New Year, New Bedroom
As I prepare to move, I think about my favorite bedrooms in pop culture.
No matter how old I get, I think there will always be a large chunk of my heart that is devoted to all things “teen” — define that how you will.
One of the things I file away in my teen heart is a love for bedrooms, or rather, what bedrooms can represent. I previously wrote about secret spaces, so this should come as no surprise.
You can love a bedroom at any age, but they’re especially beloved when you’re a teenager because at that age, privacy is crucial. You may suddenly feel at war with your family, or you’re bursting with emotions and hormones that don’t have a place anywhere else. Your room can hold all of that and more.
When you’re that young, you also haven’t left your mark on the world yet, or on anything, really — your bedroom is the first place you can make your own. You can pick the sheets, play your favorite songs, tape up that movie poster (my first was for The Princess Diaries — Anne Hathaway in a ball gown, sunglasses ON, CD player plugged IN, looking effortlessly cool and she knew it). I would spend hours by myself in my room throughout my childhood, doing various activities like homework and writing in my diary, but mostly I was growing into myself.
I’m moving to my new place next month, and though I’m not doing any serious redecorating, it’s exciting to be in a new space and figure out how to make your existing furniture work. Even as an adult, I still try to have something in my room that is sacred and utterly mine. I can’t be a teen anymore, but I can hold onto those moments of introspection that we don’t give ourselves as often when we get older.
I wanted to share photos of bedrooms I always loved looking at as a kid, because I could clearly imagine the worlds contained within them.
The Iconic Hey Arnold! Bedroom
This one is a no-brainer for the ‘90s kids. Arnold lived at the top of his grandparents’ house and had the coolest glass roof — what kid has a glass roof above their bed to just stare up at?! I’m such a daydreamer, I’d never get out of bed in the morning.
Elizabeth’s London Bedroom from The Parent Trap
It’s not a teenager’s room, but it gave me a taste for the finer things in life that I haven’t been able to shake since. The silk pajamas! The little table to take tea! The vanity Hallie runs her fingers over with all the perfume bottles and jewelry! Plus, Elizabeth took calls and did work in bed. That’s the remote work life I’m trying to have. Hallie spends a lot of time in that room getting to know her mother and fantasizing about how her life could be if she was Annie.
Howl’s Bedroom from Howl’s Moving Castle
Shiny knick-knacks galore! You spend part of this Studio Ghibli movie thinking Howl is such a charismatic grown-up who has his life together, and then you see his room and realize he’s actually a child. It makes a lot of sense.
Kiki’s Guest House Room in Kiki’s Delivery Service
While we’re talking about Studio Ghibli movies, I always wanted Kiki’s simple room, a guest house attached to the bakery she works at. Kiki is making her first step towards independence and this is the first thing that she can call her own. She sweeps and cleans off the dust, buys her own groceries, and comes and goes as she pleases. As a kid, I would fantasize about living on my own like that one day. And here I am!
Mia’s Fire Station Bedroom in The Princess Diaries
Another Princess Diaries reference! How could I not talk about Mia’s room, complete with a corkscrew staircase, a ladder leading up to a little loft area, and a POLE that slides her down to the living room?! It was just her and her cool artist mom living in an old fire station in San Francisco. While Mia was awkward and an outcast at school, it was the scenes in her bedroom where you could see she was at ease and confident in herself. Lots of space to think about the pros and cons of being a royal.