For most teenage room renovations, the kids get handed a paint color chart; maybe they get some say in their bedding if they’re lucky. What Will Balsis got was something much rarer: complete creative control over his bedroom design. The result is a space that captures the effortless cool of Southern California surf culture, all while demonstrating sensibilities that would impress any seasoned interior designer.

“I was pretty involved in the whole design and construction process,” explains Will. “My parents wanted me to feel like my room was a reflection of me. I sketched different layouts and knew I wanted a lot of plants.”

Living near the beach and surfing daily, Will’s design brief was easy to define. “I had the theme for my room immediately: a beach-and-surf style to feel like some of my favorite local surf stores, coffee shops, and board-shaping rooms that use plywood and fun colors,” he says.

Will’s approach ultimately combined vintage surf culture with contemporary design sensibilities. He and his parents sourced a desk chair from the Long Beach antique market, and tracked down vintage surf magazines from eBay to decorate the walls.

The space’s standout feature is the custom desk area, where Will designed a built-in bench with Concrete Collaborative’s Strands x Dwell tiles in Dazzling Blue, creating a striking accent that flows past the seat and behind the custom desk. “I knew I wanted bright blue tiles,” he explains. The fact that the pattern was surfboard-inspired? Kismet. “They became the backdrop for the rest of the room,” he says.

The tile choice demonstrates Will’s understanding of how a single bold element can transform a space. Against the warm plywood and sandy paint tones, the blue-and-white tiles create visual impact without overwhelming the room’s natural palette. While most adolescent designers go all-in with a favorite hue, Will displays some serious restraint here. “The color palette is a lot of natural tones with raw plywood, a warm sandy paint, and a touch of bright blue with Dwell tiles in Dazzling Blue,” he notes. “I wanted to get most of the color out of the artwork from the records and the old surfer mags I cut out and customized with Posca markers.”

The room’s most ambitious element is perhaps the custom capsule bed, inspired by The Public Hotel in New York City. And while the inspiration came from his travels, Will’s design process ultimately began close to home. “I did a lot of the building and design with my parents,” he says. “My dad learned carpentry from his dad, and passed that onto me. There is something I've found very rewarding about building something with my own hands.”

This warm, welcoming space is a teenage haven, but it also demonstrates that good design has nothing to do with age—it's ultimately about understanding your needs, drawing inspiration thoughtfully, and having the confidence to commit to a vision. Surf’s up.

Explore Dwell x Concrete Collaborative's full collection at concrete-collaborative.com.

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