You want to avoid a major war zone but have to make two or more of your kids share a single room. This scenario is nothing short of a nightmare for most parents, especially if they frequently spend their time trying to settle disputes between the siblings. While you would love to give each child their own space, if your home’s floor plan requires you to design a single room to accommodate all your kids, here are some practical shared bedroom ideas to consider and how to implement them to give each child their own space while they share a room.
Designing an All-Girls’ or All-Boys’ Room
Siblings of the same gender can often share a room more peacefully, since the general colour scheme and preferences may coincide at some point, resulting in fewer disputes. It is also easier for parents to design a shared bedroom for siblings of the same gender. Here are some kids’ bedroom ideas on how to go about it:
A Bed for Each Sibling
Let’s start off with the most obvious solution. A bed and a side table for each sibling is the way to go if you want to avoid major conflicts. With respect to the colour scheme, you could choose pink or purple for a shared girls’ room and blue or brown for a shared boys’ room. Our recommendation is to paint the walls in a neutral shade like white or beige and let your kid’s belongings dictate the random touches of colour in the room.
Bunk Beds to Save Floor Space
Having a hard time incorporating two or more single beds in a small room? One of the shared bedroom ideas for small rooms is to opt for vertical bedding options such as bunk beds. They come in a range of styles and can be the perfect way to create some floor space in a small room while providing sleeping accommodations for all your kids. Some bunk beds come with an external staircase; others have the staircase incorporated seamlessly into their design.
Most bunk beds also offer shelves or small storage spaces at each level so that your kids can place their favourite toys, books, or other belongings in them to personalise their bed. Also, while most bunk beds accommodate up to two people, a custom-designed bunkbed can be perfect for 3-4 kids, depending on your need.
Even while setting up a shared girls’ room or a shared boys’ room with bunk beds, remember to keep the tones neutral. You can let your children decide the bed sheets for their beds if you want to give them a chance to personalise their space while you design a shared bedroom.
Setting a Theme for the Room
You can also opt for a themed room if all your girls or boys agree on a single preference. Even if they don’t agree on a single theme, here are some themed combinations that can work well:
- Princess and Fairies
- Cars and Robots
- Pirate and Travel
- Science and Music
- Space and Rockets
- Nature and Animals
Designing a Shared Bedroom for a Boy and a Girl
While the bedding ideas mentioned above will work perfectly, irrespective of gender, when you’re designing a unisex bedroom that is supposed to accommodate both boys and girls, there is an additional consideration to keep in mind:
Blend the Room with Two Colour Schemes
Regardless of whether you opt for bunk beds or separate single beds, it is a good idea to create a balance between different colour schemes if you have kids of different genders sharing the same room. One of the shared bedroom ideas in this regard is to go with a neutral tone, but your children might not be too happy about that, especially if they’re in their tricky teens.
The next best option then is to keep the walls neutral and to come to an agreement on a colour scheme for both the girls and the boys that can blend well together. White and grey, and white and turquoise are two examples. Avoid themed rooms at all costs in this case.
Instead of a common theme, accent the room with throw pillows, rugs, bed sheets, and storage options that are differentiated by colour and design for both boys and girls. For instance, a football-patterned throw pillow can be added to your son’s bed while a throw pillow with a flower can be added to accessorise your daughter’s bed. The choice, of course, depends on you and on what your children prefer to personalise their room with.
Designing a Shared Bedroom for Different Ages
If your children are of the same age, the above-given shared bedroom ideas for small rooms will work well for you. However, what if you are trying to design a shared bedroom for a toddler and a 10-year-old? Here are two kids’ room ideas to consider as part of the design process:
Divide the Room Using Furniture
When you’re creating a shared bedroom for siblings of varying ages, the furniture layout becomes very important because that is how you will set the space apart for each of your kids. Provide a bed for your older kids, shared playing space for everyone, and a baby’s crib or a toddler bed for the little one. Remember to place the crib as close to the door as possible since you might be coming to check in on the baby/toddler during the night and wouldn’t want to disturb your older kids. You can even use a room divider if the space permits.
Easy to Reach Storage Solutions
When you have kids of different ages sharing the same room, it is best to assign them storage solutions as per their age and height. Your toddler should be given the lowest two shelves on the bookcase while your older children can divide the rest between them. The same goes for drawers, wardrobes, and other storage ideas for a shared bedroom. Make sure that each kid has enough space to store their belongings but can easily reach them when needed. Creating sufficient storage space is also one of the many ways to make your home more child-friendly. There are also several ways to create additional storage space in small bedrooms which can be quite budget-friendly as well.
Decorating shared living spaces is easy if you know what considerations to keep in mind. Make the most of these shared bedroom ideas or come up with creative ones on your own. Just remember to take a little input from your kids as you go along so that you will not have temper tantrums and sibling rivalry to deal with. Good Luck!
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