“Home idea with IKEA”: a room for siblings and all their belongings

Greetings from Šiauliai, where the charming family of Čeponiai resides. In their not quite big home, the two children, seven-year-old Patricia and five-year-old Motiejus, live in a shared room. With Patricia already attending school and Motiejus on the verge of beginning, both require a dedicated space to concentrate on their homework or engage in crafts without interruption. The challenge? Of course. Have we managed to overcome it? Don't even doubt it.

Before the renovation

Not only did the children share a room, but they also shared a bed that was already too snug for two to sleep in. Living together as siblings necessitates privacy not only for study but also for rest. Therefore, it becomes crucial to have separate sleeping areas along with organised spaces for storing toys, drawings and books. Planning the furniture layout was complicated due to the presence of two doors and a large wardrobe along one of the walls that no longer met the family's storage needs.

“When designing a children's room, view everything from the perspective of the child. This ensures that furniture and other solutions are tailored to their height, making all objects within easy reach. By doing so, you can expect items to be returned to their designated places each time, maintaining tidiness in the room. Most importantly, remember to allocate space within the children's room for creativity, play and relaxation.”

Birutė Beniušė
IKEA interior designer

To foster a sense of comfort and belonging in their own room, it's vital to establish distinct spaces tailored to children's needs: areas for learning, resting, sleeping and playing.

• Although Patricia and Motiejus have a quite large room, the presence of two doors and a wardrobe spanning the entire wall posed challenges in arranging two beds comfortably. A bunk bed proved to be the solution.
• We strategically selected the brightest area near the window for the workstation to ensure optimal lighting and minimise eye strain during activities such as drawing or homework.
• The play area was thoughtfully planned on the opposite side of the room.

 

“When considering colours for the children's room, it's essential to decide one dominant hue throughout the interior. Brighter accent colours are best suited for items that are easily replaceable over time, such as textiles and decorations.”

Birutė Beniušė
IKEA interior designer

Who gets the top bunk?

To the children's delight (and negotiation), we introduced a VITVAL bunk bed into their room. Just like the rest of our children's furniture, toys, and accessories, it meets highest safety standards. This bunk bed provides two private sleeping areas without taking up too much space. Each level is equipped with cosy night lights and a convenient shelf for essentials like water glasses, books or other items, ensuring comfort and functionality for a good night's sleep. 

The lower bed features high fabric backrests and can double as a sofa with some additional cushions.
 

Better desk brings better results

The first desk holds significant importance for children. It should offer comfort, safety, and ideally, adjustable height to adapt to the growing child's body. Even more critical are the requirements for children's desk chairs. They should be ergonomic, stable and easy-to-clean, while the backrest and seat must be adjustable. After all, comfortable seating encourages to spend more time on reading and studying.
 

We filled the empty walls with SKÅDIS pegboards, which can function as a gallery to showcase children's drawings, serve as storage for various objects, or simply enhance the room's aesthetics as a decorative element.

Wardrobe makeovers

If you're dissatisfied with the internal layout of your existing wardrobe, consider enhancing it with additional shelves, drawers or storage boxes. In this project, we even successfully integrated a smaller chest of drawers behind a sliding wardrobe door.
 

Play, read, organise. Repeat!

For the play area, we opted for TROFAST storage furniture, which can be completed with shelves or boxes available in various colours and sizes. Utilizing boxes for toy storage proves to be a practical solution, as it makes it easier to tidy up all toys after playtime. For added convenience, the boxes can be labelled with stickers indicating their contents. In this room, the TROFAST shelves serve a dual purpose; when paired with cushions and lighting, they transform into a cosy reading nook.

If one reading nook isn't sufficient for both siblings, the SOTENÄS armchair offers another cosy spot to enjoy the book.
 

• Curtains serve a dual purpose beyond simply covering windows for a better night's sleep in this room. One of the doors leading to a storage room, seldom used, is draped with curtains to make the space feel cosier.
• In a spacious room, opting for multiple rugs of varying sizes, thicknesses, or colours can add depth and visual interest. Just follow one rule and use the larger low-pile or flatwoven rug as your base.
• The soft STOENSE rug absorbs footfalls, ensuring that a sleeping sibling won't be disturbed if one of the children needs to use the toilet at night. During daytime activities, it serves a practical purpose by dampening the noise of energetic play and makes boisterous games a bit quieter.

 

There's no such thing as too much light

Despite the children's room boasting a large window, sunlight only filters in during the evenings, which leaves the space quite dim. For extra cosiness and convenience, we installed separate lighting fixtures near the bunk bed and desks, along with a playful pendant lamp as a centrepiece.

The centre lamp provides an adjustable spectrum, colour and brightness, allowing the lighting to match the mood. It can be brightened when engaging in activities like playing and studying or dimmed for a soothing ambiance before sleep.
 

Many children sleep more soundly and feel safer in a well-lit room. However, leaving the main lighting on throughout the night isn't necessary. Instead, place a charmingly designed night light next to your child's bed, which will comfort them if they wake up.
 

Have you missed this episode on TV3?

Watch it here, track all makeovers and get inspired.