Sometimes our homes just can’t accommodate everyone living in it, especially when there are more kids than there are rooms in the house. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, whether you need to or want to, a shared space among siblings has some pretty awesome advantages! It’s the decorating a room for multiple kids that can be a challenge. With that said, it’s completely possible to design an amazing space that will keep those inevitable territorial disputes to a minimum. Here are 3 important tips that will help make decorating and sharing a space a positive experience for everyone.
1. Get your kids involved
What better way to make it a room they’ll love than by having them help in the design and decorating process? Granted, this will be dependent on their age, but even the littles often have an opinion that they’re happy to voice! Getting them involved right from the beginning is a wonderful way to avoid complaints that may arise later on. When possible, let them help pick out things like wall hangings, colors, bedding. Keep in mind, however, a room won’t grow with them as easily or appear very stylish if it’s decked out top to bottom in themes involving cartoon characters. Since interest in those seems to change by the minute and will drive you crazy trying to keep up, simply steer your kids away from the aisles where those items are on display.
2. Make sure the colors work together
As mentioned earlier, a room won’t grow well with your children if they have an overly-themed space. This is where color comes into play. Simply put, the colors you use in the room have to work together. Making sure the colors work together doesn’t mean everything in the room has to match. With that said, they should make some sort of sense. And no, it doesn’t mean that your kids can’t choose colors as unique and individual as they are. Many colors can “go” together as long as they are pulled together by a common denominator.
Often times when decorating a room for multiple kids, it can be difficult to find coordinating bedding at a department store that will work in one space. Visiting a fabric store, however, and having new comforters made up, is a pretty easy solution. Actually, a shared space is the prime time to have a few different items custom made, including bed skirts and window treatments.
But you might be wondering: is custom bedding for kids really worth it? In a nutshell, yes. And this is why. Custom bedding fits the bed perfectly, allows you to coordinate the room any way you want, and gives you a quality product that’s one of a kind and one that will last through several ages and stages.
Keep in mind that going custom doesn’t mean going crazy with having every little piece for the bedding made. In fact, depending on the age of your child (and their tastes) you may only need a couple of things. For example, a toddler or young child can probably live without shams and accent pillows. In situations such as these, it’s best to just focus on something like custom duvet covers and fun bed pillows from the department store. When they hit their tween or teen years, then you can incorporate those extra accessories if it’s important to them. In all reality, having certain pieces selectively made can cost less than buying a complete ensemble equipped with pieces you don’t need.
Now, you might be wondering what to do if you have a boy and a girl sharing the same room. In all honesty, it’s much easier than you may think. You can still find fabrics feminine for her, masculine for him that have a similar color scheme. You might even have kids that like the same pattern but different colors, making it even easier to pull the room together.
So what are some popular paint colors for a kid’s room? Grays, greens, blues, and yellows are a great place to start. While younger kids might prefer lighter versions of these colors, older children might prefer them to be deeper or muted. Orange is another popular hue that pairs nicely with other colors. With as many options as there are, there’s no reason to feel limited. Be sure to check out Pantone’s seasonal color palettes for inspiration.
If, however, you are more comfortable with sticking to basics, stick with the basics. Always remember that it is okay to have pink and blue in a room and it is okay to have “girly” and “boyish” decor blended together. Just throw another pattern or color in that will help it all make sense.
Need other ways to pull a color scheme together? Paint a piece of furniture in a color that ties each area together, find a rug that has your main colors in it or use window coverings.
3. Give each child his or her own space
This may seem like a real challenge, but it’s not. As long as each child had his or her own bed, then you have a starting place. Of course, bunk beds or built-in beds are the ultimate space saver, but if you already have beds, then you must come up with something different. One option would be to simply separate the beds with a piece of furniture such as a dresser, chest or nightstand. Not only would it create a barrier, but it would also serve a function for storage. A spin on this would be to place a large nightstand in the corner of the room with the head of each bed placed against it (perpendicular to each other). Another option would be to separate each space with open shelving. It too, would serve the function as storage, but without making the space feel closed in.
To expand on individual space, and as long as space allows, incorporate separate sitting areas, personalized accents, etc, to make each child feel like there are areas specifically dedicated to them.
When the time comes to decorating a room for multiple kids that makes all its residents happy, stop by to see us. We have something for every home, including identical fabric patterns that come in coordinating colors. With some proper planning and quality fabrics, accessories, and furnishings from our store, you can decorate a space that’s as unique and wonderful as they are. Visit CUTTING CORNERS a quick trip from McKinney, TX
