Shared children’s bedroom
The Challenge
To create a calm, spacious bedroom for three siblings, with room to sleep, read, do homework and play.
Each child needed their own zone, with their individual interests and hobbies reflected in the design, while still making the room feel like one design.
The layout also needed to be flexible, allowing the beds to be moved around for seasonal changes and sleepovers and leaving plenty of clear floor space for playing games.
Hunt down a foldaway desk
Fold-up or fold-down desks with a little built-in storage are brilliant in shared bedrooms where floor space is precious. They’re worth hunting for — bespoke makers on platforms such as Etsy often have clever designs that make the most of even a small stretch of wall.
Bring art down to their level
Once you’re past the toddler years, hanging pictures and artwork lower down the wall can work brilliantly in a child’s room. It puts their favourite things at their eye level and can cleverly disguises plug sockets, wires and other less attractive essentials!
Let the children have a say
Involve the children right from the mood board stage. Ask how they want to use the room and what their ‘must-haves’ are. Co-creating the space gives them a sense of ownership — and makes them much more likely to look after it too.
Give everyone their own space
However shared the room may be, make sure each sibling has somewhere that feels like theirs. As a minimum, give each child their own storage for toys, books and school or homework bits, so they know exactly where their things belong.
Layer within a colour palette
Kids love blankets, duvets and cushions — stacking them, piling them up and hiding underneath them! Stick to a colour palette that fits the wall colours and you’ll be surprised how well different patterns, textures and textiles work together.
Keep the grown-up eyeline calm
Shared bedrooms have to cope with noisy bedtimes, chaotic mornings and plenty of stuff. Keep the upper half of the room relatively uncluttered, maximise natural light and choose finishes that are easy to clean. It will help the room feel calmer for the adults walking into it — even when life at floor level is anything but!