help me arrange my kids' room!

[doubledutch]

i'm setting up our finished attic as a kid space. it's somewhat divided by a closet, so the smaller area at the top of the stairs will be their toy/play area (previously where my bed was, i will move to my own bedroom on the main floor which is currently their toy room). the larger area, where their beds and dressers will be, is the part i need help with.

http://i56.tinypic.com/11jxmoj.jpg

their beds and dressers have been arranged in this 'cross' pattern with open space in the middle of the floor. i really like it. however, they've been cosleeping and i want to transition them to sleeping in their own beds. for that reason, i was thinking of putting their beds next to each other with a small table between them, so they are near each other when they wake up, and so i can be near both of them at the the same time, when putting them to bed. the other advantage is that they will have a bedside table with a lamp, whereas the current arrangement doesn't allow space (or an outlet) for that. the lamp is currently on the dresser.

when we looked at the house, the previous owner had it set up like the second option, so i know it will fit nicely and i like it okay.

i would love any input on what you would do and why - whether feng shui based or for convenience or other kid-insanity reasons i haven't contemplated (like, is it better for me to get them used to sleeping further apart?). they are 5yo and 3.5yo. tia!

[mkksmom]

I think the second option with them side-by-side would be great! I think it will definitely help them transition more easily. I say go for it, and if it isn't working, you can always change it.

[doubledutch]

okay! i think you're right. i kind of love the open space in the middle, but side-by-side makes a lot more sense for now, at least.

where should i put their rug? it's probably 5x7 or 6x8.

what should i do in the corner between the bed and the closet/wall?

what else should be in the sleeping area of their room, considering they have toys elsewhere and there are shelves for the books in the transitional area from one part of the attic to the other? should i try to set up a reading area with chairs or beanbag chairs?

[Olma]

Do you have the beds or are you buying them now? When we transitioned our kids from co-sleeping to their own beds, we got them bunkbeds. They were about the same age as yours. I don't know if that would be something you would consider, but it made it very easy for ours to sleep on their own, they loved their new arrangement, I got them 'special' bed linens, etc

Of the two ideas you presented I like the second one best. I would put one of the dressers against the closet that separated the toy area from the bedroom area, if the closet is facing the toy area. And maybe in place of that dresser I would do a reading nook, with a comfy chair or pillows on the floor.

The rug could go sideways at the foot of the beds, with a small part under the beds.

Have fun!

[doubledutch]

good ideas! that dumb closet opens on both sides (so they run through it, in a loop around the room). i want to close one side, and putting the dresser against it would allow me to do that temporarily to see how i like it.

we do already have the beds. ds1 slept alone until he was about 3.5 . . . shortly after weaning. the beds are low to the ground, which i love, because then you don't feel like the attic ceiling is closing in on you. bunkbeds wouldn't fit up there.

i actually wish i just had another queen size bed for them to sleep in together. i guess i could push their beds right next to each other.

[green_momma2007]

Do you really need that third closet? Because it seems like you could really open the space up by getting tearing it down.

[doubledutch]

that is so true! and it's actually the *fourth* closet up there. it would open up the room ginormously to rip it out, and wouldn't be much work at all. however, i do like that it divides the room so that there is a sleeping area and a toy area. i don't like the idea of all their toys being in the space where they are supposed to rest - yet the spaces are connected enough that if they have friends over, they can spread the play throughout the entire attic.

also, the chimney passes through there, so even without the closet, there would be a large column poking up. plus i like to have walls to anchor things against.

hmm, i need to get some decorating ideas going. currently the ceiling (flat and sloped sides) is white; walls are off-white and desperately need painting thanks to unauthorized artwork; and the floor is a lovely mustard. (truly lovely, not sarcastic.)

since the floor is definitely a *color* i'm thinking of painting the walls white, like the ceiling. plus i already have two gallons of white paint. then i could do pops of aqua and the other colors in their quilts (which this is a snip of):
http://spontaneousgeneration.typepad...t-aquatic.html
and the floor is totally the mermaid's tail color. (eta: the mermaids all the way on the right - not the ones with the rust/brown tails)

i should photograph the space. the closets, cupboards and drawers are insanely cute. maybe this weekend.