Kids Bunkbed Shared Room - Nesting With Grace

When I saw Ashlea from This is Mamas Dance sons shared bunk bedroom my jaw dropped! I had to share it with all of you and also for my article in the free online magazine Everything Home. Ashlea and her family live next to a lake and has a coastal cottage feel. She knew she wanted the boys’ room to fit within that aesthetic while still being playful and functional. Ashlea grew up in a large family and loved sharing a room with her sisters. She wanted her boys who are 6 and 8 to have that same experience. Living at the lake gave her the idea of a “bunk room”. She wanted it to feel like they were off to camp. Not to mention “wide open space to sprawl out with lego creations and host ninja dance parties” just a few simple requests from her boys!

Ashlea and her husband built these beds! They built them from a plan from Ana White. She said that she is a “do it your self kind of girl” so most of the pieces in this space were built by herself or her husband. They also purchased pieces from antique stores, auctions and thrift stores. Bedding and a few of the accessories came from Pottery Barn, Ikea and Target.

She added a curtain rod to the underside of the bunk and hung an ocean map panel from Pottery Barn. It creates a playful touch, and hours of fun for her boys.

Her boys helped pick out the plaid throw pillows from IKEA and they mixed well with the blue and white stripe quilts. Her boys are avid readers so they made sure to add a reading light above their beds along with a bookshelf.

Like all of us mammas, Ashlea tried to find a way to handle the clutter that can come with having kids. She gave them storage for their rocks and bottle cap collections, as well as a little tin box for additional small treasures. Their bedroom doubles as their play room, Ashlea tries to keep toys organized in clear storage containers, and rotate some of the larger things seasonally.

I absolutely love this vintage lockers, she said they came from an auction. They were transformed from blue to bright white using a few cans of spray paint.

Ashlea is a good mom and tries not to get too caught up in keeping it clean at all times. She said it does really help for everything to have a place.

She said that the mini gallery wall was a happy accident. Her 6 year old helped create the coat hanger using a piece of wood he had been saving, and 2 ikea brackets. What a fun little project to work on together! I love that her boys were involved in so many aspects of creating their bedroom.

Ashley said that the tongue and groove pine planed walls are one of her favourite parts of the room. She whitewashed the planks to soften the tones in the wood, while still allowing the wood grain to show through. She did an amazing job.