2 Growing Girls + 1 Tiny Room = IKEA to the Rescue

As many of you know, I have two daughters ages 5 & 7.  They've always shared a room out of a necessity but last October we moved into a larger place.  It's funny because initially I thought they would jump at the chance of decorating their very own rooms!! Boy, was I mistaken!! They both insisted that they wanted to share a room.  Don't get me wrong, I love that they have such a close bond!! It just proved challenging for me as both of the girls bedrooms are modest in size and the girls have very opposite personalities.  So we decided to use one of the bedrooms as their actual bedroom and then we use the other room as a playroom.  The playroom is still a work in progress so I'll be sharing it in a future post.

Another major challenge for me was merging their personalities into one cohesive space.  My older daughter loves dinosaurs and Minecraft, while my younger daughter loves princesses and is a true girly girl.  I tried to tie both of their likes into a whimsical theme, a magical land full of rainbows, butterflies, unicorns, mermaids and dinosaurs.  It was also important for me to include pieces that had positive sayings to remind them how amazing they are and to encourage them daily!!

The key piece of furniture in their room is the SLAKT Bed frame with pull-out bed and storage.  It is such a key piece to keeping their room functional, they are able to utilize the pull-out bed at night for sleeping and then during the day they can put it away so they have more space to move around. And if they ever do decide that they no longer want to be roommates the beds can be used independently.

So when the girls get up in the morning they are able to easily push the pull-out bed back under the main bed frame.  It's very simple to do and takes only a few seconds.

Here are some of the other great features on the SLKAT bed frame, there are two large storage drawers under the pull-out. We use these drawers for my older daughter's bedding (she sleeps on the bottom) when the pull-out is not extended, it holds her pillows so we don't have to worry about where they will go when her bed is not in use. There is also a great locking feature to keep the pull-out bed from getting pushed under the taller frame when it's in use.  And in the same respect keeps the beds from being pulled apart.

When the pull-out bed is tucked away they have so much more room to get ready in the morning and to move about their bedroom.  Next to the beds I chose to use the Kallax shelf unit in white.  It has a dual purpose, it is a bookcase but also a nightstand when both beds are being utilized at night.  I really like how deep the shelves are in the Kallax unit, it's able to hold all my daughters large chunky books.  Above the Kallax unit we added the Mossland picture ledge to hold and display the girls nicknacks.

At the foot of the bed there is not a lot of space so we tried not to clutter it with too many things.  The girls use the tall Kallax shelf unit in white to store large accessories like hats and sweaters.  Inside each shelf we used the cardboard TJENA storage boxes with lid to keep things organized and dust free.  To be honest we've used the same STUVA storage combination for the last 4 and half years as their primary clothing storage.  Each combination belongs to one of the girls and holds their everyday clothing and accessories from headbands, hair bows, pajamas, t-shirts, shorts to undergarments.

The STUVA line provides various drawer sizes and types, as well as adjustable shelving with custom fit baskets and bins. 

I tried to include as many decorative pieces to reflect the girls styles and personalities.  Above their bed I hung the MYRHEDEN frame to organize some of their smaller accessories, like sunglasses and necklaces.  I also clipped inspirational cards to the frame that say things like "Stay Golden" and "Your Future Looks Bright".  I think it's so important for my girls to feel comfortable and confident in who they are, I tried my best to emphasize this in their bedroom.  Overall I'm thrilled with the way it turned out and so grateful to have been able to solve the many challenges of a small space with IKEA!!

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If you need help with putting pieces together for your home please contact us to setup a 30 minute FREE Design Appointment. I've tried to source all the IKEA products below:

• SLAKT Bed frame with pull-out bed and storage, white
• KALLAX Shelf unit, white
• MOSSLANDA Picture ledge, white
• KALLAX Shelf unit, white
• TJENA Storage box with lid, black/white
• STUVA Storage combination with doors and drawers, white, birch
• MYREHDEN Frame, brass color
• FEJKA Artificial potted plant, oregano
• FEJKA Artificial potted plant, thyme

(The curtains, pillows and other accessories were from Target, TJ Maxx and Soha. So sorry, items that have not been sourced are no longer available for purchase or are custom pieces from IKEA.)