Today I am excited to give you a tour of the shared girls room at the cottage. Though far from fully decorated, we have done quite a bit in the space already and would love to show you around!
Our newly built cottage has a total of three bedrooms (technically four if you count the basement bonus space). The master suite is on the main level, and there are two additional bedroom upstairs. One for the boys and one for the girls. Our entire family appreciates the simplicity of this arrangement. Truthfully, our kids do not mind one bit that they share with their siblings. In fact, they prefer it!
Shared Girls Room | Basics
We covered the entire upper level ceiling of the cottage with pine tongue and groove boards, which were then painted white. My husband recently created a video which documents the long process of installing them.
As a result of our hard work, we are extremely happy with how the ceilings look. Because they are vaulted, the natural daylight that comes in through the single window bounces around and really brightens up the entire room.
Oak flooring creates a beautiful, neutral backdrop for furnishings and decor. In addition, the all white walls and trim have the same effect.
When I designed the girls room, I was careful to create a space that would serve the girls for years to come. For example, although the girls currently enjoy having their beds close together at night, they might not always prefer this set up. The dimensions of the room were worked out so that each girl could eventually claim their own ‘half’. There are two closets in the room as well.
Sleeping Space
One side of the bedroom is designated for sleeping and quiet time. The two antique metal beds found on this side were an absolute labor of love for my husband. He painstakingly restored the beds over the course of several months. Although the beds spent many years in a friend’s barn, you would never know it now!
My husband documented the process of restoring the beds through a series of videos. I am so impressed with how they turned out. Most importantly though, the girls love them.
A small table is positioned between the beds. It is the perfect size for a reading lamp, and a few books.
I chose white comforters for the beds. They are easy to clean and provide a neutral base that can be changed up easily with accent bedding and pillows. For now, the accents of pink, aqua, and yellow are fun and girly, while not being age specific. One thing I am still on the hunt for are matching quilts or duvet covers for the ends of each bed.
Play Space
The opposite side of the room is set up as a kind of pseudo mini house – every little girl’s dream! It is complete with a small play kitchen, table, and two pink chairs. In addition, a sweet doll crib – made by the girls’ great grandpa – holds special sentiment.
The girls have literally spent hours creating make believe scenarios with their stuffed animals and dolls.
Their play kitchen is something I posted about a couple of years ago. It was made using a vintage dresser as the primary structure. More information about the process of building the play kitchen, and links for many of the accessories, can be found in THIS POST.
You may recognize the small red table from this past year’s Christmas decorating. I recently found an enamel top table at a local antique shop. This new table is a bit larger and more useful for our annual winter puzzle endeavors. For this reason, we moved the little red table up to the girl’s space – and kept the enamel topped one on the main level. These two tables will definitely be moved around the house throughout the years, depending on the needs of our family and my seasonal decorating desires.
Other Furniture + Decor
The only other piece of furniture the girls have in their bedroom is a dresser. It is, yet again, another special hand me down item. Purchased by my grandparents, the dresser was mine as a little girl. The perfect size, it has four drawers – two for each daughter. We have it organized so that each girl has one drawer for their shirts, and one for their pants/shorts/skirts.
Atop the dresser are a few special and sentimental items. A beautiful watercolor print, which was purchased on Etsy, provides a bit more color to the room. The small wooden box holds the some of the girls’ cherished special items. Lastly, the pink bunny was hand sewn by the nannies at our older daughter’s orphanage. They gave it to her as a gift on her adoption day.
Though I have more decor ideas for the room, there is no rush on getting everything implemented at once. Kid spaces have a tendency to evolve and change as the occupants grow. The girls bedroom will be no different, I’m sure.
Girls Shared Room Video Walkthrough
Sometimes, it is easier to see a space in video format. I’ve created a video tour of the room for just that reason.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour! Stay tuned for more space reveals, as we continue to decorate at the cottage!
