Dear
Michelle,
Recently,
my grandpa moved into our three-bedroom house.
Now
my sister and I have to share a room. The problem is I’m 20 and she’s 13. Right
now my room is very clean and how I want it, but my sister is mad because she
wants to store her toothbrush, headbands and everything else she owns on the
top of her dresser. I know it is something a 13-year-old likes, but to me it
looks cluttered and messy. What can we do to make it a room we both enjoy?
- Sincerely,
Thanks
for your question
Since
I don’t know how your room is laid out, or what size it is, I am going to give
you some general tips that hopefully will help you with your dilemma.
First
off, I want to commend you on at least being aware that at your sister’s age,
organization is not a typical priority.
I think your objective is going to be to find a happy middle
ground.
Why
don’t you sit down with your sister and talk about what she would like to see
in the bedroom, such as storage for her accessories and make a list? Next, make
out a list of the things in your room that are important to you, such as the
color or the design for example. Give
your sister some home and design magazines and have her pull out pages of
things that she likes, and you do the same. Put your choices in folders and
give them to each other to look at privately. Then, both of you need to circle
things that you like in each other’s folder. Now get together and show each
other what you have circled from both folders.
Those choices should help narrow down the style or design of the room
that would work for both of you, since you both liked something about those
pictures. Make sense? This is a good starting point. If you include your sister
and let her be a part of the process, she will be more likely to work with you
on what you want too. Teamwork will lead to success.
Since
you are combining the styles of two rooms into one, the styles probably will be
quite different. That being said, you will want to find accessories and/or
colors that will tie both designs together. Even if you have different bedding,
by putting one thing that is the same on each bed, you will give the room more
of a pulled-together look. Sheets and bedding accents can be inexpensive if you
shop around, so I would say if you can, buy similar bedding to start with.
For
privacy in your room, try moving your furniture around so that it will separate
your spaces. A dresser in between both beds instead of a nightstand for example
can work as a barrier to give you a sense of privacy. Dressers are usually
taller than nightstands however, so don’t forget to consider your lighting
sources and where to now put them since a lamp is usually next to a bed. You
might try a sconce on the wall above each bed as a solution. If you want to use
a dresser as a divider in the center of the room, attach cork board to the back
of the piece so that it hides the unfinished side and then can be used to hang
artwork and/or jewelry. If you have two
dressers about the same size, put them back to back in the center of the room
and hang some pretty fabric from the ceiling and let it hang down between both
dressers for a fabric “wall” that can give both of you privacy and allow your
sister to keep her “stuff” on top of her dresser without you having to look at
it. To suspend your fabric, use ceiling-mounted brackets and a rod. Buy rings
with clips so you can switch out the fabric whenever you want, and there is no
sewing needed. (Please ask your parents permission before doing this so we
don’t get into trouble. Thanks!)
As
for storage solutions, you can cover boxes with fabric in the same colors as
your bedding. You can find inexpensive fabric at discount stores or buy an
extra sheet that matches your bedding.
This will again help both rooms become more uniform. Your sister might
even start putting her things away when she sees how cute the room will look.
Just a thought, make a deal with your sister that every month that she helps
keep the room clean and organized, you will buy her a new hair accessory or
something else that she likes to collect. It doesn’t have to be anything
expensive, just a treat.
I
hope these little tips help you get started. Just look at this as a special
time to spend with your sister. I am sure she looks up to you more than you
realize, so this is a great opportunity to really get to know each other. I bet
you will discover that you will have more in common than you thought and you
may even be surprised at how similar your tastes really are. Good luck with
your room Erin and send in a picture when you are done. And remember to have fun! You can always
contact me if you have more questions.
Thanks
again.
- Enjoy and be well,
Michelle