TWINS TUESDAYS: Boy/Girl Bedrooms!

One of the major dilemas of my twin mom-ness has been the bedroom issue. Mainly, how to make it work with boy/girl twins!

We live in a small three-bedroom house and we are not moving or adding on anytime soon. Big Girl has her own room, and will continue to for a while, because she is older and has her own "things" that I know Bunny Twin would destroy. Plus, I think that Bunny Twin and Buddy Twin enjoy being together. I think if I separated them, it would be very difficult for them and they would be pining for each other. So they will remain together for now.

I know it will not last as they get older, but I believe they can be together for quite a while, quite possibly into elementary school. I have a friend with four children -- three girls, two of whom are teens, and one boy -- and the youngest girl and boy share a room. They are 10 and 9, and it still works for them in their situation right now.

Of course, every family is different. We may eventually add on to our home. Or create a bedroom suite in our basement when our oldest is in high school, a la Disney's "Good Luck Charlie." But that's far in the future.

In the meantime, I needed a solution to create a cute boy/girl bedroom for the twins as we transition them into regular beds. And hopefully one that didn't require a new paint job. One of the most popular posts on this blog is one about Decorating for Boy/Girl Twins so I know I am not alone! Today's post will share some updates on decisions I am working on.

I had been gathering ideas for what seems like ages on a special Twins Room Pinterest board, pinning bedding, furniture, accessories and inspiration rooms.

I have finally solved the "bedding" question, with the help of my mother, who offered to purchase the twins' new quilts for their December birthday. I am eternally grateful because (a) I love them! (b) I could not afford them myself and (c) they will be something I can use forever, even after they possibly switch rooms, etc. I have very vintage taste, and these are just my style.

Here's a pic:

Source: countrycurtains.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I think they work well for both little boys and girls. The pinwheel design is whimsical to me, I can use different colors of bedding for each kid and accessories on each bed to make it personal. And the light green color matches the color of the walls. (The quilts are from Country Curtains, which is a local store here but also has a popular catalog.) Whew! This is big sense of relief to me to have this one decision made. I know that seems crazy, but I had been looking for something not-too-boyish or not-too-girlie or something coordinating (hard for boy/girl) for so long. Pottery Barn Kids used to offer some great boy/girl options but they seem to have scaled back that in recent catalogs.

Intially we will be using mattresses on the floor. It will easier for the kids to adjust to not falling out of bed. We have to purchases twin mattresses, and the next decision I have to make is deciding if we will need box springs or not. It will depend on the future beds we purchase, and in my dreams I would like beds with storage underneath. Most of these types of beds do not use box springs. I know this sounds crazy to be worrying about this right now, but mattresses, box springs and beds are a big expense. If we don't need box springs, I don't want to buy them.

One of the great pins I found includes plans to make this bed:

Source: ana-white.com via Kellie on Pinterest

This would be so ideal for my little ones! We could store things underneath (you can make drawers or use baskets) and I believe it would be a good layout for their room. You can also store long-term items in the corner cubby. I also like that the twins would have their own space, and that I could put a little lamp in the corner if they want to read in bed. I don't know how much it would cost to make, and I haven't presented this idea to my husband yet, but I believe it would be much cheaper than purchasing beds, which cost at least $700-$1,000 each. These units can also be separated and made into little daybeds. It's also very, very similar to a Pottery Barn Kids bed that I really liked.

I'm thinking of using a few "farm" accessories in the room, since both kids love farm stuff, and Buddy Twin loves tractors and Bunny Twin loves animals. I used a large decal in Big Girl's room, and I loved how easy it was to dress up the wall. Here's one from the same brand that I love:

Source: roommatespeelandstick.com via Kellie on Pinterest

It is very cute, and an affordable way to make a impact on the wall space. They also are removable, which is a nice option to change out the look of the room without much effort. (Let's just hope the twins don't decide to try and remove them on their own!)

I also know that I want a pair of these:

Source: ikea.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I have a similar one in Big Girl's room, and a tall bookcase has been a lifesaver. Although the twins' room is very small, I plan to have two tall bookcases so there is room to store the incredible amount of children's books we have, and also for each child to have their own space for special collectibles on the top two shelves. I believe when we remove the changing table and the existing short bookcase, there would easily be room for two of these and the small bureau. Ideally, I would love to add a taller bureau from Ikea but that's another added expense and not necessary right now.

I'm hoping to tackle this project and the bed transition after the holidays. Until then I will keep gathering ideas and keeping an eye out for bargains! Stay tuned!

Are you having your own boy/girl decorating dilemas? 

Share your thoughts, concerns and ideas in the comments!

Home Tour: Twins' Room

Vintage things on display -- sweaters made by family members for me & my brother;
and a white shirt sewn by hand by my great-grandmother for my grandfather.

Since I showed you Big Girl's room earlier this week, I thought I would show you a glimpse of the twins' room as well. The room is painted green, which is funny to me since the one book I've read to all my children every night faithfully is "Goodnight Moon" -- if you are familiar with it, it starts "In the great green room..." We didn't choose green because of that book, but merely because it was a neutral color and matched the bedding set I picked. I wanted something that wasn't a primary color, something soft and calming, and this green fit the bill. Big Girl's room was a very pale yellow when she was a baby, and I didn't want yellow either.

A room that is "just right" to fit everything needed -- for now!

The bedding I chose was pink with green for Bunny Twin, blue with green for Buddy Twin. It coordinated, but didn't match exactly. I loved it. I wasn't a set, but separates that I found at Babies 'R Us. It went on clearance very soon after I registered for it, but I was lucky enough to get the pieces I wanted. There was not a quilt with it, but who uses that quilt anyway, right? I bought two soft blankets that the twins still use every night. (You can see themn on the chair in the photo above.) The blankets, and one of the sheet options, had little elephants on it, but the rest was just patterns that coordinated together and looked vintage, which I loved. (You can see better photos of the bedding here in this post, where I debate trying to decorate for a boy/girl room.)

Big Girl's changing table, repurposed.

The bedding has been simplified since these photos were taken last year. The bumpers are now long gone. And I do have a disclaimer: These photos were shot prior to a little furniture rearranging. The active toddlers forced me to move the dresser from between their beds and put it next to the changing table. The walls are showing a little wear and tear from toys and books being bumped into them. The wicker rocker is now gone to give more room for playtime.

I'm glad I have these photos of what their first room really looked like -- I think photos of babies' rooms are so sweet because it brings back memories of planning for a little one and all the hope you have for him or her. Even if it's not an expensive, fancy room, you can tell when someone really cares about where their baby-to-be will end up. This room was full of hand-me-down things, but we tried to still give them a special space and I think it shows. All new babies should have a special space, shouldn't they?

A small bureau with deep drawers inherited from my grandparents.
Just enough room right now -- a drawer for everyday clothes for each twin,
and the top drawer holds odd keepsakes.

In the next year, this room will evolve. The babies will need beds soon -- the cribs can only contain them for so long, unfortunately. And with beds, we will likely have to rearrange again. I've been pinning many photos of "shared spaces" for boys and girls. And this room could really use a bigger bookshelf than the tiny one inherited from their older sister. New bedding will be needed -- I am always on the hunt for the perfect set to suit both of them.

Decorating for a Boy/Girl Room

My twins are growing up and I know soon they will be progressing from cribs to beds. My house isn't big enough for each to have their own room, and my older daughter is seven years older than her younger sister, so for the time being, the twins will continue to share their own room. I think they like it that way, and will continue to like it that way, since they love being with each other. So we will continue in the "shared room" vein for a few more years, at least.

Of course, this presents a decorating dilemna. How do I make their room cute? How do I pick coordinating bedding? I'm sure I'm not alone in this issue. When I planned their nursery, I had a hard time choosing bedding, until one day, during a visit to Babies R'Us, I fell in love with a Cocalo line of bedding separates.

The sets each featured elephants -- you could buy patterned green sheets for both, and elephant sheets like the one in the girl's version, in both blue and pink. I chose it all -- the bumpers, the bed skirts, and both sets of sheets for each. They are so cute, so cottagey and vintagey -- which I love. Neither had a quilt, but who really uses that? I chose soft blankets for each, and the twins love their blankets, even now, 2 years later.

I painted the room a soft green color, which worked well with the bedding. It's hard to find a good color for boy/girl room, and since my older daughter had a yellow nursery, I wanted something different.

For a while I've been thinking about how this room will "grow" with the babies. They are 2 years old now, about the same age my older daughter progressed to a regular twin bed. Buddy Twin is a climber, and Bunny Twin is soon to follow suit, and before I know it they will be escaping the cribs on a regular basis. With that thought in mind, twin beds are on the horizon and I need to think about a transition for this room.

I'm always looking for coordinating bedding that will fit in the green room, since I don't want to paint it just yet. I'm guessing the kids will be in beds by this summer. (I'm dreading the thought of how insane it will be when they can get out on their own and run around!!!)

The update will likely be costly: Two new mattress sets, two bed frames (although I might do the mattress-on-the-floor thing initially) and two new bedding sets. I'm still thinking about the possibility of toddler beds for a few years to postpone the big expense and same some space, but I'd still have to get the beds ($100 or so, combined), plus figure out the dreaded bedding. You may think "What does it matter? Throw some blankets and sheets on the bed and be done with it." But like many of you, I want their room to look complete finished and fit my style, however eclectic that may be. And, of course, I have to fit that into a modest budget.

Source: google.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I loved this bedding set from PBKids,

but alas, it's gone!

I've been browsing and trying to gather ideas to fit to twin beds (Thank you, Pinterest!). For a long time, I had a few Pottery Barn Kids quilt sets in mind, but alas, all -- that's right, all! -- of them are now gone from the catalog. And then PBKids had two sets based on "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," which were perfect for a green room, but now they are gone too.

(Pottery Barn -- what gives??? You keep taking all my choices away. I'm disappointed because their "shared spaces" tab only really has boy/boy or girl/girl rooms, but there are some of us with boy/girl twins! And I always put them on my mental wish list to wait for a sale/coupon, and then they disappear. PB, you need to fix this issue and think about us with boy/girl rooms.)

Source: tipjunkie.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Another great PBKids coordinating set that has disappeared...

PBKids also offers Dr. Suess-themed bedding, if one is looking for primary colors and having a matching set for both children. I'd like to have my children's beds' "coordinate"  but I do want them to have something different so that each feels special and has their own look to their bed.

Target has a pretty cute (and affordable) alternative: Circo bedding has an "ABC" comforter set, with blue for boys and pink for girls. There is the color green in both designs, which means they would work in our current twins' room.

Has anyone else had this issue of decorating for a boy-girl room? How long did your twins share a room? Did you have a gender-neutral theme? If there is an much-older sibling in your house, did you move your girl twin in with the older sibling? (Just curious.) Share your tips and experiences in the comments -- I'd love to hear them.

(UPDATE: I wrote a more recent post on boy/girl decorating here. And there will be more in the future, so keep reading the blog!)