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Many families, wherever they live or what culture they have or whether they like it or not, have their children share a bedroom. But when it comes to designing a room for brothers and sisters to share, it could be quite challenging.
Some families would safely choose to paint everything in white to make the room neutral, while some would paint half of the room pink and the other half blue. Some would also go to the point where they would buy two different themed-bed frames that wouldn’t match (for example, a Lightning McQueen and a Queen Elsa bedframes). However, there are some other cooler co-ed room ideas your kids, and even your guests will surely love.
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- Play with colors
Forget about painting everything white. When talking about younger kids who love to play with crayons and pens, you wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully at all if everything in their room is plain white.
Choose gender-neutral color combinations like gray and yellow, black and white, aqua and coral, etc. There are also available color palettes online made for such rooms that you can choose from if you’re not sure.
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- Forget about themes
Your kids may have their favorite cartoon characters now, but that would probably change after a month or two. After 5 to 6 years when they start to invite their friends over, your kids would likely not feel exactly proud of their Frozen-themed or fire truck bed frame, or the large Mickey Mouse head painted on their wall.
You can never go wrong with designing any room classically that is free of age-defining elements. Financially and practically, you may want a room that will grow old with your kids.
If you wish to add a touch of their favorite characters, use stuff toys or any accessories that can be put into storage anytime.
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- Leave enough space for playtime or siblings’ bonding moments
No matter how small the co-ed bedroom is, it is important to make space for their playtime. Depending on their age, you can add play mats or carpet in that area. For teens, a coffee table and comfortable chairs or a small couch would be perfect.
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- Have custom-made furniture and bedframes
Most of the time, these co-ed bedrooms are the same size as a regular bedroom. However, they contain twice the furniture and belongings.
One of the best things to do to save space is to have custom-made furniture. There are ready-to-buy solid wood bed frames with drawers, or you can have them made with your design. Double-decks, loft-type, and bunk beds are also good for small co-ed bedrooms.
Instead of boxes, get hanging shelves to store and display toys. Make sure that your son and daughter have separate shelves. After several years, they can re-use these shelves to store their books and other stuff.
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- Balance the lights
There’s a thing called “layering the lights” and is composed of three elements: Ambient, Task, and Accent. To find the right lighting balance of a shared bedroom, you have to determine each kid’s daily activities.
Ambient lighting is your main light. This is typically used when doing general activities that don’t require a focused light like cleaning, organizing, etc. This could come from natural (from the windows) or artificial lighting. When it comes to the latter, ceiling fixtures are the most advisable.
Task lighting is used for more focused activities such as reading or writing. This is commonly in a form of table lamps, small hanging pendants, wall-mounted lights on the headboard, etc. If you have two kids, it’s a must to have separate task lighting for each bed.
Accent lighting is optional. This is used to give light to the accent of the room (can be an artwork or a nice piece of furniture).
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- Prepare a movable or portable divider
At some point, siblings may argue and each would need a little privacy to cool down. Adding a curtain, that can be pulled back anytime the situation is over, between the beds would be a nice idea.
There are also stylish portable dividers that can be folded and placed under the bed when not used.
