Three Kids Share One Masterfully Organized Montreal Bedroom

Name: Lily, Oli, and Chloé ( 5, 4, 2)
Location: Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal — Canada

Years ago, we shared our Lily and Oli’s shared room on Apartment Therapy. Since then, we’ve added our third child, our daughter Chloé to the room. Now that we are officially crib-free, and still happily using one bedroom for our three little ones, I thought it was time to share the many changes we’ve made.

We are passionate about raising our little ones in the city, and have no plans to move from our beloved neighborhood Le Plateau-Mont-Royal any time soon. But raising a family of five in a two-bedroom condo has its challenges! To make it work, all three children sleep in the footprint of one twin sized bed with the help of bunk beds and a trundle bed beneath. This way there’s still tons of space to play, and I dare say each child has their own personal space. The children all share a very organized closet which houses the majority of their out of season clothing, toys, Lego, linens, and their capsule wardrobes. Minimalist living is absolutely the only way we pull this off! If you’re interested in more information, feel free to check out my blog.

Having both genders sharing a small space also means everything is neutral, which complements the rest of our home’s style easily. In the mornings, I bring little bowls of dry cereal and water bottles into their room and the kids enjoy at their table, while I enjoy some extra minutes of solitude before we start the day. To make sleeping arrangements easier, we put our youngest to bed earlier than the older two. She falls asleep and then shortly after, the big kids join her. Their bedroom is right off our kitchen, so we employ a sound machine and black out curtains to help keep things peaceful.

Eventually we will probably find a slightly larger condo in the neighborhood, and our son will have his own room, but we are in no hurry. Our children have such a tight bond and I attribute that in large part to their sharing a room and living in a small space together. They’re forced to serve one another, forgive quickly, and have fun alongside their siblings. I think it’s character building and makes for life long friendship! Just one of the ways city living has changed my parenting style 🙂

A few must haves I always recommend for kid’s rooms, shared or not:

High shelves! I need a spot in their room where I can have things they can’t reach, but that I use frequently enough to want in their room. Thermometers, sound machines, essential oils, diapers — these are all stored on our high floating shelf.

Art display! Preferably up high where younger siblings can’t rip down. We swap out their creations almost daily, so everyone gets a chance to showcase their creativity. Plus it adds color to the room.

Cute storage! We have baskets and bins all over our house. It doesn’t feel like there are toys and books everywhere, but trust me, it’s an illusion 🙂

Stations! These are little spots around the room (usually in corners) where the kid’s can do certain activities like reading, playing Lego, where the play kitchen lives, etc.

Source List:

• Pine bunk bed: IKEA, stained with a white wash tint
• Small table and chairs: IKEA, stained with a grey tint
• Rug and white stool: IKEA
• Play kitchen: Hape
• Rocking chairs: Vintage
• Floating shelf and city print: IKEA
• Montreal ABC print: local artist, Lily Graffiti
• Needle point art: Vintage
• Grey rug: IKEA
• Floor baskets: Target
• White lamp: IKEA
• Reading corner: An old oval-shaped ottoman covered with a sheet, pillows are IKEA, throw pillow is Etsy shop, Liz Taylor Handmade

Thanks, Emily!

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Three Kids Share One Masterfully Organized Montreal Bedroom