Yes-paint the trim the same color as the walls! We previously lived in a 1920’s home with amazing woodwork that I wanted to stand out. Our current home is 1950’s with woodwork that is not that special. We did a whole house remodel and my husband, who is a painter/finishing contractor and works with many designers, convinced me that matching the wall and trim (with the trim a different sheen than the wall), was the way to go. I love it and have no plans of changing it back. It makes the room feel more continuous and not so broken up. Again, if it was beautiful woodwork I wouldn’t do it, but in this case it was the right move.

I guess you can’t remove the wall between their 2 rooms? Probably a bad idea as you’d have to restore the wall in their teen years. At any rate, my son and daughter each had their own room for their own stuff. But they slept together in my son’s room — which had a full sized bed in it — until my daughter went to kindergarten. By then my son was about 8. At that point, it just seemed the appropriate time to split them up, and I don’t recall them putting up a fuss or being at all stressed about it. We experienced no down sides to their sleeping together as little people. It was great and comforting for both of them. P.S. Just a warning based on experience: You will be dealing with these room issues for your kids until they move out of the house. It’s another joy of parenting. When my two were in 11th and 8th grades, we got them to switch rooms because she had a tiny room and spent all of her time in it and he had a large room and spent no time in it. Of course we had to bribe… Read more »

My kids are happiest sharing a bed, they each have their own bed, but often I come in their room and they are sharing a twin bed! We have done so much rearranging trying to make bedtime work with different beds and it finally seems to be working. I think they would be happiest with a large bed to share. I did get comments from friends about why they had a queen bed in their room, which is probably why I changed it out. I wish I had just let it be and not cared what others thought. They like having their own bed though during the day, at night is a different story. This post makes me feel happy to know we are not alone! Their room was beautifully decorated and with all the rearranging, several times in the last three years, it does not look as good and I don’t even care! So sad! As kids grow though, their needs and whims seem to change frequently.

I like the true MOOD you’re going for in this shared room.

My only suggestion is to not count on having Birdies room as permanently your own. You’re in a beautiful season where they are best buds and sleep well together but there may be a time a few years down the road where they want their own space and then suddenly you’re house shopping so you have enough rooms to accommodate your craft/yoga/editing room
Thanks for sharing the process! I’m excited to see it! It will be great!

My twin brother and I (and even my older sister, at one point) slept in a king size bed together until we moved into a new house at age 8. I got my own room for the first time and was terrified, but refused to tell anyone. I sneaked into his room to snuggle with him for several months! I think it’s only taboo to share one big bed because now we, especially in the US, almost insist on every child having their own room, a bit like a status symbol of sorts. Homes in the 1950s averaged 1,200 square feet with an average of four kids living there….you KNOW they were sharing rooms and beds! But I have heard many, many people insist they need a home with enough rooms for every kid to have their own room, as though there is no alternative.

Posting anonymously due to my shame. My boys got lice from their daycare. Because we co-sleep sometimes, my husband and I got lice. Therefore, I would not recommend a king bed for kids to share. Control the potential for outbreak, in my opinion. We went through three OTC lice treatments per person (4 people) plus repellant shampoo. Then an Rx from the doctor because apparently super lice are a thing. We washed all the bedding after each treatment, so four times. So. Much. Laundry. 🙁

I have ‘your family’ but in a six month delay–a five year old boy and a 3 year old girl (just had their birthdays). And they share a queen bed. I sort of grimaced when you asked about it because it’s not ‘socially acceptable” and thought oops…isn it? To be honest, I didn’t plan for it. Reading your post was like reading my own diary because I’ve gone through nearly all the same things. We have three bedrooms, but they aren’t large and we live far from families (other country) and having a guest room would be ideal after years of 2 week visits without a spare room. So a shared room it would be… I nearly did a built in bunk bed like you had planned for the mountain house, but I was worried it would cost a lot of money and then not be liked or used and there was some boring fireplace flue issue and so I scrapped it and found an ADORABLE. and affordable ‘treehouse’ lofted bed that meant the older kid didn’t have to climb too far, it was all secure up there and the little one could sleep underneath. Hah. Sure. MY little one… Read more »

The first time one kid pukes in the middle of the night you’ll want two separate beds! You can change sheets and clean up the sick one while the other kid sleeps on.

You could always do a bigger bed in the other bedroom for guests and nights when they want a treat and get to sleep in the big bed.

I have three kiddos. The oldest, a boy and then two girls. They all three shared a room until my oldest was 12 and the girls were 7 and 5. The girls shared a full size bed and big brother had his own bed. We didn’t have to have them share but that’s what they wanted and how they all slept best. Right before my son turned 13 we moved him into his own room because well-teenager. He wasn’t asking to have his own room though. We switched the girls to two twin beds but just this week they’re saying they want their shared bed back so even though they’re 9 and 7 now I’m granting that request because it’s just the sweetest!! Love that Charlie and Birdie are sharing!!!

Is there a reason you can’t put something in the corner between the beds? I like the configuration, but think something back there would make it more finished/intentional. Although I know it’s not styled and will probably look amazing with or without it. And, I love the idea of building out the nook as a play space/fort!

I shared a king size bed (2 twins pushed together with a mattress joiner) with my older brother and younger sister for a couple years when we were little kids. We were all between 5 & 10. I remember loving it – it was so fun to be with each other!

Sharing beds/rooms- We have a large family and both my husband and I come from large families. All our children have shared a room. In fact, we had 4 kids ages 7 years to 5 months (B -G-B-B) in one room in our two bedroom married, student, family housing as we finished the last semester of my husband in Veterinary school. It was great. We looked like refugees, style-wise. We had boxes and bins lining the walls, but we left school with little debt and a boatload of memories and a very close-knit family. We built our home 3 years ago. We do have a basement guest room/bath, a master suite on the main floor, and b/c the kids are older, we put them upstairs (something my hormones would never have allowed while they were young/I was nursing….I was a bit cra-cra at times, but whatev.) We have a boys’ room (FIVE!) and a girls’ room (2). Both are far larger rooms than anything my husband or I grew up with, and while the girls’ room is sweet, simple and perfect, the boys have single beds lining the walls….I never got around to building their own cubby beds (pinterest!). We… Read more »

I have three kids (girl-7, girl-5, boy-2) and they love sleeping together. They all have their own rooms but we always have some kind of musical beds going on in our house. They definitely prefer snuggling up together. Most of the time the two girls sleep in the same queen bed. But most recently, my 5 yr old girl has decided she wants to sleep in her 2 yr old brother’s toddler bed with him. The 2 yr old begs for her during naps and nightime. They all sleep so much better when they sleep together!!!

My boys had their own rooms originally then asked to share a room at 3 and 8yrs old! It’s been 3 years and they still love it! My sis and I loved sharing a room and were sad when my parents built a new house and we had our own. We were 12 and 15 at the time. I’m all for shared rooms. My husband says it’s weird they don’t want their own. I say the children decide what makes them most comfortable. If they want to share a bed go for it! 🙂

I always has dreams of using one room for all three kids’ beds and the other room for their dressers and some books/toys. A sleeping room and a dressing/playing room. Would’ve been dreamy. But I think I mentioned it once, husband looked at me like I was nuts and with a 2,4,6 year old I didn’t have the energy to persuade. 🙂

I have never commented previously, but felt the need to chime in! I am 32 and still remember how scared I was of my bedroom when I was 8 because it was on the darker side. I started sleeping on the couch in the bright, sunny room down the hall until one day it just became my bedroom. I love it design-wise, but something to consider!

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for showing us the chaos and “undoneness” of this room. I don’t mean that in a negative way — it’s extremely relatable. We have so many projects we want to do in our home and it’s so nice to see that even a professional has to prioritize and live with a weird space for a while. Makes me feel better about the ugly peeling wallpaper in our bathroom — we’ll get to it eventually 🙂 Thank you!!

We had a bedroom for each of our the children and two sat empty because they all wanted to sleep together in the same room. Now granted this is when they were young and now they are all about their own space, but why not take advantage of it when they really want to, and yes it was a mix of genders – one boy and two girls. Bedtime was a little more chaotic. One time they giggle whispered long past bedtime when I heard a cry, “Mom, I peed in the bed!” Another voice, “Me too!” It seems they were making each other laugh so hard they both made each other wet the bed. You can’t tell me that’s not only a great memory but a terrific bonding experience. Memories are usually built on “imperfections” that are made perfect, like wonky bed placement coupled with nightly snuggles, whispered dreams, and a never ending sibling slumber party.

My two boys, now 14 and 15, have shared a room their whole lives (and we have 2 extra bedrooms:). We have moved several times and they both look at us like we are crazy when we offer them to split up. I can not say enough what it has done for their sibling bond.
When my boys were toddlers we had a neighbor from Lebanon, she commented how strange she thought it was in America how only same sex siblings seem to share rooms. She and her brother (2 years apart) shared a room until she left for college. She said they learned to respect each other’s privacy, give courtesy to one another and she appreciated having a different perspective on all matters. I have never forgotten this and count it as wisdom. #mericacanbeweird

I love everything about this post. My boys share a room, also in an “L” configuration. In terms of the King matress – you could always get a long cylindrical pillow to be the divider….

My kiddos (two boys) also 5 and 3 asked to share a room when we moved to our new house last summer, and they love it. We bought a 5 bedroom house and people think I’m nuts for them sharing a room when we have so many bedrooms, but they don’t like sleeping alone. We have the same ikea kura “bunk” bed that you tried, and they both love it. I was actually considering trying the two twin bed approach, because my 5yo likes to cuddle and getting down and up that ladder as an adult is annoying, but I don’t want to take away his bunk he loves so much. Can’t wait to see how your room evolves!

OK, growing up I was supposed to share a queen bed with my older sister, while my younger brother and sister were in bunk beds. Separate rooms. But for a reason unknown to all, my brother and I shared the queen and my two sisters cuddled in just the bottom bunk. DID NOT CARE EVER. Barely remember it. This stopped when I was about 10 and my brother was 8 because we moved into a bigger home.

STARS on the ceiling, staaaarrrrrssss!!!!!! Or something more aurora borealis than circus tent. (This is my room, right?)

It’s only weird if you make it weird. We have always had ‘slumber parties’ with our kids and my boys chose to share a room for 10 years. When we travel neither kid has a problem sharing a bed with each other or one of us, they are now 13 and 16. I know families whose kids insist on separate rooms when they travel because it’s how they were raised : separate rooms, separate toys, separate everything. Your kids will eventually want their own spaces, and won’t need you at night, so enjoy all the snuggle/room sharing/family slumber party time you can!! It goes by so fast!!!!

My boys are 8 & 4 y.o. In my 3 bedroom house we have a one kid’s room as the sleeping room with a queen size bed and the other as a play room. They love it this way, they sleep better at night, bedtime stories are comfy for us, and if I have to go sleep in there during the night/part of the night I actually can sleep. The only things in this room are bed and books. No toys at all. This also helps them stay out of the room except for bedtime, and when they have friends over to play the books are tucked away and I can just close off this room.

I love the glowing, floating clouds!

My boy and girl (3.5 years apart in age) shared a queen-sized bed for several years, at their insistence. It was sweet and like you said, made bedtime book reading way easier for us. Then as my son started reading more and more he would read books to his sister every night while cozied up in the bed. Now we are in a new house and they share a long narrow bedroom with two twin beds. He’s 9 and she just turned 6. And I would say they are great friends with a really strong bond. Which is so thrilling.

First, I agree that making a bigger closet with no niche would make more sense. Could you put up a wall without removing flooring, and then remove it if you ever change your mind? Second, I have a 4 year old boy who makes the exact same argument as Charlie – why does he have to sleep alone when I get to sleep with Daddy? And since he’s an only child it kinda breaks my heart. If it were me I’d put a king size bed in Charlie’s room and just let them sleep together for now. We bought an awesome Ikea bed for my son which has 2 twin size mattresses that sit on top of each other, unless you pull out the full-height trundle and lay them side by side. With an egg crate mattress topper on top I can’t even feel the crack. You could pull the bed out for daily use, then push it into the single daybed for pictures or visitors, and never have to answer questions. You could even use this concept and have something cute custom made… A little word on sleeping. As a mom I am always struggling with exhaustion and am… Read more »

I love that you are putting them together even when the “norm” says they should have their own rooms. I am in the midst of a similar but totally different situation. My kids are 11, 10 and 6 (g,b,g) and a few years ago we moved to a house with enough rooms for all to have their own. My youngest (g, 6) HATES being alone at night and gets in our bed every night. She says the same thing Charlie said about it not being fair that dad and I get to share a room but she can’t. I think my struggle has always been that our ages and genders are weird for room sharing. My 11 yr old girl adores her own room, keeps it immaculate and loves alone time. But then I would be having the boy(10 ) and girl(6) share instead, BUT they love playing together and are much more alike than the 2 girls. The main reason I want to make a change is they are all so freakin entitled. They don’t want for any basics in life but I don’t want them to grow up thinking they are owed the world at their fingertips and… Read more »

Yes, shared a bed with my brother at times when little, no scars. Also, Charlie’s point is a good one—why should little kids be stuck sleeping alone? A friend of mine’s 3-year old boy and 7-year old girl also share a bed—she has her own loft bed but usually chooses to sleep on a double with brother. We have three little boys and while they technically have their own beds , there is a lot of bed sharing and it just seems to make nights work better (less monster-ghost problems…).

My son (10) and daughter (7) beg to sleep together all the time! However, they wake each other up too early so I don’t let them during school. But breaks we sure do! Why not? I do make them wear PJs, though.

As for the niche between two beds – we have those same Ikea beds (saw them here first!) and if you turn them sideways the gap falls around your knees or so and you don’t feel it as much. It works for those beds since they don’t have headboards.

Possibility for joining the twin mattresses: instead of the expense of a king mattress, why not put a king latex (nontoxic!) mattress topper on top of the twins? Then when they want to be separate again, it’s easy to remove and separate the twins.

Love your posts and design ideas and especially love your mountain house kitchen.

Our parents were lucky enough to have two houses, kind-of like your situation. We had our own rooms in one house and then a shared room in the weekend house.

The shared room was really fun! It always kinda felt like camping. I really like how you fully went with the camping theme in the mountain house kids’ room! We never had separate rooms in the weekend house, and it was never an issue. I would have hated to have to share a room throughout my entire childhood & teenage years in our day-to-day house, though.

For some reason, having kids share a bed does seem… weird. Also, why won’t you let Charlie sleep on the floor on a sofa cushion? When I was a kid, I loved shoving cushions in my closet and sleeping on the closet floor. It was really cozy and I liked the closed-in feeling of the space.

We have a four year old boy and two year old girl, and they currently share a queen bed (that used to be mine). They used to have a toddler bed and twin in their room, and every night they slept on the twin together. The toddler bed was never used. Reading them books was getting more and more uncomfortable with all of us squished on the twin. We were upgrading to a king, so we offered them the queen, and they share it in their room now. We considered bunk beds, but we figured they would probably sleep together on the bottom twin anyway, and it didn’t really help us for now. I know it won’t last forever, but them sharing a queen has been such a great decision for us all. We have an extra room if/when they want their own rooms, but so far, they’ve wanted to be in the same room.

Have you considered a trundle bed? It’s probably impractical to think you’ll close it up every morning, but it would be a space saver when necessary. And for what it’s worth, I think if your kids want to share a bed let them do it for as long as it’s working.

Our kids (boy and girl, 2 years apart like yours), with separate rooms, ended up sharing a full-size bed in my daughter’s room for years. They just liked it and slept better that way. One day, about the time he turned 7, my son announced that he was going to sleep in his room, and he’s done it ever since. I wondered if it was weird when they slept together for so long, and what we would do to get them to separate when it was time, but it turned out to be completely effortless.

Most humans over the history of time haven’t slept alone. It’s a weird modern thing. Wouldn’t worry about it.

I totally have plans for my kids (now 1 and 3) to share a room AND a bed. Once we’re done with the crib, we can hopefully make that transition. They get pretty snuggly already when in our bed.

The comments on this post are so heartwarming.

I was one of 5 kids, and there were many times I slept with a sibling! When I was 4-6 I (female) slept with my little brother (2-4) on little cot/mattress pad things right next to each other. Then I shared a full sized daybed with my older sister, we just put our heads at opposite ends. We shared again when rooms rearranged in High school with a queen, and finally, in college when she moved to NYC to live with me. Okay, now I’m realizing this all sounds odd. But when you have to, you make it work. And while you don’t HAVE to, your kids want to, and I think that is really sweet.

Many cultures don’t expect their young children to be shuttered away by themselves at night. When I stayed in India for a month my sweet friend was horrified by the idea. It’s called the family bed and it’s a huge bigger than king mattress. The kids decide when they want their own space. And yes I shared a bed with my sister until I was 8 or so I I loved it. I got scared at night.

What jumps out to me is the fact that they slept so well with the twin beds and sofa cushion situation. I would put the beds back in that configuration immediately! The sofa cushions need to be replaced, of course. I just discovered (on Amazon) that they make memory foam mattresses that fold up so you can store them easily. They come in different sizes and heights and have to be at least as comfortable as sofa cushions (ha). They could also be used when your kids start having sleep overs with friends. As a matter of fact we bought them for our mountain cabin when we had a lot of guests and they worked out great. Also, have you thought about putting a comfortable chair and lamp in that nook? I feel like you could make that a really cozy reading area. Last thing, do you have a noise machine in their room? Best thing ever for sleep!

There’s 7 year gap between my brother and I so we always had our own rooms, but I used to sleep in his room a lot when he was little. He had bunk beds and I’d get in the top bunk when Mom would go in there and sing to him and tell stories and sometimes I’d just fall asleep.

I’m pregnant with my first right now and I’m 38 so if I do have a second they will be pretty close together in age and I am firmly in the share a room camp. If sharing a bed works for them I’ll be all over that too! It’s kinda crazy when you think about it that in a lot of houses the only people sharing a room are the adults. I think when kids wake up in the night if they are sharing a room they are more likely to feel secure enough to fall back to sleep.

I remember “moving” into my younger brothers room when I was around 9. I had my own room but slept on his top bunk for at least a year. My 11 and 7 yr. old boys share a room and have their own beds but usually sleep together in one. The 11 yr. old is kinda over it but the 7 yr. old still LOVES it. Sharing a room is great for kids!

My brother and I shared a room until I was 8 and he was 9, when we moved to a home that had more bedrooms. It was great! We had bunkbeds. He had the upper bunk and if I was feeling bratty I could kick him through the bottom of his mattress. 😉 My husband grew up in a large family and shared a queen bed with his brother until he went to college. I don’t understand the American insistence on young children each having their own room. The Bradys didn’t live that way, and their dad was an architect and they could afford an Alice!

Your plan is great and the room will be fantastic. And most of all, your kids will be happy! Thanks for sharing your life and thoughts on this topic. You are amazing and a true internet gem.

I have three kids, ages 12 (boy), 9 (girl) and 6 (boy). In our old house my two oldest shared a room for a long time, with the l-shaped bed configuration you are considering, so until they were 8 and 6. They had their own beds, but my middle child would always climb into my oldest’s bed at some point in the night. Then we moved and they each have their own bedroom. However, my daughter has the largest room, with our old queen size bed in it, and I frequently find all three of them in her bed when I go to wake them up in the morning. That’s not how I put them to bed, but at some point they wake up and go to her bed. All I can say about that is that it’s better than them all climbing into my bed! In my experience, kids LOVE to share a bed, especially when they are little like yours. I would fully embrace it if it helps all of you sleep. Why not put a full size or queen bed in their shared room? I’m sure at some point down the line they will want their own… Read more »

My youngest two shared a twin bed until recently (my son is 5 and my daughter is 3). She had her own bed, but they always want to sleep together (both are very cuddly). All 3 of my kids currently share a room (8, 5, and 3). My oldest wants her own room, but we decided a guest room/office was really important for the 3rd bedroom. It works. It is tight, but they all sleep great.

“it can be kinda hacked into it, but it’s not meant for someone, let alone with their mama, to sleep on the bottom.”

Please forward the above memo to my 2 year old, with whom I share the bottom of a KURA bed-cave for MANY HOURS a night. I wanted to do the perpendicular queen mattress hack under the loft bed but everyone else thought the twin would be fine. It’s ok, the ladder against the back of my head is SUPER FINE.

I think joining the twins to a king is totally fine. It’s easy to undo and totally not a big deal if they want to share!

I’m not sure why you’d put in a play/fort area if the room is specifically not for playing, but if it was more of a reading nook/“cozy corner” for when someone wants some alone time, that would make more sense I think.

very important practical matter – I have had beds in an ‘l-configuration’ in an odd-shaped bedroom – it looked adorable, was cozy for sleeping and made the shape of the room ‘make sense’ – but if you go with that, put your beds on casters so that you can move them around for easy bed making or to retrieve crap that falls behind them! and sigh. I never anticipated how much thought and effort would go into children’s sleeping arrangements. I have 2 girls, 8 and 3. they share a room bc they need too. I would love for them to want to sleep in the same bed! but alas they have very different sleep patterns and it’s difficult to get them aligned even in separate beds. Thus my 8 year old goes to sleep in our bed and we have to move her every night. Currently working with an architect to figure out how to create 2 bedrooms out of their existing room. What do you want to bet that the second I do this, they all of a sudden will only be able to sleep together???? Good luck, and I love seeing the chaos – i do feel… Read more »

My brother and I used to ‘camp’ out on his bedroom floor, in sleeping bags and fall asleep while watching Alladin together. there’s nothing weird about it, we were best buds!

I shared a bed with my sister until she moved out. I never had a problem with it although, I didn’t know anything different. My boys love sharing a room. When they are fighting I threaten them that they’ll have to have their own bedrooms. Straightens them up right away! One day it’s going to backfire.

I like Option #3

Nix the fort idea. You’ve got a fort outside and great weather nearly year round. You’ve got a play room. You’ve got a fort/play area at the mountain house. If you must make the room square–though I have no idea why–redo the closet the way you wish you had in the first place. You said this was a BED-room that will be focused on sleep above all. My brother and I shared a room for a while when we were little even though we had our own rooms. We had beds that could be either separate twins or stacked as bunk beds so we were constantly switching it around. I think while we shared rooms we still had both rooms setup as bedrooms. When we weren’t sharing bedrooms we were always switching whose room was whose. One room was blue and one was yellow and that’s how we differentiated them. It wasn’t until I was older (like 10+) that I realized bedrooms could be personalized. There’s nothing wrong with the kids sharing a big bed and that sounds like what you ultimately want anyway at least in the mountain house. The L seems like it would work in this house.… Read more »