Do your kids need to share a room? Are you feeling the squeeze? Dividing a smaller room into individual spaces is difficult, but is key in allowing kids to have their own space but coexist or even flourish with siblings.
Arranging the furniture in the room can be your first solution in giving each child a place of their own. If you have twin beds, you could arrange them foot-to-foot, head-to-head or you could put the heads together in a corner with a square table in the corner as a nightstand. Traditional splits would also work where the twin beds are arranged on each side of the room and the rest is set up symmetrically. Use the items you have to give privacy, including the strategic placement of a storage shelf that maybe opens from both sides and has baskets to hold clothing or toys. This can be a natural division in the room.
As you consider bedding, you could choose to work on the room totally together following a color scheme or theme OR you could decide that each child may pick out their own bedding creating a totally separate them on each side of the room. To avoid it looking chaotic with different themes going on in the same room, this would probably require some type of barrier between the two sides. You also might consider arranging the “sides” so they are not both visible from the door. This would make the room more visually pleasing.
The biggest item to address when rooming two kids in a small space is STUFF! Go through your children’s belongings, sorting out unused items and clothing. Simplify, simplify, simplify! The less you have to deal with when designing the room, the less mess later. It’s worth the effort!
Children who share rooms can have a special bond that kids who don’t share a room may never have. Look at this challenge of “fitting your kids into a small space” as a blessing. Work together to choose fun items and involve the kids so they feel it is their own space. The end result will be amazing!
