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Kids Bedroom Design: My Girls’ Shared Room
I have gotten a lot of questions about what is happening with the three bedrooms that were initially designated for our two daughters and our baby boy. We have three bedrooms for our three kids, but for a handful of reasons, I realized that our girls really needed to share a room. And with a new baby coming in a matter of weeks, it had to happen quickly, mostly so our younger daughter would feel adjusted. So today, I’m going to talk about how this all came to be, the plans for these spaces, and specifically, my girls’ shared room design. I want to say it feels like a lot, and sure, it’s time and money, but nothing matters more than my children feeling safe, happy, and adjusted.
Kids Bedroom Design: My Girls’ Shared Room
How this all happened
We have three bedrooms for our soon to be three children. One of the bedrooms is twice the size of the other two rooms, and has two closets and an attached bath. My husband (understandably) did not think it was “fair” to have our oldest daughter in there on her own. And I do get that. Being the oldest and having a middle sister I’m close with, she often felt slighted, and I think a lot about that and how we handle things with our children.
Sharing a room
I really wanted the girls to share a room when they were ready but we (ok he) was still TBD on a third baby at the time. Ultimately, there were some big decisions we could not make when we moved into this home. Our older daughter was just coming off chemo and had a lot of issues with sleep. Not to mention that our younger daughter had just turned two and couldn’t have been reasoned with at the time. The timing wasn’t great. We really didn’t want to mess with sleep, so I agreed to put the two girls in the smaller room, and we made the larger room a guest room.
Then we found out we were having a baby
The thought of a baby alone in that room seemed a little ridiculous, but the girls’ rooms were done. I brought up room sharing a few times but we always landed on not messing with bedtimes, wake-up times, etc. But then, I had this realization. One of our girls was having a lot of trouble falling asleep alone, and would wake up really upset most nights in the middle of the night. I have learned enough to know how difficult nighttime separation can be for some young children. She was not manipulating us into anything (that’s just not how it works at this age) and I wanted to do what I could to make everything easier for everyone. Especially with a baby coming.
You can see everything in Margot’s old room here.
Testing a shared room
Fortunately, we had set Margot’s old bed up in Kate’s room along with her crib, and less than two weeks ago, decided to have the girls try sleeping in Kate’s room together. They kept each other up for over an hour twice, laughing and playing. Sure, I wanted them to rest, but it was really sweet. So I set some firm ground rules. We let them play for 20 minutes before bed which really helps, and I explained that it was very important that they got good sleep. If they could not go to sleep in the room together, they’d need to be separated. And it worked like a charm. Kate usually wakes up before Margot, but one morning, Margot slept for another hour!
But the biggest change, and one you cannot put a price on, was all the fear and anxiety around bedtime was gone. Nighttime wake-ups stopped completely. So it was, for us, 100% worth it.
Everything in Kate’s old room is linked here.
So here’s the plan
This part isn’t ideal, but I happened to wallpaper the larger room for the new baby two weeks before this happened. 🙃 I was going to not share that because I didn’t want to hear it from anyone who might be judgmental. But I’d rather be upfront – mistakes happen, and it is what it is. If it were my room, I’d leave it since I love the stripes. But it’s not. Kate doesn’t really seem to care, but Margot doesn’t like the stripes. Margot happens to love pattern and color – she chose the fabric for her old room. She’s had so little say over some very hard things that happened in her life, and it feels worth it (to me) to change the paper for her. And that’s the thing – we are all doing what works for us and our kids.
She is obsessed with these hummingbirds which are fun but if you know me at all, not my first choice. But it’s not my room, and I can’t not make this happen for her. I do have a few more samples coming that I want to show her and I am also extremely fortunate that the online wallpaper store Inside Stores was interested in a partnership again, so that helped with costs.
So who is going where?
The girls are in the largest of the three rooms and it’s perfect for them. Better sleep, more time together, all of it. They are loving it. I am leaving Kate’s wallpaper up in her room since 1. I love it and 2. If you can recall, I had to have it redone after a terrible first install and I love the paper, so It’s staying. That room will be there for anyone in the family who wants some quiet time, or if years down the line the girls want their own rooms. I’ll either reupholster Margot’s headboard to work in Kate’s room, or get a daybed to make it a space that might get more use during the week – a nice place to sit and have quiet time. That is last on my list.
The baby will get Margot’s room, so her shades come down, and we’ll wallpaper. I am in between storing the shades, seeing if we can repurpose one in a hallway, or potentially selling them. Sure, it was some extra work (and money – that part I’m not thrilled with) but we’ll make it work. I’ll either do the same woven shades from Beyond Shades that are in the other two rooms since I love them (that’s first choice) but Rachel, who I worked with on the rooms in our home, suggested coming in to look at everything, so I’ll do that in the next week or so.
Designing the girls’ shared room
This has been pretty easy. It might seem rushed, but I really wanted to make sure the girls felt comfortable in their new space before their brother arrived. I love the Jenny Lind bed. It’s classic, and we have the attached rails for Kate (no longer available) so buying a second made the most sense. We got really lucky and the bed was available within a week, so I placed the order. We’re using Margot’s dresser, chair, nightstand, and shelf along with the girls’ shared dollhouse, and Kate’s play table. I ordered new (matching) bedding, and plan on changing the wallpaper and lighting so the room feels like it’s really theirs. I threw the rug from Kate’s old room in this image but it will actually go in the baby’s room. My designer friend Kira David suggested looking at a carpet store and having something cut and banded, so I’m going to look at carpet tomorrow.
Let’s talk about this paper. My friend is using it in her daughter’s room and I realized I should really give my girls something fun and whimsical. Many of you might not agree with this since she’s not even 5, but I decided to involve Margot since it’s her space. She thinks the blue stripes are “terrible” (bless her) but lit up when I showed her the hummingbirds. I do have a few more floral samples coming and will share them once they’re all here. But this, which is a bit more bold and colorful than I would choose to go, is in the lead. It’s their space. They should love it.
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