Tips for How to Decorate a Room Shared by Boy-Girl Siblings

Measure the room thoroughly, including window and door spaces and ceiling height. Mark out possible arrangements of furniture. Involve children ages 5 and older in virtual furniture arrangement by measuring and cutting out small paper replicas of their furniture and arranging -- and rearranging -- them on a grid-paper mock-up of their room. This can help to make the decorating project and its limitations more real, while being a hands-on lesson in math.

Choose a color scheme that draws on an interest the two children share without painting half the room blue and the other half pink. If your children can agree on a theme, like the beach or the mountains or the jungle, this may help with color choices. Remember, however, that elaborate themes tend to become stale as children grow older and their interests change. Painting walls and ceiling a neutral color and using an assortment of favorite colors for woodwork, cupboard doors and shelving are likely to produce a combination that seems attractive for a long time.

Restrict strong individuality to bedspreads, area rugs and reading lamps, if possible. All three items can be replaced fairly inexpensively when interests shift from dinosaurs to outer space. Collectibles or favorite hobby items can reinforce the theme; display them on each child's personal bookcase or shelf unit.

Purchase two shallow bookcases or other storage units, and add them to your floor plan. Buy units tall enough so that your children can't see over them when they're lounging in bed. Use the shelving units as privacy barriers for each child and, if possible, bulletin boards. Ideally, place the two units in a line between the beds, turning one open shelving side toward each bed. Cover the back of each shelving unit with self-adhesive cork tile. Now each child has a private storage unit and a private bulletin board. If this is too expensive, provide each child with an over-the-bed shelf or cupboard space that belongs just to him or her.