Boy/Girl, same room, need separate spaces.

[MissedMyDecade]

So I'm not exactly sure which category this best belongs to, but I know all of the posters here are good at problem solving, so here it goes.

I currently have a 2 bedroom townhouse. My problem is that I have 2 children. One almost 6 year old girl, and an almost 4 year old boy. So for the past 3 years they've shared a room. It has been fine, up until last year when my daughter began kindergarten. Since then she has expressed the desire for her own space, and I think with the way she operates she is in desperate need of alone time. I've tried to come up with solutions on how to make my home a 3 bedroom. It's doable, but would result in tiny bedrooms (all would have a closet, door and window though). This is also the more costly option. Now, I don't want to live here forever, but houses are selling for $10,000 under what I owe on mine, so moving is not in the near future. I'm wondering what good options to separate their room would be. The room is quite narrow, with a closet taking up one entire side wall. Any Ideas on how to organize their room into two separate spaces?

[philomom]

Do you have an IKEA near you? They are quite clever with using bookcases, hanging curtains or other furniture to separate a space.

Are you single? Maybe give your daughter your bedroom and have yourself a Murphy bed thing for yourself in the main living room.

[LoveOurBabies]

Any pictures? I'm finding it hard to visualize the room.

I too have a bedroom with the closet taking up one wall entirely. It makes it more difficult to split the room into 2 sections. Are they in bunk beds? How big is the room?
 

[philomom]

I found this online.

http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Boys-Rooms/Custom-Closet-Bunk-Beds/detail.esi?oid=454383

Maybe if you condense the beds like this, giving your daughter the top bunk... the rest of the room could be split somehow between them with her having a small spot of her own.

[mkksmom]

What about a bed tent or canopy of some sort where she could go for some quiet? This is cool http://www.wendyusa.com/d26460279.html , but any bed tent might work.

[MissedMyDecade]

Originally Posted by philomom 

Do you have an IKEA near you? They are quite clever with using bookcases, hanging curtains or other furniture to separate a space.
Are you single? Maybe give your daughter your bedroom and have yourself a Murphy bed thing for yourself in the main living room.

Nope, no IKEA. I could get those cubicles, I have one 2X8square one currently for their books/toys. Maybe a few more could act as a 1/2 wall divider?

Originally Posted by LoveOurBabies 

Any pictures? I'm finding it hard to visualize the room.

I too have a bedroom with the closet taking up one wall entirely. It makes it more difficult to split the room into 2 sections. Are they in bunk beds? How big is the room?
 

I only have one picture currently. I can get back to you with more. I'm coming off a double night shift at the moment. To the right of her bed is the door. When opened it meets her bedframe. Directly to the left is the only window, and kitty corner her bed, behind the picture is the boy's bed. The wall the pink frame is hanging on, opposite it is the wall with closets. It's about 3 folding doors wide. I'll try to remember to snap a few more pictures this afternoon.

Originally Posted by philomom 

I found this online.
http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Boys-Rooms/Custom-Closet-Bunk-Beds/detail.esi?oid=454383
Maybe if you condense the beds like this, giving your daughter the top bunk... the rest of the room could be split somehow between them with her having a small spot of her own.

That's a really great idea. Unfortuntely, I worry with the heights. Both of them sleep all over the place. I talked about getting the bunk beds one night. As i was talking about it, one of them fell out of their bed. Later that night, the other fell out. On top of that, my son thinks he's spiderman. He scales the door frames and I'm pretty certain he would think the bunk beds are an indoor jungle gym. I wish it would work though, because It'd allow them both their own space.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

[LoveOurBabies]

Ok so from what I'm gathering, you've got two beds right next to each other going along the entire back wall? or am I mistaken..? If you do, then it would be easy to seperate the room into two sections..
 

[Juvysen]

That's a really great idea. Unfortuntely, I worry with the heights. Both of them sleep all over the place. I talked about getting the bunk beds one night. As i was talking about it, one of them fell out of their bed. Later that night, the other fell out. On top of that, my son thinks he's spiderman. He scales the door frames and I'm pretty certain he would think the bunk beds are an indoor jungle gym. I wish it would work though, because It'd allow them both their own space.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Just look for a bunk bed that has a good height rail.  They all have a rail, but some seem less escapable than others.  My kids' bunk bed has rails on both sides so she's not going to slip down along the wall either.  Ours are maxtrix brand, which I've been really thrilled with, but I realize they're kind of pricey.  Even cheaper ones are generally pretty safe regarding falling out.  Make sure you have an approved bunk bed mattress for the top, though.  This means the mattress is thin and so the rail will be higher compared to having a regular thickness mattress which would make your child's sleeping height be too close to the top of the rail.  Our rail is a good foot above the mattress... 

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by LoveOurBabies 

Ok so from what I'm gathering, you've got two beds right next to each other going along the entire back wall? or am I mistaken..? If you do, then it would be easy to seperate the room into two sections..
 

^ this was my original thought, basically.

I had a friend who shared a room with her sister in high school (no bunk beds) and they just hung a sheet over some clothesline and divided the room in two that way.  They also positioned furniture in each side as if it was a single room.

[MissedMyDecade]

 If I do put a divider between the two beds, it leaves my daughter with no window. It'd be perfect if the window were over to the right 2 feet.

[Juvysen]

Do a half-wall-height divider?  Maybe a bookshelf or something?
 

[mkksmom]

I think she may like something like one of these until you can decide on something more permanent. It doesn't look like there is much room for bookcases. Maybe a curtain hanging from the ceiling would work.

http://www.childrenskidsfurniture.com/ivg2/y/productid-383109-.htm?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=google-childrenskidsfurniture.com&utm_term=383109
http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Play-Tents-Secret-Castle/dp/B00009IMAN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347834058&sr=8-1&keywords=bed+tent

[MissedMyDecade]

No, there's really not a lot of space. She would probably like something like that. I was looking at the pictures, and I could open up the 2 doors of the closet and use that as his space, and then there would be room for bookshelves. I would use the third closet door for their clothing. There is a two-tier hanging rack in that one.

[mkksmom]

That's a good idea. Just take the doors off of the double closet. I tried to put my dd's crib mattress in her closet space, and it didn't fit by about an inch. I have seen some rooms set up like that, and it's cute.

[greenemami]

Until I read the part about their falling out of their beds, I was going to suggest loft beds, so they could sleep up top and then hang a curtain around the bottom part for a private area for each of them.  Maybe this will be an option in a year or so?  My daughter is 5-1/2 and sleeps in the top bunk and has never fallen out, even navigates the ladder in the middle of the night when sleepy without a problem.  You may be surprised how well that rail works :)

Otherwise, could you just put some sort of curtain/canopy around her bed to give her a private area for relaxing? What does she want privacy for spefically?  My kids share a room and when dd wants alone time, I just keep her brother out for a set period of time (not all day, of course, but set a reasonable limit).  HTH!

[chel]

Ikea has some nice low bunkbeds/lofts.

Looks like the closet is fairly empty. What about a nook in there?


Eta: thanks shellie!
Edited by chel - 9/19/12 at 5:30pm

[zebra15]

Can you switch rooms with them?  Is your room better suited for 2 beds and sharing?  Give the kids your room and you take the awesome green room!

[ShellieC]

Originally Posted by chel 

Ike's has some nice low bunkbeds/lofts.
Looks like the closet is fairly empty. What about a nook in there?

I love spell check.  I sold an "Ike's mirror" on my swap&buy group.  DH was trying to figure out who Ike was.  Lol

[domesticidyll]

Another vote for switching rooms. The novelty should help for a while, and maybe the master is configured differently enough that a divide would work well. Also, is there a space somewhere else in the house for a girls' lair that could be curtained or bookshelved off with some nice, squashy bean bags or a twin mattress and canopy? Even taking an armchair out of a living room or setting up a sofa with the back several feet away from a wall and making a cozy home in the space.

Heather

[OkiMom]

If you can't change rooms how bout hanging a curtain to surround the bed to make it a little tent area for her.. We did this when we had bunk beds but it would work for single beds as well.