Bright, Bold, and Organized: Creating a Boys’ Lounge with Personality

Today on the blog, we’re thrilled to introduce you to Sarah Elizabeth Design, a full-service interior design studio based in downtown Montclair, serving clients across the tri-state area, including New York City and North Jersey. Sarah and her team specialize in creating spaces that feel effortlessly elegant, layered with custom touches that make every home truly unique.

What sets Sarah apart is her focus on connection—she believes that understanding how a family lives, moves, and plays in a space is far more important than the size of the project. Whether she’s redesigning an entire home, refreshing a single room, or reimagining a kitchen or bath, her work always balances style with functionality.

One of our favorite examples is a New York City boys’ lounge that has truly stood the test of time—completed over a decade ago, it’s still as fun, functional, and visually energizing today as the day it was finished! The challenge? House two massive collections of toys and books while keeping the space visually fun and energizing. Sarah embraced bright colors and a playful retro vibe, creating a room that’s as practical as it is joyful—a perfect reflection of her thoughtful, personalized design approach.

We had the chance to chat with Sarah about her process, design philosophy, and this project in particular—here’s what she shared.

Tell us a little about this playroom project and what makes it special to you?

The sheer number of toys we managed to organize in this space is almost unbelievable—but that’s part of the fun! We lined the entire right wall with two custom bookcases, carefully measuring and taking inventory of every item: animal figurines, toy trucks, gems, balls, games—you name it. To keep everything both accessible and visually balanced, we tucked many of these items into custom, colorful wool baskets, placing a basket between rows of books so the display felt curated rather than cluttered.

For the board games and larger collections, we transformed what was once a standard closet into a highly organized storage space. Working with California Closets, I provided precise measurements for every game so each piece fit perfectly. Every detail of this lounge was intentional, from storage solutions to color placement, resulting in a space that’s playful, functional, and timeless.

How did you design this space with organization in mind from the beginning?

Our wonderful clients had just one request: make sure all of their two boys’ toys fit neatly in this room—their sleeping space was in the adjacent bedroom. To tackle the challenge, we teamed up with a professional organizer. On the big day, she dumped every single toy onto the area rug, literally covering the entire floor—it was a little overwhelming at first!

But over the course of about eight hours, we carefully sorted, organized, and placed each item into the storage bins and custom closet we had designed. By the end of the day, what had initially seemed like chaos transformed into a vibrant, functional space where every toy had its place and everything felt visually balanced and curated.

I love that you worked with an organizer! What were some of the client’s biggest pain points around clutter or function—and how did you solve them through design?

With a full wall of open bookcases and a custom closet dedicated to board games, the room was perfectly set up to make the most of every inch. We created distinct zones for games, toys, and books, reading, and lounging—so the space feels organized and functional, even with two energetic boys living in it. At the same time, the design remained playful and vibrant, incorporating geometric patterns, oversized florals, and bright, saturated colors to keep the energy fun and lively throughout the room.

Were there any specific organizing features or hidden storage elements you incorporated?

The custom sofa I designed also doubles as a very comfortable twin bed—perfect for a room that needs to serve more than one purpose. Many of our clients require spaces that can multitask, whether it’s a home office that converts to a guest room or an office that doubles as a home gym. In the tri-state area, where space is at a premium, every inch counts, and thoughtful design ensures that no detail is wasted.

What design decisions did you make to help the space feel calmer, clutter-free, or visually tidy?

In this room, almost everything is neatly concealed, with just a few carefully chosen toys displayed on the top of the bookcases to add visual interest. Every item has a designated home, making it easy for the boys—and their nannies—to put things away when they’re done playing. What you see as you enter the room are the vibrant geometric and floral patterns, the bright colors, and the perfectly arranged rows of books, creating a space that feels clean, organized, and clutter-free, yet still playful and full of life.

How did you balance aesthetics with function in this space? Did you have to compromise anything?

It felt like we checked off everything on our wish list for this room! I found a pair of oak bookcases that were so beautiful, and by the way we positioned them, they look completely custom. Every piece we included was carefully chosen, mapped out in the floorplan, and had to serve a purpose—if it didn’t, it didn’t make the cut. Then came the fun part: layering in playful touches like geometric patterns, florals, stripes, and a bright pink light fixture to add whimsy and an unexpected pop of personality.

For readers who want to connect with you, can you share who you typically serve, what areas you work in, and where people can find or follow your work?

IG: @sarahelizabethdesign Website: Sarah-Elizabethdesign.com We're a full service interior design team serving the tri-state area with projects in New York City and throughout North Jersey, with a design studio in downtown Montclair. We design entire homes and also happy to design a few rooms, as well as kitchen and bath design, specializing in understated elegance while incorporating many custom pieces so that each project is unique. The most important indicator is that the connection between us and the client is right, that's more important than the size of a project.

Thanks, Sarah-Elizabeth!