My Son’s Alabama Room Remodel

Jesse was emphatic that he wanted an Alabama room and I was less enthusiastic about his wishes. I'd seen some pretty amazing Alabama rooms so I was a little intimidated on how to start.

I eventually embraced my philosophy of 'Go Big or Go Home' and asked a friend if he could make me a large 6' A that would raise off the wall when mounted to give the wall some dimension.  The results were everything I hoped for.

I'd long given up the hope that my children would ever use their closets for anything but junk, so I converted their closets into gaming hubs. I worked with the space and installed cabinet shelving and a desk that hinged to provide easy access to the plugs and power supply outlets we'd added on each side. There was an empty closet in the hall so he and Zachary hang their church clothes in there and it's provided plenty of room.

The mirror on the right-hand side was a gift from a listener who was kind enough to share his craft with Jesse after he'd seen the A on Facebook.

We need to create some larger space in the back of the cabinet to accommodate the larger consoles, but that's on my growing list of things that need to be addressed. There are holes on the sides of the cabinets to allow the cords to feed through and remain unseen.

The artwork above his bed is very special. The sketch was drawn by Holly Schadwald in the immediate days following April 27, 2011, not long after she'd moved from New Jersey to Alabama. This print, she says, signifies her personal realization that she was finally at home. It's also the first time in fifteen years she'd picked up charcoal to draw since her father had passed away. If you look closely, you can see a tornado in the tear rolling down the proud elephant's cheek.

My final enhancement was the bed. I had a frame built that could easily accommodate additional storage once the platform underneath the mattress was raised. It sounds more cumbersome than it actually is and it's already one of the best decisions I made.

He got his Alabama room and I still got to make modifications that I felt would help him enjoy his space more.

Here's the rest of the gallery. I hope you enjoy!