Readers' Choice: The Top 20 Kids Rooms of 2011

kirvens says:

I love these rooms.

17th and Riggs Contemporary Home Furnishings says:

I love the purple flowery room, the tree bookshelf wall mural, and the bunkhouse. All of these are so fun for kids!

http://blog.17thandriggs.com

Jason Shepard says:

There are entirely too many of these with 4 or more beds. There are evidently legal differences between where they are located and Illinois where I am -or- the owners have multiple same-sex children. Here in Illinois, you cannot legally have multiple children in the same room, even if directly related, unless they are of the same sex and we also have a maximum of 2 per room after the age of 5.

I'm curious as to what states these rooms are located in and whether or not they are meeting legal standards. If not, the resale value of these homes just plummeted like a rock.

glickwoman says:

Jason -
I find that amazing. What do families with limited means do? Seriously, we know that many families in the lower income bracket (the ones who are not having built in bunk beds made) have many children.
I have a neighbor who has 7 children in a 3 bedroom house. While their reason for living in this home is not necessarily lack of finances, they are still having 7 boys share 2 bedrooms.
Diane

suburbandecorista says:

I'm sorry, but I just really could not decide! I really loved these ideas, the nurseries were especially lovely....

Jason Shepard says:

@glickwoman: In quite a few cases, DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) removes them from the family and places them in Foster Care until the parents manage to get a home big enough to follow the rules. They "could care less" (their words) about your financial situation or the economy. People with limited financial means simply live in fear every day of losing their children to the State of Illinois foster care system. It's horrendous and some wonderful families have been broken up because of it, especially in recent years with the downturn in the overall economy.

You'd think these beautiful rooms these people have created would ensure the safety of the children, but in Illinois that would not be the case, unfortunately.

zappedan says:

That's why many people don't live in the communist state of Illinois. How rediculous to take kids away from loving parents because their house is too small. Unless there is abuse the state should mind their own business. No wonder everyone is leaving that awful state.

rebelliousraven says:

I can understand older different sex kids wanting their own rooms but we have 6 kids .... they all grew up utilizing two rooms (we lived in an older farm house and that was what there was)... until the last two were born they were in one room... one "double bed" bunkbeds... boys on the bottom, girls on top.... they changed etc in the bathroom....they are in or graduated from college now....they learned cooperation, negotiation and respect for others property. They also learned to appreciate things a little better I hope... values that seem to be sadly disappearing. I love these rooms and now that we are able to remodel and add space I will be making a bunk bed like these for our future (I hope) grandchildren. How sad the state of Illinois would judge the abiity to parent on sharing a room.

angi says:

the bunks pictured are positively not for daily living. they are likely at a beach house and the beds are only used when family and friends come together. no one in their right mind would want to make beds like that on a daily basis! of course they also probably have a nanny and house keeper. let's hope the nursery with the mirrored dresser also has a full time housekeeper on staff. otherwise that sweet baby will be just a source of irritation to the parents who designed the space for themselves with no thought of what a baby wants or needs. i guarantee that mother will notice the fingerprints on the dresser before she notices the baby's smile each time she enters this room. sad, really. so interesting that as a society we've come to envy the financial means to achieve the ability to disconnect with our humanity.

tomcat says:

Bunk beds are a great idea but making the top bunks would be quite difficult.

krylela says:

Wow, the personal diatribes on social issues run rampant here! As for the rooms and decorating... my favorite is the mod girls' chocolate and dots. It's very cute with room to grow. I also love the white rooms with bright splashes of colors.

findpause_pressplay says:

First, thank you so much for putting our grey bunks on the list! :) Second, we're not breaking any laws :) and finally....we love them! i did a post on my blog about how i keep the bedding simple and we left room around the mattresses for easy changing....no housekeeper around here...just a mom and dad with lots of kids! :) :) all of these rooms are beautiful and fun!

talycole says:

I love #3 the best and in second place is #2! In #3, I always dreamed of having my bed in a nook like that as a kid. One thing I love about #2 is the cool pocket above the head that has a light. It reminds me of the sleeping cars on old trains.

dinkydi says:

Jason - Actually that is not true. There are no laws in the United States regarding the number and/or sex of sibling sharing a room. You might be confused with laws regarding public housing which limits the number of people per room (and children must be same sex).

In any case I love room 3.

team1s says:

Number 12 is my favourite, and number 9 my second favourite - probably because I think they're the ones that most appeal to the mother of twin two year old boys! I love all the bunk bedrooms, too - I kept thinking that if I'd had quadruplets rather than twins I'd be all over those!! Of the bunks my favourite is number 8, although I also love the night-light/reading nooks on number 2. They're all such lovely rooms.

sekr says:

Every one of these rooms is beautiful in its own way. What I want to know is how on earth do you make those bunk beds?? Especially the built-ins with rails?

ab01566 says:

Jason--the law you reference has to do with sleeping arrangements for foster children. Since they are wards of the state, the state can dictate such arrangements but otherwise, as pointed out by dinkydi, there are no laws in the U.S. regarding the number and/or sex of children sharing a room.

My favorite is number 20. It would be perfect for my dream beachouse!

condo says:

Where could I find the file cabinet?

mars2 says:

As far as the issue of fingerprints on the mirrored dresser in #4, I think the baby would get so much fun from looking into a mirrored surface at her own level that this would more than make up for the need for the occasional wipe down. Should ease of cleaning always be the first priority?

Artspace Marketplace says:

Easily order Contemporary Art for your kids' rooms
www.artspace.com

Lady W says:

Dont be so uptight about how many kiddos are sleeping in the room. I am certain these pictures are to provide individuals with ideas and concepts. In addition to showing consumers what a designer can provide..

aronrae says:

I think bunk beds like this are fabulous for daily living. Plenty of room for fun sleepovers!

Tasha White says:

I love the locker room cabinets in the boyz room #9. Does anyone know where can I find those? I love all these rooms. I have a tween girl, a 6 yr old boy and a 5month girl. Great ideas for all my kids rooms!

baba66 says:

I like the use of space in #1 and #20. The gray color in #1 is soothing, not stark. I like the style of #20 also. The boys room, #9 looks like a fun place to play and #10 would be a whimsical for a girl. I love the design of the bed in the slanted roof room #19. It also allows for privacy if the room is a shared one and each child has their own bed. The one I did not like is #8 because the top bunks have too little headroom.

Kendall Wilkinson Design says:

Thank you so much for featuring our room!

aerinrae says:

Maybe they are not at all financially strapped and have a seperate room for sleepovers. Given the amount of times I have had kids covering my family room furniture, I'd say thats not a bad idea. If I had the money.

aquabooks99 says:

@angi why wouldn't any of the bunk beds be for daily use? Kids don't usually make their beds to the same standards as adults.