Design Ideas For Shared Kids Bedroom
I Crammed My Toddler and Baby Into the Same Tiny Room, Thanks to This Layout and Storage Plan
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One of the logistical hurdles of adding a second child into our lives was figuring out where exactly to put him. Our two-bedroom, one-bathroom home lacks any of the square footage perks that could be reimagined as a small nursery with the right amount of creative ingenuity — no large closets or transitional "office nooks" exist. So after deciding that our toddler's bedroom would have to double as a nursery, we knew we needed an expert's help figuring out a layout, choosing furniture, and coming up with storage solutions to make the shared bedroom work.
Decorist, an online interior design company that helps you decorate your space virtually for a flat fee, helped us do just that and more. Briana Nix, one of Decorist's elite interior designers (and a mom of an adorable baby and toddler herself), partnered with BuyBuy Baby to tackle our project. As a mom of two small kids who also share a bedroom, she understood all of our practical needs and made us realize how having a beautiful, cohesive space could actually make the room feel larger, even with more stuff in it. To make sure the space felt personal, she channeled our history and hobbies into a design scheme that captured our California-Oregon roots and love for exploring the outdoors.
What It Looked Like Before
The "design" of the room was really just a hodgepodge of miscellaneous furniture and art collected from our prekid days. There was no discernible color palette, theme, or personality, really. Aside from the uninspiring decor, the layout and furniture also didn't take full advantage of the space.
My son's crib, which we converted into a toddler bed, was centered against the far wall with picture ledges and a wooden crate to hold his collection of books.
A large, dark media cabinet used for storing all sorts of random things was shoved against the adjacent wall. We knew it wasn't the best choice for the room but couldn't figure out what exactly to replace it with or how we would be able to squeeze a crib, toddler bed, and enough storage to keep toys, clothes, and baby items organized.
We kept my son's toys stored in baskets on an Ikea shelf that fit between the two windows. Round baskets were placed on the floor beneath the windows to hold extra play things, like stuffed animals and costumes.
A chair, floor lamp, and small basket occupied the wall space next to the closet door.
What We Changed
Briana's first suggestion was to pull the entire room together with a cohesive color palette and theme. Taking my Oregon-raised husband and my California girl roots into consideration, she built the design around the vintage-inspired California Republic and PNW (Pacific Northwest) flags and chose a soft sage green color by Lullaby Paints for the walls. Coordinating the two beds with accessories like the black and white buffalo check pillow sham ($30) on my toddler's bed and the black and white gingham crib sheet ($20) and cross swaddle blanket ($35) on the baby's crib helped the two biggest furniture pieces complement each other.
After we ditched the big media cabinet that was shoved against the far left wall, there was plenty of room to fit our convertible crib ($360, originally $400) and upgrade our toddler to a twin bed ($400). This cubby bookcase ($250) is even taller than our Ikea toy storage piece and can fit everything from toys to books.
Hanging this acrylic bookshelf ($200 for a set of two) puts bedtime stories at close reach while also doubling as wall art. Instead of a lamp, the wall sconce provides the perfect amount of reading light without taking up any table or floor space.
The cordless roman shades ($70-$260) not only soften the room but also have a blackout backing and cellular fabric that provide two extra layers of insulation — a bonus for keeping energy costs down during Summer and Winter months. Having a cordless option was especially crucial since the crib is so close to the window. The chunky knit rug ($84-$1,261) adds a layer of cushy comfort but also helps to unify the space.
Pulling out favorite toys and books with beautiful illustrations is a great way to decorate with what you have. This little surfer-friendly VW bus reminds me of the car my grandparents had when I was a kid, and I can't help but smile.
Instead of having our blue club chair against the larger wall next to the closet, Briana placed this cream-colored rocking chair ($500) in the more narrow space between the windows. This freed up the wall next to the closet for another piece of storage furniture.
We chose a midcentury-inspired dresser ($589) that can double as clothing storage and a diaper changing station with this Keekaroo Peanut Changer ($130) placed on top.
Instead of giving up the top drawer of the dresser for storing diapers, wipes, and toiletries, I wanted to use it for the boys' clothes. I used cheap drawer organizers to help keep everything tidy and separate and figured out the perfect solution for storing diaper-changing essentials close by.
With the closet right next to the dresser, I hung an over-the-door storage system so that I could quickly grab whatever I needed while changing diapers. The best part is that it didn't take up any additional space! We stuck the same cubby bookcase that we used for toy storage between the bed and crib for extra clothing storage in the closet. The square-shaped cubbies accommodate any 13"x13" storage bins, which can easily be found for less than $10 a bin. They're perfect for corralling shoes, hats, and other bulky items.
Aside from diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream, the closet storage system is the perfect spot for collecting medicine cabinet essentials, pacifiers, and receiving blankets.
I was worried that making room for the baby would make my toddler's already limited space feel even more cramped, but it's had the opposite effect. He loves being in his room more than ever — and so do we. From his cozy, reading-friendly bed nook and rocking chair to the eye-catching art and toy displays, his sense of curiosity and adventure is celebrated in every inch of the space, and baby brother is along for the ride.
