Basement Kids' Bedroom

​Since I recently revamped the upstairs bedroom, I figure this is the perfect time to revisit the kids' room in the basement. It's a bit of a continuation on the how we added the basement bedrooms.  When we finished the basement in 2020 in anticipation of adding another set of twins, we added two bedrooms.  One to be used as a Work-From-Home office, and the other to be our big kids' bedroom.  

I tried to keep them really involved in the process of creating a room just for them. And while it's been tweaked a few times in the last three years, it's still a really fun spot for them to relax.  Eventually, I'll share an update for this room: this is from when we first arranged it three years ago.  The desk has been swapped for a better one for this room, and the kids are fully bunked these days instead of sitting in an L.  As they've gotten older, they have wanted more space for activities.

Wainscoting

One of the first things we decided for both basement bedrooms was to add wainscoting that mimicked what we added to the kitchen. I wanted to add something that would make these small rooms feel larger, and I knew using tonal contrasts could achieve that!  

In the kids' room, we painted the wainscoting a mid-tone green, Sherwin Williams Haven (SW 6437), to help ground the room. I extended the eyeline by installing it two-thirds up the wall, and making sure the tone above was lighter and carried onto the ceiling.  Physically, the room didn't get bigger, but it visually expanded quite a bit.  

Wallpaper

The kids decided they wanted their room to feel like they were living in a treehouse, so we decided to do wallpaper above the wainscoting and carry it up onto the ceiling.  Keeping the upper walls and the ceiling the same helped to make the short basement height disappear.  It's still low, but the low ceilings aren't oppressive with the lighter color above the darker wainscoting.  The colorful wallpaper really adds a fun vibe for the kids without being overwhelming when they need to rest.

Hanging the wallpaper -as always- came with plenty of swearing.  The peel-and-stick paper from Roommates Decor was tricky to line up on our ceiling especially.  But it was completely worth it, even pregnant, to get it in.  This was one of our first wallpaper installs, and the walls are definitely not perfect.  But this adds just the right touch. 

Lighting

With the ceiling done, I added the code-specified ceiling light. Unlike my typical salvaged lighting, I did go with something new that would be low profile on the short ceilings.  It's a dimmable LED fixture, and has been a reliable way to wake the kids every morning (similar one here).  I also added a smoke detector, and had these updated throughout the house that summer*.  Other than battery changes yearly, these will give us another seven years before replacement. 

We also incorporated a few other lighting options.  One of the kids wanted to add some rainbows to their forest bedroom, so their rainbow light is a key personality in their window.  I eventually added this Ikea three-light floor lamp so they could each have task lighting in their beds. This lets them have a light of their own that barely affects their sibling when they are reading.

* We added smoke detectors to all four bedrooms during this project, since fire code changed in 2018 to require them inside each bedroom instead of in adjacent hallways.  We kept the smoke/CO combination detectors in the hallways since CO is required on each floor.  With fire code, no one is grandfathered-in, so these get checked with every building permit here.   Detectors expire every 10 years, and batteries should be replaced each year.  Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that is a lethal biproduct of gas-fired equipment.  You want CO detectors.

Bunk Beds

Their beds have gone through a shift over the last three years, with a bunk/loft that has remained in the same place, but the lower bed has shifted from being half-under the upper bunk to being a classic bunk bed.  The half-loft was great for them to store things and have a little nook next to the bed, but it's not as great for sleepovers.  So, we put this Ikea bed back to how it was designed, and have some more flexibility for all they want to do.

As they've gotten older, I've really tried to make sure their room can adapt to what they need.  And the bunk beds are still working pretty well.  I'll be surprised if they want those to go away before requesting separate bedrooms.  Even if I'm a little in denial that it's coming.