kids’ room inspiration
April 1st, 2011
yay! so glad you guys are going to think up all the good ideas for me, because I’m running low. Mostly I want the room to look big, even though it’s small. And be able to be full of kid’s stuff, while still looking sparse.
Sounds totally impossible, right? But I think these first two rooms do it well.
This room is a little too much on the minimal side of things, but there are three kids in a small room and it doesn’t feel in the least bit crowded.
Super simple and super white, but the natural wood bits make it extra good. I’m not very good with the whole mood board thing (mostly because saying it makes me throw up in my mouth a little) but I guess a little vision is good, rather than doing random shit here and there and hoping it comes together–my usual m.o.
As for stuff: I’d like a record display rack for the books and a little house shelf please.
I love the way those three beds are laid out…and I think custom cabinetry/shelving will be your best friend in this project. You may luck out with pre-made furniture, but to really maximize your space, and maintain a spacious feel, build-ins are probably the way to go?
I really like the first two rooms, white definitely seems like the answer for wall color. And it seems like your brother might need to build you some custom storage along with the bed.
that house shelf… oh my oh my….
Have you looked at ana white’s Knock-Off Wood website? There are some great building projects in there that look like some of the furniture in your inspiration pics. My husband and I (’cause I helped a little) built a desk and some shelves from her site, and we found the instructions to be clear and the projects super do-able.
good luck!
It must be the time to be thinking about bedroom!s, I just did a post yesterday about shuffling our three kids around too!
These bedrooms you have found are so inspiring, I love the first one!!
Oh, that little loft bed and the house shelf are so great! So much wonderful inspiration!
Oh I can’t wait to see the finished room. I would love to make some major changes around here. Mostly it would be great to put Luca in my sewing loft so I can take over her bedroom. It’s selfish, but oh it would be nice. I need to figure out how to spin it so that she thinks it’s her idea to lose her space for a half-assed loft.
ooh I like these rooms. Suggestion for a warm white paint: Mythic paint, color: “Grace’s Smile”. It is kind of on the expensive side but OK for a small room. I painted my daughter’s tiny nursery with it when I was super pregnant and freaked out about paint fumes- its non-toxic. It was nice to work with and reads as bright white but really is (imho) secretly pink. P.S: I am a painter.
Ha, I share your feeling about mood boards and also tend to just do random shit. Good luck with the room redo, I look forward to seeing how it goes!
my favs are the second and third…I have my fourth child on the way and am currently looking to solve the 3 in one room problem too. None of mine will be old enough for the third pic for years to come so I am really thinking I would like to figure out how to make a bed like number 2 but have the drawers pull out as trundles instead of storage.
i love the three beds solution too! that may have solved my own problem of how to fit a third into the crowded boys’ room. if the room opposite the beds had some built in shelving and cupboards, etc. it could really be a great use of a small space!
oh, i do wonder why the ladder extends up so high? that looks like trouble waiting to happen.
I love your inspiration photos; they look like scandinavian or dutch children’s rooms. The arrangement of beds in #3 is awesome. My sister and I shared a room and we had beds -foot to foot twins – like #2. I bet your handy brother could make you a village of those house shelves in a snap, and for less than $118 each (they are by ferm living!).
oh man, what great rooms. makes me want to go re-do sadie’s room right now, and probably move milo into it. record shelf for books? awesome. those 3 alternating corner shelves? also awesome.
and white is SO right. in canada my favourite white is para paint’s “new cameo white” – we paint all our woodwork and studio spaces that colour, it’s warm without being too yellow or pink. but i also love benjamin moore’s creamy white right now too. it has a slight green undertone but it feels quite modern.
I officially have a crush on you now. It happened in that paragraph in which you said “throw up in my mouth a little” and “rather than doing random shit here and there and hoping it comes together–my usual m.o.”
BTW – love the inspiration you’ve pulled together for us!
You’re scaring me with all this talk of white walls – my son comes home from school with hands as black as a chimney sweep’s, though. Anyone would think that the playground has a layer of soot over it…
Actually, I would have liked to paint our dining room white, but I’ve ended up picking a grey colour. Now i just need to get around to painting it. Oh, and the other 3 rooms on the list….
these are great–thanks for the roundup. someday we’ll be in the same situation with an 8x10ish space and a badly placed window. maybe we’ll just buy the fixer upper down the street and move. structural problems schmuctural problems, it has 5 bedrooms! ha. good luck with the re-do… three cheers for process shots.
love the striped sheets & hanging branch. but for my adult room! :)
Perhaps someone already sent this link, but I found this to be really inspirational – the series “kids’ rooms for small houses” on the Tum Tum Tree blog:
http://the-tum-tum-tree.blogspot.com/2011/03/kids-rooms-for-small-houses-23.html (this links to post 23, so there are 22 more ;-) )
Wonderful ideas for bedrooms for 3 or 4 children!