Oct 2026 UPDATE
Executive summary: The kids used to share a bedroom, but now they each get one to call their own, to provide them with more autonomy and privacy as they get older.
Things often happen sooner than I predict, especially when it comes to my daughter. She outgrew her mini crib months before I thought she would, she started climbing out of her crib half a year before I thought she would, and she asked for her own bedroom years before I thought she would. When we moved into this house near the beginning of the year (the OG upstairs tour is below), she unambiguously wanted to continue sharing a room with big bro. But our bedtime routines have evolved since then, plus the kids now play differently than they used to, so it made sense to give them their own bedrooms. I just didn’t expect little sis to ask for it at 4yo. I thought maybe she’d be 5 or 6 before she wanted to venture out on her own. So we ended up moving everyone around a lot sooner than expected (discussed in my post here), and now little sis has taken over what was previously the guest room, which has in turn been bumped downstairs into the multipurpose “den” that was previously their playroom. All the toys have been split up to go in each child’s room, with a few shared items stored in a built-in upstairs shelf that I don’t have another use for anyway.
Table: IKEA | Stool: IKEA | Lamp: Target | Bed frame: IKEA | Quilt: The Company Store | Throw pillow: Target | Art: poster from Paper Source, magnetic hanger from Michael’s | Dresser: IKEA, with knobs from Home Depot | Play kitchen: IKEA | Rug: IKEA | Pendant light: IKEA | Curtain rods: Rejuvenation | Curtains and rings: IKEA
Little sister’s room was straightforward to lay out, but she sure is the hoarder in our family. One wall of the room is lined with toys, from a well-stocked play kitchen to a storage cubby of toys to a large basket of stuffies (not pictured above). The other side of the room features the closet (which is filled with a tiered cart of toys, plus countless dress-up masks and headgear) and a narrow niche where I placed a lounge chair (that my daughter calls her “cat tree,” because most days she pretends to be a baby kitten, of course). I filled the walls with her artwork, which is cheap, plentiful, and colorful. Maybe when she gets older, she’ll replace them with posters of bands, movies, or whatever her interests are then. This room will continue to morph in the coming years.
Bed frame: Crate & Barrel | Sheet set: Macy’s | Quilt: Pottery Barn | Stools: IKEA | Clock: Target | Lounge chair: Wayfair | Fish art: HomeGoods | Pendant light: IKEA | Curtain rods: Rejuvenation | Curtains and rings: IKEA
I experimented with various configurations for my son’s room, because there were many different options for where things could go. After rearranging it several times over the course of a week, I finally settled on having the chair, bed, and stools (serving as bedside tables) against one wall, while the opposite wall (not pictured) contains his desk and a storage cabinet. His clothes go in the mesh drawers we’ve been using in the closet, so that means we have no need for a dresser in here, even though there would be enough space for one if we wanted it. But I don’t, because I’m a minimalist. For art, I once again covered the walls in personal creations, then anchored them visually with a pair of fish to keep watch over the bed (secret: they were actually wicker plate chargers I randomly came across at HomeGoods for the price of an ice cream scoop, so I thought: why not, let’s give it a go).
I leave you with the upstairs hallway bathroom and laundry room at the end of the original post below. I haven’t made substantive changes there, so scroll down for a read and a look.
Update October 2026: The kids were sharing a bedroom when we moved into this house, so one bedroom upstairs was for them while the other was a guest room. Now the kids have split into separate rooms, which was the plan all along, and the guest room is now in the downstairs den that used to be their playroom.
Mar 2026 ORIGINAL TOUR
Executive summary: So much space, so little need for it all. The guiding principle up here is “simple.”
We have three bedrooms upstairs, one of which is the primary bedroom, and I’ve kept them relatively simple. Our kids still share a room, because bedtime is so much more fun for them this way (although way more noisy/stressful for the adults, but we allow it because it probably helps them bond). Now that their toys are downstairs in the playroom, there isn’t anything in the kids’ bedroom besides their beds and clothing, and one basket of stuffies at the foot of my daughter’s bed, as she likes to choose among them during nap and bedtime. We transitioned her to a twin bed when we moved (she’d been asking for a while to have a “big kid bed” like her brother), so I went on the hunt for a frame, mattress, and bedding. Everything else in the room came with us from the condo: the dresser and light fixture are from our former primary bedroom, and the curtains, to my surprise, are from the kids’ former bedroom. I had thought the higher ceilings in this house would mean they wouldn’t reach the floor, but somehow, they magically do! And finally, for decor, I once again relied on the kids’ art to color the room, and I love how it adds such a personal touch.
Left bed frame: Crate & Barrel | Right bed frame: IKEA | Sheet sets: Macy’s and Crate & Barrel | Blankets: Costco | Dresser: IKEA, with knobs from Home Depot | Scalloped basket: Target | Pendant light: IKEA | Curtain rods: Rejuvenation | Curtains and rings: IKEA
One room over is the guest bedroom, which is grandma’s (my MIL’s) when she visits every month or two. I admit that this room mostly contains items repurposed from the condo that otherwise didn’t have a home in our new, er, home. But grandma isn’t complaining, since she’s getting an upgrade from a full to a queen-sized bed (the bed frame is from our former primary bedroom, as are most items in this room, even down to the hemmed curtains, that once again somehow magically reached the floor). I did add the light fixture (an iconic design from IKEA) and a throw pillow (I admit to having a moment of weakness here), but I otherwise made do with what we had. If I were starting from scratch, I might get blocky nightstands in here to counterbalance the leggy bed and bench, but it’s fine. In a few years, this room will be turned over to one of the kids once they stop sharing a bedroom, and I shudder to think what kind of design decisions they may make for themselves. >_<
Stools: IKEA | Bed frame: IKEA | Coverlet: Amazon | Throw pillow: IKEA | Art: DIY (frame from IKEA) | Lamps: Target | Upholstered bench: Target | Leaning ladder: Yamazaki Home | Floor mirror (not pictured): Target | Pendant light: IKEA | Curtain rods: Rejuvenation | Curtains and rings: IKEA
These two bedrooms share an upstairs bathroom, which is the most underutilized one in the house. The kids shower and brush in here, but otherwise it sits empty during the day, as we generally hang out downstairs. The design is simple, but I did bring over my beloved sconce from the condo to give this room a design upgrade. I like the hits of black from the sconce, the picture frames (there’s another one behind the door that you can’t see from this angle), and the rug. The rug is not waterproof, but don’t worry, it’s not our bathmat — for years now, I’ve been throwing a dedicated hand towel on the floor every night when we shower, because it’s easier (less bulky) to run in the washing machine than an actual bathmat. It hangs on a hook during the day, to ensure it fully dries out. My biggest complaint with this bathroom is that there is no storage, so I had to acquire a box to tuck in the open vanity to hide unsightly teeth-cleaning supplies. It’s good that the laundry room is down the hall and offers an extra set of cupboards to store things like Costco-sized packs of toilet paper.
Shower curtain: IKEA | Rug: Costco | Art: DIY (frames from Amazon) | Hand towel: Target | Wall sconce: Rejuvenation | Bamboo box: IKEA
Speaking of, here is the laundry room. I can’t believe we have a whole room dedicated to laundry — that’s just more proof that this place is unnecessarily large! When we bought the house, there was a set of wire shelves attached to the wall. I do not care for that industrial look indoors, nor for having to dust the empty shelves, as I have zero open storage needs in my laundry room. So I asked the handymen to remove them, but unfortunately, the wall patching doesn’t look great in person. Oh well, I hung up a sign over where some of the holes had been (not visible at this angle) and have also since put up a tension rod spanning the room to use as an occasional drying rack for when we have to hand-wash stained kids’ items and such. It sounds like an oxymoron, but this room is both basic and excessive at the same time!
Vase and branches: Target