Monday, January 16, 2012

girls’ room: part IV “the reveal”

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click HERE to read the initial plans
click HERE to see my “inspiration photos”
click HERE to read part I of the construction tale
click HERE to read part II of the construction tale
click HERE to read part III of the construction tale

it took until wednesday night before the room was in a state that the girls could sleep in it. and we wanted them to be able to sleep in it before we showed it to them.

confession: after we finished everything we could for the night, and it was mopped and vacuumed and done and waiting to be seen…jeremy and i, well, we just flopped down on the floor and sat there. for about 20 minutes.

just sat.

we took in what we did, the changes. we played with the baby on the floor. we sat.

and then we called the girls in.

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okay, i won’t drag this out any longer. you’ve been waiting so patiently (ahem, MOST of you, that is)
come on in…

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the ‘g’ is because we reused the door from guinevere’s room. maybe i should just add “irls”? the opening above the door is still a work in progress. for now we can listen to their secrets at night…hehehe

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each bed has a little curtain that can close it off. this way the girls can still have their own “space” even in a shared room.
literally minutes after they saw the room for the first time it looked like this:

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they each have a little light and shelf for books, and an outlet next to the shelf. the rule is when mom and dad say “lights out” you obey or you lose your lightbulb for a week. ;) so far, it’s worked.

the mix-matched patterns on all the pillows and curtains are what took us FOR.EH.VER at jo-ann’s. and even when i was sewing them up i was nervous.

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but in the end i think it all came together (even that floral fabric, which first got tea stained, then bleached)

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i did a silhouette pillow on each of their beds too

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 the top bunks are so much fun…

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but i really think the bottom bunks are cozier :)

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and these beds conceal a secret:

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a simple drawer on castors underneath each bottom bunk. perfect for, you know…all the things you might find in a little girls’ room…

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where do you put clothing for four girls in one room? in a giant dresser:

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this is three malm dressers from IKEA ($89 each), plus 24 black knobs from the home depot ($1 each). jeremy built a platform for them to sit up on and ran a piece of trim across the front. (there was a reason for that)

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more details coming later…but for about $320? srsly.

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do you know how hard it was to take some of these pics without getting me and my cray-cray hair in the shot?
eh…who am i hiding from?
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moving on…

the prints i found on a blog, to be a lady.

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not all of them are exactly right for a little girls’ room, but i picked a few i liked and printed them out and framed them.

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i figure i can change them out as needs change (ladies do not get in fistfights with their sisters over “borrowed” clothing)

all the things on the dresser we already had…

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as well as the desk, which was one we bought and refinished for guinevere’s room.

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that blank canvas? yeah…that’s where the girls’ picture will be. eventually. i hoped to have it done by the time i posted this (actually, that’s why this post is late).

eventually.
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i also need to rework that lamp to match, reupholster the chair instead of just laying the fabric on top…and probably paint the desk white. it’s antiqued right now…which isn’t horrible, but next to the dressers…you know, eventually.

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our other clothing storage—a wall to wall closet space

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which still needs it’s last curtain made and put up. somehow we totally bombed on the measurements here—both track and fabric.

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four girls worth of dresses and shirts and skirts and shoes and purses…

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(and ooh! looky there! projects i still haven't blogged about…)
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empty frames which i still need to fill…

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all together now… ”eventually” hehe

which brings me to the ups and downs of the room—the ups:

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i thought at one point i had broken my gallbladder or something because i was in such pain on my upper left side.

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then i realized it was sore muscles from painting stripes on a ceiling for two days.
duh.

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i don’t even care. it was totally worth it.
the downs of the room?

this guy:

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i searched for an area rug. i don’t want white. i don’t want to pay a fortune. in the end i rolled out the rug that was in guinevere’s old room “temporarily” (my other word—besides “eventually”)

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the style goes, but the colors are cream and chocolate brown. so it doesn’t really match.
but i think i kind of don’t hate it. (or is that my cheap side talking? or maybe my tired of shopping and spending money side?)

ah well, i’ll probably just keep half-heartedly looking until i find something i love.
and finally, this:

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i have a love affair with miniatures. doll houses, realistic ones—not plastic ones—are a childhood obsession i’ve never gotten over. i’ve always always wanted to do one to completion. and my mom found this guy, along with BINS and BINS of supplies out by someone’s trash. it looks like they got as far as putting it together and painting it, and then stopped.

for a few decades.

it has rugs and wallpaper and trim and lights and doors and accessories—probably hundreds of dollars worth of supplies.
what do you say to that besides “thanks”?!?!?
so she’ll be getting a paint job and become a family project.

well, i think that’s quite enough for today, don’t you?

i have some more posts i’m working on with all the details—what, where and how much.
for now, we just bask in the happiness of a (mostly) completed room.

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84 comments:

  1. you have really, really outdone yourself ! this is an incredible project, it was worth the excrutiatingly long wait for the final reveal! great job you guys. amazing.

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  2. It's the beeeeest roooooom eeeeeee-verrrrr! That's a song.
    And listen, patience is a virtue, but I do have other virtues.
    But it's the beeeest rooooooom eeeeeeeev-errrrrrr!
    Seriously, can I have it?
    Are you putting the baby in the bunk already?
    I ask because I am due August and I have a bassinette but I will have to put my now um... *fingercount* 14 month old out of the crib eventually. So to save space in my girls shared room I was thinking of putting her in a bunk bed already. And I did put my older daughter in a big girl bed around that age but either time or trauma has faded that memory and I can't remember how that worked out. We didn't put her back but we also didn't go straight to big bed, either...

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  3. @ana--thanks so much!

    @laura--awww, a song, just for me. thanks girl!
    no, five is actually still in her playpen in our room. once she's completely sleeping through the night i'm going to put her crib in the girls' room. her bunk actually just has a boxspring in it b/c we only had 3 mattresses and couldn't see buying one that won't even be used until she's probably around 2. buuuttt...my little man has been sleeping on it every night, so maybe we should have bought a mattress??? he may be a *touch* jealous...:(
    14 months seems a little early to me, but why not? ;) we'll wait a bit longer i think because her bunk has the light and outlet that i don't want her messing with too much.

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  4. Where do I begin with the praise? You have outdone yourself! Brava! I love the hits of black against the turquoise walls, the ceiling is sublime...it's all fab. I think you chose very well with the mixed patterns on the bed cushions: eclectic and fun but it still all makes sense together. And the closet curtains! Did you mean for them to look like a sashed party dress or was that just one of those happy and fantastic accidents? Because wow!

    And yes: I was not patient at all. Definitely worth the wait, though!

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    Replies
    1. okay so when we were picking fabrics for the closet curtains, HE (he being my husband) was all "I think it should have a look like a gown. like if you were going to make a 30s inspired glamorous gown what would you do?"
      yes, sometimes I wonder about that man. ;)
      so yes, the sashed gown effect of the curtains was intentional.
      Thanks!!!

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  5. Oh, I love it! And they look like they do too! I should have lent you my dress so you could have been in all the pictures and matched the room :) I think my favorite is the striped ceiling, tied with the bunk beds. And the dresser(s). And the whole color combo. And the black accents. And the floaty curtains. Huh. Can you have a ten way tie?

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    1. oooh yeah--I could have been the vanna white of home decor! Yay!!!
      thanks!

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  6. The room turned out really awesome. I love the wall color and the different patterns on the pillows. The bunk beds are every kids dream!! You guys really outdid yourselves on this one!

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    Replies
    1. thanks! i think we may lose some friends over this...friends who's kiddos are all "why don't you love me as much as they love their kids?!?!?" (true story)

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  7. This room is so awesome! It is a really great girls room. I'm so glad I found your blog a few days ago!

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  8. It's amazing! I've seen so many people pin the picture of these bunks, but no one actually follow through and make them. You did an amazing job. Something to be proud of! And of course, the girls look delighted to share all their secrets in those bunks. Great work!

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  9. ahhhh...I think what you mean is you haven't seen anyone CRAZY enough to follow through and make these bunks ;)
    but we are....most def.
    The girls...and the boy...love this room!
    thanks!!

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  10. Oh my, you work fast!!!
    This is crazy gorgeous. Everything is perfect, even the rug works - at least in the photos ;)
    The bunks are incredible - WOW. Speechless!!!!
    Love Love Love ;)

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    Replies
    1. thanks! Yeah... We try not to mess around with homeimprovement projects. otherwise they just drag on and on and never really get finIshed (cough, cough...the kitchen...)

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  11. Wow! Wow! Wow! Amazing job. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. oh.my.goodness. This looks amazing! Totally worth the suspense over the past several posts :) I think this belongs in a magazine.

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  13. Roshell sent me over, I'm so glad she did.
    What a phenomenal space! Love the bunk beds and the stairs are awesome.

    I had 5 sisters growing up and there would have been a whole lot less fighting if we had a space like this :)

    Well done.

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  14. This is gorgeous! So much fun :) The rug actually doesn't look bad. I really didn't think anything until you mentioned it. I like it :)

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  15. This is seriously one of the most fantastic rooms I have ever seen!!! I absolutely love every single detail and think you did such an incredible job creating this enchanting space for your girls. Kinda wish my hubby would let us have bunk beds now! LOL!
    I'm thinking this needs to be in a magazine because it is just that awesome. :-)
    Vanessa

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  16. Seriously? This room is insane! Amazing. Can I live in there?

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  17. Stunned. So beautiful. So practical. So forward-thinking. So amazing.

    And your colors are to. die. for.

    Came over from DIY Showoff.

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  18. This is beautiful. You did a wonderful job and your girls are going to have AMAZING MEMORIES in this space. Way to go momma!

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  19. OH EM GEE. This room is amazing! How the heck did you paint the stripes on the ceiling so perfectly?! Can I spend the night? I promise I won't keep the girls up too late ;)

    P.S. I have those same lights that are in the bunks.

    <3

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  20. Wow! This room is MAGIC! I think I'd have been so happy to share my room with my sisters if I'd had a room like this. Good work!

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  21. AMAZING!!! Someday, when I have more than just one 12 month old, I hope to do this for them too! What lucky girls you have.

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  22. I want a cubicle!!!!!

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  23. shannon, this is amazing! I have come back a few times just to look at it. It would be so fun to have so many sisters in one room! you're amazing!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kate! Keep up the good work on pr&p...loved the twiggy look!

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  24. Hey, we have four girls and one boy (who was born right in the MIDDLE of those four girls!!!)...wanna come and make a gorgeous room like this for us?!!!!:P

    Totally gorgeous!! Hey, I'd think about kicking them out so I could take over!!!

    Love it!

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  25. WOW! I am in love with this room! You did an amazing job. I'm a sucker for red and lighter blues together.

    MyersMaison.blogspot.com

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  26. Wow, this is so incredible. I found your blog today through Bugaboo, mini, mr and me and I am blown away. Such an impressive room. I love the Roof with the stripes and all the colors you used throughout the room. I love how you used the three dressers to make them look like one built in piece. This is truly the room every girl dreams about I am sure they are so in love with it. Thanks for sharing, I am so impressed I am posting on my facebook page. Your newest follower.

    Lisa @ Creative Raisins

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  27. Hi! I just spotted your daughter's room on Pinterest. My daughter Lou's room was your inspiration picture. You did a great job, and it makes me so happy to have inspired you. I hope your girls enjoy it!

    Krista Salmon.
    http://kikis-list.blogspot.com/

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  28. Amazing room! What a fun space for four girls! You are so talented! Very glad i found your blog-so creative and inspiring!

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  29. Congrats on your Young House Love feature! So exciting. I have four kids and this room is just plain old awesome! My kids are 2B/2G, but I'd love to try the double bunks at a beach house (I just need to get one of those first!).
    Love love love the ceiling- that's my favorite part.
    Awesome work!
    Monica (and Jess)

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  30. Popping in from YHL... we have 3 little girls (6,4,2) and a baby on the way (don't know the gender yet... so something like this is definitely what we are looking for. You mentioned you did this all on the cheap... do you have a budget breakdown? That might be what I need to convince my husband that we CAN do this...

    Thanks for sharing! Inspiring!

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  31. Just came by from Young House Love- amazing room! I love it! Especially the stripes and the double bunks. Great job!

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  32. It's so amazing! I love how it's both feminine and modern! The teal with the red and white stripes is inspired.

    I am dying to know how they get into that bottom left hand drawer on the row of dressers! It seems blocked by the vent thing?

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  33. everything looks great! the rug looks fine to me too(but i did think it was cream and black from the pic)...you could probably use some sort of paint to paint on top of the scrollwork though if you want it to be black to match the black in the room! again fabulous job...my favorite is the hidden storage under the bunks...billiant!

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  34. Holy ships, this is absolutely stunning! The privacy curtain is stellar! I came over from YHL, and like John said, I suddenly want 4 girls, too! :)

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  35. love love love it!!! i have two girls and have a hard time finding time to do little things - you are my design hero:) the colors are so lovely together too just girly enough without overd doing it!

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  36. Also dropping by from YHL - can you tell me how tall the ceilings are in the room? I only have 2 boys, but I'd love to make a built in bunk like this for them someday. Thanks!

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  37. Dropping in from YHL. Just a quick question...how do you get the bottom left drawer on the dresser open? It looks like the heat unit blocks it.

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  38. Wow! Looks gorgeous!

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  39. This room looks GREAT! Would you please share the paint brand and colors you used on the ceiling stripes as well as the "turquoise" walls?

    Thank you!

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  40. this room is a-mazing!! we are expecting our third boy in a couple of weeks and i would loooove to have a room like this for them all...maybe you could paint the rug..paint a funky colour over the black swirly things?...not sure how it would last but it might be a cheap alternative...again...totally LOVE this room..you guys did a fantastic job!!! :)

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  41. This room is absolutely amazing!

    Do you mind sharing the dimensions of the bunk beds and room? I think this would be pretty awesome but I dont think the room I have in mind is large enough.

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  42. This room is absolutely amazing!

    Do you mind sharing the dimensions of the bunk beds and room? I think this would be pretty awesome but I dont think the room I have in mind is large enough.

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  43. That is astonishingly beautiful - and I can't believe you finished it so quickly!

    Also, I used to work at Jo-Ann Fabrics, and I have had several couples ask me to settle their disagreements. It seems that laughing really is the best policy :)

    Congratulations on the gorgeous reno!

    Also, congrats on the lightbulb rule. We had our own rooms growing up, and if we slammed our doors, we lost them for a week. I sent your post to my mom, I bet she'll get a kick out of it.

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  44. It's wonderful! I can't imagine how happy your girls are. And I've painted a ceiling myself, so uncomfortable.

    I'm visiting from YHL and I hope you can stop by my blog as well. :)

    Thanks for sharing,
    Laura

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  45. I'd like to second the person who asked about the wall color. I've been looking for a good turquoise and need some ideas.Thanks.

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  46. Lovely, lovely, lovely! I adore the tiny staircase instead of ladders!

    Good luck with the dollhouse! I have one that my grandpop bought for my mom-mom as a project for her to do. She started it but didn't get very far, and decided to give it to my other grandfather, who used to be a carpenter, to work on it and finish it for me. Well, I got it as soon as it was "livable" for dolls and it has still never been finished. My husband and I have it at our house but since we recently had a little boy, I don't know if it will ever get done! It's a family joke because nobody in our family ever finishes a house; my parents still have plywood floors about 24 years!

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  47. Oh. My. Word. I'm in love with this room! I have three boys and visions of built-in bunks have danced through my head... But this is dreamy! I love the stripes and the fun patterns and, well, everything. You guys are so cool for pulling this off. Amazing!

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  48. Amazing! Love the drawers and individual lights and the dressers and the wall color. Stopping by from YHL.

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  49. Also stopping by from YHL. I am in love with the whole room! You did an amazing job!

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  50. Just stopped by from YHL. Wow. Hats off to you.

    I have to know how you did the Malm dressers. I put two together side-by-side in my son's room, and there's an annoying space where they meet at the top but not at the bottom. Did you guys run into that at all? Would love to know the details of those dressers! Thanks!

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  51. Hi--I had to visit your blog after seeing the YHL reader redesign. The colors you used are the same one's I'm planning to use in our first child's (a girl!) nursery. I am so glad I stopped over! I especially love the fabrics. Do you happen to know the name and source for them (particularly the blue, red, and yellow floral fabric)?
    Thanks,
    Your new fan, Faith

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  52. Holy cow, holy cow... I love this room! I came over from yhl, and I'm even more blown away seeing every last detail here. I'm an only child and have always been pretty darn happy about that fact. Nope, not anymore. Now all I can think is how awesome it would have been to have three sisters with built-in double bunks and a stripey ceiling. Like living on a train... traveling for the circus... but in a good way. Congrats!

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  53. So fun! A friend just sent me this link because we're also planning built-in bunks for our four girls (with curtains, like you said, so they can each have their own space!).

    I'm hoping to get coordinating, but not matching, quilts for each of their beds and add a built-in wardrobe on one end (which may not leave room for stairs in the middle, although that's SO cool!).

    We had a lot of fun looking through the pictures and laughing at the similarities...you did an amazing job pulling it all together!

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  54. Love this room♥
    Can you please share with us the Dimensions of the Bunks and What support structure is used for the top bunks? Also what Color of paint for the Bunk Beds ?
    Thanks

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  55. So cute! Love the bunk room and the ceiling!

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  56. Dream come true room reno. Came over from Young House Love, sure glad you shared with them so they could share so we all could see. Great job indeed.

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  57. Came from YHL, staying to poke around, pin images, follow you:)
    I'm 3 kids in, 2 girls, 1 boys, but your room is so inspirational, it makes me want more right now (and my baby is only 6 months!).

    Jessica
    stayathomeista.com

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  58. What an absolutely stunning room! I love your spin on it all, how fun! I'm sure the girls love their own little space in their shared room. GREAT idea. The ceiling is fantastic.

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  59. Love this room!!! Found a rug for you today on TOTSY.

    http://www.totsy.com/sale/kinder-loom/symphony-rug-5ftx-8ft-ivory

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  60. This is so amazing that it makes me want 4 girls or 4 boys instead of 1 of each. Heck, I would LOVE to sleep in those - they look really cozy.

    I'd be interested to see a cost breakdown at some point too.

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  61. I actually love the rug in the room! When I first saw the room, I actually thought about how well it went and was shocked when I read it was a "just-for-now!"

    ~tara
    www.aslongasitsfancy.com

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  62. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! This is the first time I've seen a double bunk bed that looks A-MA-ZING!!! and didn't cost about a million bucks! You did a fabulous job! WAY TO GO!!! I am certainly your newest follower, and I'm sure you will have many many more from this post alone!

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  63. Your girls are soooo lucky! That room is absolutely AMAZING!!! It is all so beautiful. The colors you chose are wonderful and of course the show stopping bed is to die for!!! Fantastic!!

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  64. dude, this is outrageous. the bunk beds remind me of all the romantic air travel i did in the 1950s, when airplanes had berths, with own little lights and curtains. so beautiful! will you be MY mommy?

    about the rugs, i saw these on the design star emily henderson's blog. inexpensive, upcycled plastic in fun colors. i don't know if they have them in your color scheme but they're worth keeping an eye on.

    thanks so much for the energy and the love and the inspiration.

    http://fabhabitat.com/index.php/world-collection/fab/size/71-x-106.html

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  65. This room is incredible. I absolutely love the brightly striped ceiling with the chandelier, and well, everything else too. Your girls are lucky, lucky, lucky. Kudos on a bedroom remodel well done!

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  66. What a dream room for your kids!!! Congratulations - you and your husband must be so thrilled with the outcome. It's the kind of room memories are made in.

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  67. It's awesome! Adopt me:-)

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  68. the room is awesome. i have 4 kids, and one LONG room that used to be a 1-car garage. i think we could do this.

    on the rug: go over the brown with a black sharpie marker, and "color" the flourishes, so it's cream and black, instead of cream and brown. it will probably look great then!

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  69. THIS IS AWESOME!!! I came her via younghouselove and am IMPRESSED! WOW!! You just earned yourself a new fan and follower!

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  70. This is an amazing room! I have two boys in one room and I can't believe some of the creative stuff I have come up with to make all their toys and interest combine but you have out done anything I could even think of. 4 girls in one room! WOW! I keep telling my husband we can fit one more boy in the room. ;-) How big is that room? It looks big but it doesn't look /that/ big. Just amazing. Good job!

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  71. Wow! This is so impressive. I came to your site in search of an easy no-pattern required dress tutorial. (I have an idea as to what I want, just haven't found a purchasable pattern I like, so I'm doing a bit of DIY research.) Somehow I ended up here, in your girls' bedroom. I'm so glad I stopped by.

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  72. I have always wanted to create a bunk room for my kids. This is awesome. I love the striped ceiling and the cool curtains on the closet -- all those little :extras: that make the room extra special! Thanks for taking the time to share!!

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  73. Hello just ran across your post....would love to have this for my grands all Girls!!!!! Like some of the previous posts, can you spare the details on the building? & how much would bunks like this set you back for?

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  74. This is BY FAR the MOST amazingly clever use of space I've seen EVER! Well done:) What an inspiration!

    Maddy

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