Kids Bedroom Ideas: When They Share a Room

One of these things is not like the other. And sometimes, it’s your children. My sister and I could barely be more different and we had to share a room most of our childhood. If you’re in a similar situation, you might have a fight on your hands when it comes to decorating the kids bedroom.

So, how to handle differing personalities, ideas and wishes? Here’s the three options I came up with.

Negotiate
Try to find the common ground. It could a particular color or style. It could a class of characters. It could be absolutely nothing. But sharpen your negotiating skills to try to figure out how you can get agreement on some to most of the room elements. This could actually mean introducing an entirely new theme neither child had considered.

Examples: One boy wants cars, the other wants airplanes. A good middle ground would be a general transportation theme that brings in both elements. Or one girl wants princess, the other wants soccer. Maybe you can get them to agree on the color pink, then allow for separate accessories.

Dictate
This was how my mom handled things when I was young. I don’t remember having a say in the pink and green Holly Hobby decor that went in our shared bedroom. She just decided and it was done. If you have easy going kids or know them well enough to develop something they’ll like but never think of on their own, this might be an option for you. Or it could just be your final stand in the negotiations where if they can’t work out the difference, you’ll decide for them.

Give Up
This is where my sister-in-law found herself recently. Her two boys came to agreement on their room, but the girls – not so much. Part of the struggle was age differences, which lead to vastly different tastes and interests. They couldn’t agree on a color or theme. So, their room is pretty much a hodge-podge with teapots painted on the wall (left over from the nursery), Tinkerbell on one bed and hot pink cheetah on the other. It’s not the most-pulled together, well-decorated room, for sure. But each child got what they wanted in their own little piece of it and they’re happy. Which is what matters in the end, right?

How did you handle a difference of opinion in decorating with kids who share a room? Love to hear your tips!

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Tags: deciding, shared room