With a studio in Old Town, Alexandria, land of charming brick sidewalks lined by narrow, historic row houses, I am often asked by clients how they can make a shared-room situation work. Sometimes it’s twins, but more often it’s designing a room that will work for big brother or sister and new baby. The keys here are planning and palette. Planning because we design the space to work post-crib, and palette because with the right color and fabric choices, mixing a “big boy” bed and crib can work seamlessly.

Take a look and J and G’s room:

The bold blue stripes (love the horizontal) on J’s headboard is repeated in G’s crib skirt.

The embroidered initial is an easy way to personalized each boy’s space yet maintain a consistent aesthetic. This will be even more important once G graduates to a “big boy” bed.

The fabric for the Roman shades. No words. Love the motif, the colors, everything.

Seriously, if you were a little boy, wouldn’t you just imagine the greatest stories about adventures with those tigers and elephants?