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Today I am showcasing how we made a little girls’ room work in a small space. We actually have a decently sized room, but this bedroom belongs to not one but two little girls. Design and function were important to us in this shared girls room.

Practically since the day her little sister Camille was born, Sofia has been asking for a shared girls room with bunk beds. I always gave her the ol’ “maybe one day” answer that parents say when they really mean please stop asking me this.

When we built our new home, we wanted more space in the main living areas, with smaller rooms for the kids, and a large spacious playroom. This meant two kids would have to (get to?) share a room. The girls would get their wish! Not including their closet or bathroom, they were going to be sharing a 14′ x 11′ bedroom.

Overwhelmed at the idea of how to make a little girls room work after move in day, I plunked their old furniture in here and did nothing for a bit.

I was dreaming of two little beds next to each other. Design wise, this seemed to be the best looking decision. There were three images I kept coming back to:

This lovely scene, via Meghan Basinger‘s shared girls room:

Don’t you love those little white beds? Shop them here

And this stunning bedroom from Brooke Wagner Designs…

(Shop those gorgeous twin beds here)

And lastly, Bria Hammel does everything to perfection:

So preppy and fun! But practically speaking, for our girls’ shared bedroom, I kept coming back to the fact that a bunk bed would open up more room. It just made more sense for sharing a small bedroom together. I was sad to give up my dream of two little beds side by side, but my girls love to play in their room together and actually spend a lot of time there. We needed the floor space.

As beautiful and symmetrical as two little beds next to each other looks in a room, you lose twice the floor space with two beds!

A Little Girls Room With Bunk Beds

Click to shop: round rug | baskets | bookshelf 

We gave the room a fresh coat of paint and did a two tone paint job for interest. You can see how we did that also in our 5 year old boy’s bedroom. This paint trick is a favorite of mine for making the walls look more interesting-  without the cost of trim work, wallpaper or anything extra. 

The paint color we used is Sweet Pastel by Valspar on the bottom two-thirds of the walls. This is the perfect pink for a little girls room! Not too bright, not too muddy – it looks great with beiges and grays. We used Extra White by Sherwin Williams on the top third.  (See more about Extra White used all over our home – and on the exterior!).

The Junior Bunk Bed

We went with the Hayes Low Kids Bunk Bed from Pottery Barn Kids. I LOVE this bed! It is a junior bunk bed – meaning it is lower to the ground than your traditional bunk bed.  This doesn’t mean it’s only for younger kids – there’s nothing about a junior bunk bed that makes it less comfortable for older children. But Camille, our youngest, was not quite 3 at the time, while our oldest daughter was 6, so this felt like a good decision.

(Tragically, bunk beds injuries or worse are not as uncommon as you might think. I’m a very laid back parent, but a quick google search will let you know this is something to just be aware of as a parent. If you have concerns a junior bunk bed might be for you) 

See the Hayes Bunkbed Here:

Can you tell in the photo the bed is actually a few feet shorter than a normal bunk bed!? I think a smaller sized bunk beds look great in a room, design wise. It’s nice to be able to hear the girls playing on their beds and not worry, either.

The bottom bunk is actually on slats, but is low as the ground. We bought this affordable bottom mattress off Amazon and it actually worked out great. No weird smells, soft and comfy for a child.

The Sleeping Situation For Girls Sharing A Room

As far as how much sleeping they actually do— ha! Don’t expect a lot for the first year or even longer if your girls share a room. I had nights the first year where I regretted putting them in the same room. I’m not sure if it was my kids’ personalities, their ages (2 is VERY young to share a room and expect actual sleeping), or maybe the excitement over the shared girls room  just took a long time to wear off. We would separate them because they were playing / singing / making up games together late into the night. I have no idea why it took them so long to settle into a routine. I’m not sure about a lot when it comes to parenting actually. It’s all a crap shoot and I’m just winging it over here!

Click to shop: round rug / junior bunk bed / pink duvet / white pom pom duvet cover / striped sheets / pillow

The endless chatter until 11pm has finally stopped. Most nights they talk for a few minutes and fall to sleep shortly after. 

And now that we are past that stage- let me tell you, nothing is sweeter than seeing your 2 girls cuddled up together sharing 1 bed night after night.

A Desk For A Little Girls Room In A Small Space

We had room for a desk in this little nook between the bunk bed and the wall! I love their wooden chair- I bought it site unseen but it had great reviews.

Their leaning desk from Crate and Kids is sadly no longer sold anymore – I don’t know why because it is the perfect space saver desk for a shared girls room! This similar one is from All Modern has a ton of crazy good reviews! Pottery Barn sells this leaning desk that has a bit more space if you wanted something slightly wider. 

Shop leaning desks here:

Click to shop: dresser / pink touch lamp

(Read about how to create your own affordable large scale beach art like I did here)

Click to shop: bookshelf / swan head / dollhouse / baskets / mirror

We recently updated this little space with some new art from The Salted Word Etsy Shop!

I want to do something fun in their bathroom one day (wallpaper or tile? ) but for now, it’s simple and clean. See the girls bathroom here!

 

Click links below for sources

round rug | junior bunk bed | pink duvet | white pom pom duvet cover | striped sheets | pillow |

 felt garland | chair | deer head lamp (similar) | bookshelf | swan head | dollhouse 

 baskets | mirror | dresser | pink touch lamp | blinds | ceiling fan | bathroom mirror

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