As a parent, it can be very exciting to design a room for your child. Getting the chance to customize a space in your home that will make your child happy and reflect his or her personality can be a very rewarding experience!
What might be more challenging, however, is whenever that bedroom space turns into a shared bedroom space. If family structure changes and you find yourself welcoming a new child into the home, eventually you may find yourself trying to find ways to make one bedroom work for two children.
However, designing a shared bedroom might not be as daunting as you think. Take these tips in mind and you’ll soon have a space that works for both of your kids.
Free up floor space
In a child’s bedroom, floor space is extremely valuable. It allows them to have space (other than your living room floor) where they can play with their toys at. To help create floor space in a shared room, opt for bunk beds instead of individual beds. Depending on the age of your children, you may want to find bunk beds that use steps instead of ladders to help keep them safe.
Get creative with storage
Look for storage pieces that can serve multiple purposes. For example, some beanbags are meant to store stuffed animals, as well as provide sitting space. Chests with pillows on top are also popular. Also, look for storage pieces that can be easily organized. Many parents are opting for cube storage pieces that can be paired with bins. When you have multiple children, each child can have several bins to keep toys in (versus piling everything on a shelf).
Utilize wall space
Wall space can also be very valuable when trying to organize a shared room. Shelves can be placed above individual bed spaces to create private storage areas for each child. Shelves can also be a way to add quick pops of color in your children’s favorite colors to the room. Hooks can be placed on walls to provide spots for sweatshirts and bookbags. Keep your child’s height in mind when installing hooks and shelves. They should be able to easily reach their belongings.
Find ways to personalize
While it might be tempting to make everything in the room match, make sure to find ways to personalize the room for each child. An easy way to do this is to use a neutral color scheme, then allow each child to choose their own bedding. They can choose bedding in patterns and colors that reflect their personalities. Here is an article to help you get started: 5 Best Rated Jersey Comforters Available in the Market.
Make private areas
In addition to having personalized bedding, you should find a way to make sure each child has a space in their room that is off-limit to their sibling. No matter if it is a shelf that is only for their toys, a drawer where they can keep their diary, or a spot near their bed where they can store special treasures, your children will appreciate having an area that is all their own.
Organize the closet
Closets are another place where toys and clothes might pile up without any sort of real organizing. However, if you install some sort of organization system in the closet, you’ll have additional areas where you can store clothes and belongings. For example, you might put a shelf at the top of the closet, where rarely used games could be kept. Then a hanging rod can be used to hang clothing. Then a cube storage system at the bottom of the closet provides additional spaces for kids to keep shoes and toys.
Get rid of clutter
Finally, in a shared room, it can be very easy for items to accumulate quickly. To help prevent this from happening, make sure to regularly donate clothes that have been outgrown and toys that are no longer being played with. Near the beginning of each season, go through the room and find items that can be donated. Make sure to involve your child in this process, so that they have a say in what items are donated.
Final thoughts
Many families make shared rooms work. Finding ways to make sure each child has a spot in their room where they can keep their belongings is very important. From there, though, get creative in finding color schemes that work well for both children, as well as finding ways to personalize areas around beds.