Houzz Tour: A Uni Student's Granny Flat to Call Home
A former pool house becomes a young man's home (not too far) away from home
For 20-year-old BJ Keebaugh, family is everything. But as a university student who likes to have his own space, the renovation of the family home’s former pool house into his own studio gives him the independence he needs, while still being in close proximity to his close-knit family. While his mum Chyka Keebaugh may have decorated his studio, she has done so with everything BJ in mind – from colour schemes to hanging jerseys from his favourite football teams – to make him feel completely at ease in his own domain.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: BJ Keebaugh
Location: Malvern, Victoria
Size: 18 square metres
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: BJ Keebaugh
Location: Malvern, Victoria
Size: 18 square metres
BJ previously lived in the main house, in the room next to his sister’s. He and Chyka talked about the move into the newly renovated pool house as a solution to giving him more space to study and entertain his friends.
The granny flat is built in the same style as the main house, with the red brick facade and white panelled windows.
The granny flat is built in the same style as the main house, with the red brick facade and white panelled windows.
BJ credits Chyka for the interior design. “My mum chose everything in my room because she knows me better than I know myself.” he says. “My mum, who I call M’darling, has a great eye for interior design and can fit a room to a person’s taste better than anyone I know. Also, she was paying for it, so she did have the first and final word!”
The main colour palette of the granny flat is different shades of blue and white, which are both BJ’s favourite colours. As a sports fanatic, BJ has also hung jerseys from some of his favourite teams. “I have numerous sporting jerseys hung up in my room, including the All Blacks jersey, and two St Kilda signed jerseys,” he says.
Offering everything a young adult could want, the studio is zoned into a study area, TV/ entertainment area, and a laid-back lounge space, as well as sleeping quarters.
BJ’s desk is used for his uni studies and looks out onto the leafy garden and main house, where the rest of his family lives.
Sports-loving BJ uses the front corner of his room as a training area, with a grey punching bag hanging from the ceiling.
The granny flat also boasts a small bathroom, cleverly hidden behind a row of cupboard doors which run along the full side of the room.
TELL US
What is your favourite feature of BJ’s granny flat? Let us know in the Comments section.
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What is your favourite feature of BJ’s granny flat? Let us know in the Comments section.
MORE
Stickybeak of the Week: A Bedroom Makes Way for Books and a Boyfriend
Stickybeak of the Week: A Layered Garden to While Away the Hours In
Tiny Houzz Tour: Living the Good Life on a Small Scale
Two years ago, BJ and his mother Chyka decided to create a space where he could have a little more independence, and went about renovating the cottage into a liveable self-contained studio.