Bryn Mawr in Full Bloom: The Bunk House
Once upon a time (okay, two years ago), we designed and renovated a beautiful family home in Bryn Mawr.
You may remember Bryn Mawr in Full Bloom, a project filled with bold color, playful pattern, and plenty of personality. We greatly improved the flow, function, and overall look of the home, but one thing we didn't do was increase its footprint.
As the project developed, our clients realized they could use a little more space. They are a social family who love to entertain, and extended family often travels from Greece for longer stays. The house worked beautifully for their everyday life, but when everyone came to town, things could get a little… cozy.
Luckily, there was somewhere to go: up.
The existing garage was only one story, so we worked with Warren Claytor Architects to explore adding a second floor above it. The goal was to create a dedicated guest space that felt connected to the main house, but gave visiting family a little room of their own.
And thus, the bunk house was born.
Working with Buono Construction and Warren Claytor Architects, we created a second story above the garage with a lounge, bunk room, guest bedroom, and full bath. The architecture was an important part of getting this addition right. We wanted it to feel like it had always belonged here; not like somebody dropped another house on top of the garage. Warren Claytor and team did a beautiful job developing rooflines that felt interesting and appropriately scaled to the existing home, while Buono Construction brought the framing to life.
Inside, those rooflines created soaring ceilings and wonderful character—but also plenty of angles to contend with. We weighed in on window placement and furniture layouts, and even requested a little extra height in the roof so our bunk beds could comfortably accommodate actual grown-ups.
Because while “bunk house” sounds adorable, nobody wants to climb into bed and immediately hit their head.
From the beginning, we wanted this space to relate to the rest of Bryn Mawr in Full Bloom without simply repeating it.
The main house is exuberant: saturated color, bold pattern, dressy details, and plenty of moments that make you smile. The bunk house speaks the same language, but with a slightly different accent. Here, we leaned more cottage-y and casual, mixing shiplap, woven textures, warm woods, checks, block prints, and botanical patterns.
We were also intentionally a little thriftier. This was a secondary guest space, and it didn't need every bell and whistle of the main house to feel special. The challenge was figuring out where to simplify without losing the magic.
And, perhaps equally important, our client had a very specific request:
make the guests comfortable—but maybe not too comfortable.
Fair. They should absolutely enjoy their stay. They should also eventually go home.
So the bunk house has everything guests really need: comfortable beds, a generous bathroom, places to lounge, and a small snack station with a refrigerator for drinks and coffee. What it does not have is a full kitchen.
For dinner, you’re coming downstairs.
It’s actually a pretty perfect arrangement: enough separation to give everyone privacy, but not so much independence that visiting family disappears into their own apartment for a week.
The Lounge
The lounge is the first hint that this isn't your average over-the-garage guest suite.
We wrapped the walls in a colorful botanical wallpaper and ran shiplap across the ceiling, immediately giving the room that slightly nostalgic cottage feeling we wanted. A green linen check sectional adds another layer of pattern, grounded by a powder-blue wool rug underfoot.
There’s a lot happening in here, but it doesn't feel chaotic. The sloped ceiling and natural light give the room plenty of breathing space, while the repeated blues, greens, and corals keep everything connected.
The coral cabinetry at the snack station is particularly delicious. It’s just enough of a color jolt against all that leafy pattern and ties back to little hits of coral that appear throughout the bunk house. as well as the mudroom just down the stairs.
Natural materials keep the sweetness in check: a woven coffee table, organic textures, and a whimsical chandelier give the room a collected quality rather than making it feel overly “decorated.”
This is really the central hangout of the bunk house. Grab a coffee in the morning, pile onto the sectional after a long day, or send the teenagers upstairs and enjoy the suspicious quiet downstairs.
We can see this room having many lives.
The Bunk Room
Of course, you cannot call something a bunk house without delivering some proper bunks.
We designed four built-in beds—full beds over twins—so the room could flex for kids and adults. The bunks are painted a soft powder blue, which makes all that built-in architecture feel airy rather than heavy.
And because apparently we had not yet met our quota for pattern, we wrapped the room in a block-print floral wallpaper.
The combination is cheerful without feeling juvenile. That distinction was important. This needed to be a room where cousins could pile in during family visits, but we didn't want it to scream KIDS' ROOM. The palette and materials have enough sophistication that an adult guest can happily sleep here too.
Natural materials help this whole space note feel too precious, with woven wood shades, a wood bench, and rattan light fixture add the texture and depth.
The shiplap ceiling continues overhead, tying the architecture together and making the room feel like a particularly charming little hideaway tucked into the roof.
It’s cozy. It’s playful. And yes, we personally tested the bunk-bed clearances in the design phase!
The Guest Room
If the bunk room is the playful side of the bunk house, the guest bedroom is its quieter counterpart.
Here we leaned fully into cozy.
Shiplap wraps the walls, giving the room texture without introducing another strong pattern. A warm wood bed anchors the space, while plaid and ochre textiles bring in color in a more subdued way.
After the botanical exuberance of the lounge and bunk room, this room needed to exhale a little.
The simpler palette also lets the architecture shine. Being up on the second floor, tucked beneath those pitched rooflines, gives the bedroom a wonderful cocooned feeling. A more modern light fixture keeps the room from wandering too far into cottage territory.
As with the rest of the house, we were never interested in committing too literally to one style. A little cottage? Yes. Full-on themed guest house? No thank you.
The Bathroom
With a bunk room full of beds plus a separate guest bedroom, this bathroom had a job to do.
It needed to comfortably serve a crowd, provide plenty of storage, and still feel like part of the fun.
Enter the houndstooth floor.
The colorful cement tile gave us an opportunity to introduce a bold graphic pattern in a completely different way from the florals elsewhere in the bunk house. We paired it with a joyful blue-and-white striped shower, which really brightened up that angled nook space.
But beneath all of that pattern is a very practical layout.
A furniture-style double oak vanity gives multiple guests room to spread out without feeling bulky. A tall storage cabinet holds the less glamorous necessities that come with housing a crowd, and the toilet is tucked into its own private area.
One of our favorite architectural details is the little circular window. Positioned just above another roofline, it sneaks natural light into the room and adds exactly the kind of slightly quirky detail that makes the whole space feel special.
It is hardworking, but it doesn't look hardworking—which is generally the goal.
The funny thing about this space is that it started as something of a supporting character.
The main house had the grand rooms, the major architectural changes, the dramatic wallpapers, and all those carefully orchestrated views from one space into another. The bunk house was supposed to be the practical addition: a comfortable place to put visiting family.
And then we finished it.
It became one of our favorite parts of the entire project.
There’s something about being elevated above the garage, tucked beneath those soaring rooflines, that makes the bunk house feel like a little escape. The light is beautiful. The rooms connect effortlessly. The colors and patterns carry the spirit of the main house upstairs, but everything feels just a touch more relaxed.
It’s grown-up enough for guests from overseas, fun enough for a pack of cousins, and could make an absolutely killer teenage hangout.
Most importantly, it solves a very real need for this family without feeling remotely utilitarian.
The guests get their own little house.
They get coffee.
They get a very nice bathroom.
They even get four fabulous bunk beds.
They just have to come downstairs for dinner.
We think that's just the right mix.
Project Credits
Interior Design & Project Managment: Design ManifestArchitecture: Warren Claytor Architects Build: Buono Construction Group Photography: Stylish Productions
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