How to Decorate a Mechanical Engineer's Bedroom

Choose the colors to suit an active, problem-solving mind and that stimulate thought and encourage creativity. Kathie Engelbrecht, in her 2003 report on color in the educational setting for the College of Teaching at the University of Georgia, advised that monotone walls resulted in a lessening of mental engagement and that cool colors enhanced the learning and concentration process in young adults. She highlights pale shades of green as being productive in a quiet study or cool shades of blue or violet, which stimulate thought, contrasted against cream or white.

Provide a choice of lighting. It's unlikely that the occupant will want to be in full intellectual overdrive all the time and needs softer lighting for relaxation, but during productive hours, lighting needs to be well organized. It should be bright enough, without causing headaches or casting dark shadows, and efficient enough so that lights do not constantly have to be repositioned. Illuminate a work area and either isolate it so that it creates the sense of a separate area or light the whole room at the same intensity.

Build enough desk space so that there is always room for scientific books and papers and extra room for a computer, drawing desk and filing space for large sheets of paper. Room to spread out is vital. You might build a bank of wide desking, shelving and well-organized filing space along one wall and put in a comfortable chair on castors for moving easily from place to place. Rather than carpeting in that section, lay lino floor tiles so that castors don't get stuck in carpet pile. Alternatively, take up the carpet and sand and stain or polish the floorboards, and provide scatter rugs for the room.

Simplify the rest of the room. Carry the formal lines of the study area into the sleeping area and provide sufficient and efficient storage space for clothes, rather than simply providing a clothes rack. Provide neat bedding rather than mounds of fabrics and soft cushions. Any other furniture, such as an armchair or more bookshelves, can slot neatly into the whole design and not crowd the space. An efficient, well-planned space is conducive to organized thought.