locked door.
Upstairs Laundry as a Daily-Life Upgrade
Locating a full laundry room near the bedrooms reduced the distance between dirty clothes, washing machines, closets, and beds. A supplementary stackable washer and dryer in the mudroom handled messes arriving from outside, while the second-floor laundry supported everyday clothing and linens.
This division is a quiet example of good space planning. It does not create the dramatic reveal of patterned wallpaper or a sculptural light fixture, but it can eliminate hundreds of unnecessary trips up and down the stairs. Glamorous? Perhaps not. Life-changing on sheet-washing day? Absolutely.
Three Unique Bedrooms for Three Unique Girls
The defining idea behind Jared Sherman Epps’ second-floor design was customization. Instead of applying one generic “girls’ room” formula three times, he treated each bedroom as an individual environment.
This approach respects a simple truth that family decorating sometimes forgets: siblings are not a matching furniture set. They may share parents and a hallway, but their preferences, habits, and temperaments can be entirely different. One child may enjoy saturated color and energetic pattern, while another wants a calmer palette and a cozy reading corner.
Personalization Without Permanent Regret
Successful children’s rooms usually place the most durable investment in adaptable elements: a well-made bed, practical storage, reliable lighting, and a floor plan that can accommodate a future desk. Personality can then arrive through paint, wallpaper, bedding, artwork, rugs, and accessories.
This layered strategy allows a room to evolve without requiring a full renovation every time its occupant discovers a new favorite color. A unicorn phase can be delightful. It does not necessarily need to be carved into custom millwork.
Epps’ broader body of work is known for clean, sophisticated interiors with careful architectural detailing. In other residential projects, he has balanced modern furnishings with traditional elements, controlled palettes, natural stone, coordinated metals, and bold accents. The Lexington bedrooms apply the same disciplined thinking at a child-friendly scale: individual expression works best when it is supported by proportion, repetition, and functional planning.
Creating Connection Across Different Rooms
Designing three distinct bedrooms does not mean abandoning visual continuity. Repeated architectural detailssuch as consistent doors, trim, flooring transitions, and hardwarecan unite the floor even when each room has its own decorative identity.
A shared baseline also prevents the hallway from feeling like a tour through three unrelated theme parks. The rooms may use different colors or patterns, but similar furniture scale, coordinated finishes, or repeated shapes can make the entire second-floor interior design feel intentional.
Color, Pattern, and Wallcovering with a Longer Life
Children’s bedrooms are ideal places to experiment with color because they are private, emotionally meaningful spaces. The challenge is avoiding a scheme that feels too young after only a few years.
Pale blues, greens, warm neutrals, and softened pastels can provide a flexible background for changing accessories. Bolder colors can work beautifully when balanced with neutral furniture or limited to paintable surfaces. Wallpaper introduces illustration, movement, and texture, while a feature wall or defined architectural area can deliver impact without overwhelming a compact room.
The smartest palette begins with the child rather than a retail label. Asking about favorite environments can produce more useful answers than asking for a favorite color. A child who loves forests may respond to leafy greens, natural wood, and botanical patterns. Someone fascinated by the night sky might prefer deep blue, silvery accents, and soft points of light.
Whatever the palette, samples should be viewed in the actual room throughout the day. Lexington’s wooded setting and the orientation of the new windows could change how colors appeared from morning to evening. Paint chips possess an impressive talent for looking perfect in a store and mildly alarming at home.
Storage That Children Can Actually Use
Storage should make tidying easier, not merely provide adults with a place to hide evidence five minutes before guests arrive. In a child’s bedroom, commonly used items belong within comfortable reach.
- Low drawers can hold everyday clothing.
- Open baskets can collect toys, sports gear, or stuffed animals.
- Under-bed drawers can use space that would otherwise gather dust and one lonely sock.
- Wall-mounted shelving can display books and meaningful collections.
- Higher cabinets can secure seasonal or parent-supervised items.
Built-in or modular storage also helps a bedroom adapt. A low toy cabinet can later organize school supplies, electronics, or hobby equipment. A reading nook can become a study corner. A dresser may remain useful long after the bedding and wall art have changed.
Safety must remain part of the design. Dressers, bookcases, and other furniture capable of tipping should be properly anchored to wall framing with suitable hardware. Window-treatment cords should be inaccessible, and pathways between beds, doors, and exits should remain clear.
Layered Lighting for Sleep, Study, and Play
A single ceiling fixture cannot perform every job in a child’s bedroom. A stronger lighting plan uses several layers:
- Ambient lighting for safe general movement;
- Task lighting near desks, reading chairs, or craft areas;
- Bedside lighting for reading and nighttime comfort;
- Decorative lighting to reinforce each room’s personality.
Warm, dimmable light is particularly useful in the evening because it supports the transition toward sleep. Blackout shades can control early morning or summer-evening light, while softer window treatments provide privacy and daytime diffusion.
Switches and lamps should be reachable without requiring acrobatics. A child should be able to enter, read, prepare for bed, and move around safely without depending on one harsh overhead lightthe domestic equivalent of being questioned in a detective drama.
Healthy Materials and Comfortable Bedrooms
Finishes in children’s spaces should be selected for both durability and indoor air quality. Low- or zero-VOC paints can reduce the pollution load associated with certain remodeling products. Newly painted or wallpapered rooms should be ventilated thoroughly, and children should remain away from strong fumes during installation and curing.
Washable paint, resilient fabrics, and cleanable rugs make maintenance more realistic. Soft materials help control sound and add comfort, but they should be chosen with allergies, cleaning requirements, and household pets in mind.
A sleep-supportive bedroom also benefits from comfortable temperature control, reduced nighttime light, and limited electronic distractions. The design should distinguish active zones from the bed whenever space permits. A desk or craft table gives energetic activities a home, helping the sleeping area remain visually calmer.
Design Lessons Homeowners Can Borrow from the Lexington Project
Start with Daily Friction
The strongest part of this renovation was not a decorative purchase. It was the decision to solve recurring problems: shared sleeping quarters, an overcrowded bathroom, distant laundry, and insufficient private space.
Interview Every Occupant
Children should participate in the design conversation through curated choices. Offering two or three workable palettes gives them meaningful control without asking them to manage construction decisions. Their answers can guide artwork, bedding, color, and small furnishings.
Plan for the Next Stage
A young child may not need a large desk today, but the furniture arrangement should leave room for one later. Electrical outlets, reading lights, closet components, and storage systems should anticipate changing routines.
Give Shared Areas Equal Attention
The Lexington second floor succeeds as a complete family zone because it includes more than bedrooms. The bathroom, separate vanity area, laundry room, sitting space, and hallway all contribute to how comfortably the floor operates.
Keep the Architecture in Charge
Wallpaper and accessories can create charm, but the lasting quality comes from sensible proportions, natural light, durable construction, and coherent transitions. Decoration should strengthen the architecture rather than attempt to distract everyone from an awkward plan.
Extended Experience: What a Personalized Second-Floor Renovation Feels Like
For a family considering a project similar to the Lexington Colonial, the experience often begins before anyone selects paint. The useful first step is observing the upstairs routine for several weeks. Where do clothes accumulate? Who waits for the bathroom? Which child reads late, wakes early, practices an instrument, or needs quiet for homework? These small observations become the real design brief.
Planning separate bedrooms can also involve more emotion than expected. Children who have shared a room may be thrilled by the promise of privacy but uneasy about sleeping alone. A common sitting area, connected hallway, or shared bedtime routine can soften that transition. Personal space does not have to mean emotional distance.
The selection phase is usually most successful when children receive structured choices. One practical exercise is to create a small design board for each room containing two wall colors, one optional pattern, a furniture finish, and several fabrics. The child can respond to combinations rather than being released into the endless wilderness of online inspiration. This avoids a plan involving neon walls, a hanging chair, three lava lamps, and a live pony.
Construction introduces another set of experiences. An addition above a garage affects framing, roofing, insulation, electrical work, HVAC distribution, plumbing, and the exterior appearance of the house. Bedrooms may look like the exciting destination, but comfortable temperatures and sound control determine whether the new rooms are pleasant in daily use. Homeowners should ask how garage noise, winter cold, and summer heat will be managed before drywall closes the assemblies.
The first weeks after move-in usually reveal whether the storage plan is genuinely intuitive. If backpacks land in the hallway, the bedrooms may need hooks near their doors. If clean laundry remains in baskets, drawers may be too full or difficult to reach. If every bedside surface disappears beneath books and water bottles, a larger nightstand or wall shelf may be necessary. A finished room should be allowed a short adjustment period; good design can be refined after it encounters real life.
Families also discover that equality does not require identical rooms. One bedroom may be larger because of the architecture, while another has better light or a more useful closet. Perceived fairness can come from giving each child a meaningful feature: a window seat, special wallpaper, a display ledge, a reading chair, or a customized desk. The goal is not mathematical sameness. It is making every occupant feel considered.
Over time, adaptable rooms reward the original planning. Bedding can mature, framed artwork can replace childhood posters, and a toy zone can become a homework station without changing the room’s basic structure. The most satisfying experience is watching a bedroom acquire personal history while continuing to function. That is the enduring lesson of Jared Sherman Epps’ Lexington design tour: a child’s room should capture who that child is today while leaving generous space for whoever comes next.
Conclusion
The Lexington Project’s second-floor transformation shows how architecture and interior design can work together to support a growing family. The over-the-garage addition provided needed square footage, but Jared Sherman Epps gave that space its identity by treating three sisters as three individual clients.
Separate bedrooms, adaptable decoration, convenient laundry, improved bathroom circulation, and shared gathering space created an upstairs environment that could function beyond the excitement of the reveal. The result offers a useful model for any family renovation: solve the daily problems first, listen carefully to the occupants, and let personality appear through details that can evolve. Good children’s design is not about making a room look adorable for one photograph. It is about making ordinary mornings, homework sessions, bedtime routines, and growing up feel a little easier.
