If you’ve been following along with our little money pit adventure, we’ve touched on the upstairs plans. And after reviewing all the areas of the house with our overview {that keep changing a little here and there}, we wanted to hone in on the design elements of each space. And it just made sense to start {totally out of order}, and talk about a space that matters the most to us: The kids’ room.
For the first year… maybe more until we are able to start on our planned master addition to the right side of the house, our kids will all share a space. With the three {generously sized} bedrooms on the upper level, Jamin and I will take the master {later to be Emerson’s}. All three will share the bedroom next door, {later to be Aiden’s} and the additional room will be our office/study space for the kids {later to be Malone’s}.
Here’s what it looked like when we took possession of the house. As my hilarious friend mentioned the other day, at least we won’t have to paint.
Hashtag it’s burning my corneas.
Right now, with the hold ups on septic, the basement has been put on pause. Until we can spread out a little more, the house will be a phase-by-phase finishing process. So in the meantime… all three will have a good old-fashioned sleeping room, if you will.
To be completely frank: We believe sharing a space right now, is good for them. We won’t apologize for this fact. At first I felt like this may be an odd concept, but on the other end of the spectrum we’ve also been brainwashed by society and the norm. ‘Murica. Most cultures and other countries share spaces all the time. Let alone have a working roof over their heads. We think our kids will be just fine. And maybe also? Build a little camaraderie and character in the meantime.
We want it to be low maintenance and practical. So there will be no full-fledged build-out lofts like our former house. While that was fun and amazing and made our spaces last longer, this is short term, and mom and dad would like ‘normal’ beds that are easy to switch around. And make. It makes more sense to keep it simple.
We also want it to be filled with color, imagination, and warmth. One of our top priorities is to get the kids settled in before the school year begins. We want them to feel secure and cozy in a world that has been topsy-turvy for over a year now, with a lot of changes. Kids are resilient, but if there’s one thing I can control, it’s their environment at home. I want it to be a retreat.
The challenge with this space {other than everything mentioned above} with two boys and one girl ages {6, 8, and 10} is to create something that feels age appropriate that basically won’t make them feel like it’s leaning to one specific age or gender. But we also wanted them to be a huge part of creating it with us. Everything we picked either came from their choices, or from options that they could realistically choose from. It’s impossible to give all three exactly what they want, unless we paint lines down each side, so we’re giving them each their own little section that they feel like they can add their own touches to, once we’re in. This is also with the understanding that they get their very own space in a short time. We’re all going to be just fine.
So far, we’ve removed the doors and trim and flooring. New windows are to come, but in the meantime, it looks like this:
We also decided that because the boys spaces will eventually be side by side, that it would be fun to do another walk through closet. This frees up some space in some formerly {very closed in} closet areas that were very limited. So with built in shelving on each side, along with some hanging areas for clothes, it should work like a charm.
It’s basically the same as this entryway in our old house, but with a wider doorway. This was a game changer for us. We decided to bust down the wall between these two closets, and make it a walk through with barn doors.
Can you tell we’ve at this point, now officially overthought everything?
So without further ado, here’s a few of the base ideas we’re building on for the shared kids room:
1. The floors
As mentioned earlier, we plan to have hardwoods throughout the main and upper levels of the house. This includes the upstairs, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it for a classic, streamlined look. We decided to go with pre-finished solid hardwood flooring. Very different than engineered, for what it’s worth.
When installed in a home, the standard hardwoods are given about two to three coats of poly after the initial installation. These are still solid, and are given about about nine coats of poly in the factory. Not only does it hold up better to three kids and two dogs, it’s a simple install. This will ensure that we get into our home sooner, as well. This color has a nice grey undertone, and we’ll be covering more on why we’re so excited about them all, in a future post.
2. Curtains
We plan to go with simple, linen panels throughout the home for a uniform look, while keeping our views open. We love letting light in, while also having privacy when needed. We want to be able to appreciate those new windows.
3. + 4. Paint Colors
We’ll have more on this later, but we’re thrilled to pick from the HGTV HOME™ by Sherwin-Williams. We love WHITE COTTON {HGSW4027} + TIDEWATER {HGSW2317} – The blue color is a really nice historical hue. We’re thinking blue on the beadboard ceiling for a nice relaxing hue, and the simple white cotton on the walls.
Wallpaper
We can’t wait to use one of our own favorite wallpapers on the wall their headboards will be placed. Did you know we carry an entire original line designed by us? We plan to cover the install, and everything… so stay tuned!
5. Light
We’ve been oogling this awesome unique shape for a while, and it brings major fun to the space. We thought it was great for both Emmy and the boys. Whatever lights we choose now, are staying in their spaces when they switch around. When we showed it to them for their approval, they called it their death star light, so who knew? Two happy parties. And no, we have no issues with ditching the ceiling fans. We did it in the tropics of south Alabama with no regrets, and we’re doing the same here.
6. Headboards
Will be lined up like pretty maids all in a row. We loved this find for the boys, {now sold out – but we found another version here} and are using an old piece we’ve held on to for years, for Emerson. Eventually, they’ll upgrade to something other than a twin, but these are perfect for now.
7. Duvets
We found these duvets early last spring, and at the price they were available, went ahead and scooped them up. We knew they wouldn’t last long.
8. Quilts + Shams
Loving these reversible quilts from Crane and Canopy with the cozy stitching and options. We’ve had their duvet for our own bed for a few years now and have absolutely loved it. They’re a perfect fit for our space, and are awesome paired with our own fabrics.
9. Rug
We scooped up this rug, because it’s amazing. It has a nice subtle blend of almost every color, and isn’t as peachy as it looks. We felt it was a nice neutral compromise for the shared space. It will probably go in Emmy’s space down the line.
10. Sconces
On each side of the middle bed, for shared, swiveled reading late at night. We will probably have no room for side tables, so these will be perfect.
11. Art
I’ve loved star charts forever. Thankfully the kids do too. This shop has some amazing vintage maps. Check them out.
I have some more handmade art up my sleeve of my own for the space, so stay tuned.
12. Fabrics
We plan to bring some of our own fabrics into the space with pillows to really brighten it up. Yes, we are biased.
We love our Spotted in Yellow fabric, paired with the Blooming Genius Fabric for Emmy’s bed. It blends awesomely with Lovely in Lapis and Plaid You Could Make It – coming soon – for the boys. Yes, we do love our titles. You really should read our descriptions. Providing mindless, stupid entertainment since 2010. All the colors should bring a little punch and dimension to the space. We can’t wait to see it all come together!
We also plan to bring in the boys’ old chest of drawers {Jamin’s growing up} for more clothing storage since space will be tight, and use that closet wisely. And by wisely, I mean we don’t need millions of clothing options. We purged a TON before we moved, and will be purging more before we move again. Such is the nature of the beast with three kiddos. Wish us luck.
Once we bring all their little touches in, the sleeping room is sure to feel like home. Stay tuned!
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And so begins our little adventure. Do your kids share a space? Are they in what we like to refer to as the golden age? {Read: we get to sleep most nights and don’t have to helicopter parent at the pool because they can swim and dress themselves and can even buckle themselves in and are pretty self sufficient without giving us much attitude or pitching fits – hashtag please let this phase last a while}
We’d love to hear what has worked for you!
Anna says
Relocating kids IS hard – I am with you. And our kids (oldest thirteen) is just now not sharing spaces anymore so I say do what works for you. I think it’s awesome.
Janet says
Lovely!
Jessica says
I love the look of the entire room! My kiddos (2 and 3) are sharing a room while we are doing some construction and they am have become the best of friends! It’s an adjustment, but it’ll be great for them!!?
csmith says
I shared a room with my sister and brother when we were small, and with my sister when we were older. Some of my best memories are the afternoons we spent playing together in our room, and the nights when we whispered ourselves to sleep. Most of my kids share a room, and all of them have shared at some point. I think it’s been really good for them and they are very close to each other. I doubt they would end up doing so many activities together if they were in separate rooms.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe, LOVE that!
Sandra says
I love that you are keeping the children together. I personally think it helps to develop a closer bond between the kids. I love watching you formulate the plans for your home. I know that it does seem like a money pit right now, but hopefully, in the not too distant future, you’ll see it transform into a lovely home.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thank you. Hopefully they will not be scarred for life and write memoirs about us later ;}
Amy says
My boys, ages 13 and 11, share a room and have shared a room since they were babies. I have offered to move them several times, but they love being together. My husband just retired from the military (after 21 years) last week and we are trying to decided where and what will be next. Our plan is to give them their own rooms at some point, but they genuinely love being together still! I love tucking them in at night and listening to them chat about their days and talk about the books they are reading. My daughter, 9, is jealous that she doesn’t get to be with them too! I am sure your children will have many fun memories!
Sara says
I shared a bedroom with all three of my younger siblings (two boys and two girls) until I was in my teens. Though we fought a lot-because kids-we grew up close and are still best friends. I think having so many annoying roommates when I was growing up made college life so much easier and fun-I only had one roommate to get along with/that was taking and ruining my stuff. I am pretty confident that having to navigate sharing a space while growing up has also helped me in my marriage-when you commit to sharing a room for. like. ever. Anyway, my girls (I have four of them) share a bedroom-we gave them our master bedroom with on-suite and walk in closet when we learned we were having a girl last fall and could not figure out how to fit one more bed in their room. We are actually moving in a month (and will have a project much like the money pit you are currently working on…) to deal with soon, but the girls will still share the space-two per room with the walk through closet. This is all to say, I support you in your decision to have the kiddos share a space (not that it matters, cause you can parent your kids however you damn well please) and I love your blog-have been following it for years.
Nicole Reimers says
Yes, my 7 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter share a bedroom. We have a two bedroom townhouse that we bought before having kids but knew that the second bedroom was big enough that kids could share one day. They have been sharing since my daughter was 11 mo old so its all they know. I think there is nothing wrong with kids sharing a bedroom (until one of them wakes up the other in the middle of the night, then I seriously question it!)
Megan says
This is really encouraging to me that it’s OK for my girls to share a room. I don’t know why I feel like they need their own spaces, my husband nor I certainly never had our own rooms growing up! As soon as our youngest (9 months old) is sleeping through the night better and can handle stairs on her own I think they’ll end up in a shared room (which is upstairs).