Simplifying our shared girls' room

This little room has gone through many iterations over the years.  As any parent would know, kids needs change quickly and before long what you have in their room feels babyish and it’s time to update it to suit their growing personality and interests.

I’ve started focusing on reducing the clutter in our home and in the kid’s spaces - which easily gets out of control. The more toys my kids have, the more they want to play on a device or in a cardboard box. The options and mess are overwhelming (for me, and them!).

I had a yearning to pare back their room. Just beds, books and a few precious things.

So why bunks?

We'd tried single beds in 2 separate rooms, swapped their rooms, then had both beds in one room. Being in the same room was great because it gave them company and made them feel safe. Problem is, they could see each other across the room and the laughing and playing was going on late into the night, so it was soon time for option 3. Ask the husbo to work out how to convert them into bunks and to build them in this tiny light-filled room (which my eldest didn’t want to leave and my littlest was delighted to join her in). With bunks they know one another are there but they can't play up as easily and they go to sleep quicker! It's a win-win. Plus when they're awake they still have their own space to sit and read or play on their beds.

How we did it

As one bed was grey and the other timber, I painted the bunks white and Mr made a plywood ladder. I bought nothing new, just swapped things in and out of the space and added some freestanding timber shelving my parents picked up off the roadside (it had a ‘free’ sign on it) which I painted.

It fascinates me that with limited options, they have started playing with the little tea set on the shelves they've ignored for ages. Maybe it’s because with fewer things surrounding them, what’s there seems special.

Sources

Beds - IKEA Tarva

Shelves - free roadside find

Bedside table - HK Living

Lights - IKEA RANARP clamp lights

Rug – Langdon Ltd

Linen - top bunk - mustard striped sheets Miann & Co, linen pillowcase Castle & Things

bottom bunk - banksia sheets & vintage washed linen doona from Adairs, name linen cushion from Little Willow Vintage

If you have any questions, feel free to meail or DM me on IG x