Maybe look at these? beddys.com

I bought them for my boys and really like them. It's super easy for them to make their beds! They have decorative pillows and other accessories as well. Good luck!

Boys 5-7 and accent pillows do not go together! Think projectiles and pillow fights. Don't give them ammunition!! At my house if you are old enough to do to school you are old enough to make your bed. No way would 'accent pillows' ever be set on a bed with little boys. Quilts/puffy duvet works great for young kids and making beds because they are not great at a tidy look. A quilt/puffier bed spread gives them/you half a chance at a made bed that isn't a total mess. Love Navy and green together there are lovely buffalo checks/tartans in those colors out there.

Trying to be kind but that collection looks like a teen or dorm room. Too old for 5–7-year-old. Duvets are usually heavy & messy looking, difficult to maneuver. Kids don't live in a design magazine. Nothing suggests kids in your choices. Let them have some say in their own room. The tall bookcase is just waiting to tip over and a chest isn't a good idea (IMO - temptation to hide in it). Get a navy-blue bed covering and whatever color sheets the boys like. I love to make pillowcases for children. I've made my 4 year old grandson many (super easy) Whatever he is obsessed with for Christmas it was The Nightmare Before Christmas, Elf on a Shelf, The Planets, Spiderman.

I actually think you’ve made generally smart choices. From experience I can tell you that 7 year old will be a full fledged tween before you know it, and the 5 year old will want to keep up! Maybe change out the throw pillows for something they choose, like Baby Yoda or a favorite sports team. I’d skip the letters in the wall, love those kinds of things personally, but my grands at 7 & 11 are too old for those now. Regarding making the bed, it’s a challenge, but maybe duvets that double as top sheets will encourage the job. It is a kids room so maybe they don’t have to match. How about a bulletin board for each to hang their treasures or hot fads? The cubbies are fine as long as you use cleats to attach them to the wall. Filling them with buckets will discourage the climbing, as can you. IMO the main pieces you’ve chosen will grow with them.

I have 5 and 7 year old boys that share a room! I would skip the accent pillows and a heavy comforter/duvet unless you need it for warmth. Maybe get the bean bag chair in green?

Also the idea of cork boards is a good one. My kids like pinning up their art from school.

My kids have matching bedding— Star Wars sheets from pottery barn, which they love, and this coverlet from LLBean: https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/123930?page=organic-honeycomb-matelasse-coverlet-full/queen&bc=31-131-504700-4099&feat=4099-GN3&csp=f&pos=4

I know you said no coverlet, but my 7 year old will actually make his bed with the coverlet. He used to have a comforter that was too hard for him to manage. If I did a comforter, I would skip the duvet cover—those things drive me nuts and I think my 5 year old would get lost in one!

Oh also, unless you have stuff for all those cubbies, I might change it out for a front facing bookshelf. My kids love being able to see what books are on the shelves to read in their room. Then use some colorful rope basket for things like toys or stuffies. The kids are more likely to clean up if they can drop it in a cubby and not have to organize it on a shelf.

Thank you all for taking time to give thoughtful responses, I appreciate them so much!

Not sure how to quote but I will try

CeeWhy- I've spent quite a lot of time drooling over the Beddy's sets, they really are ingenious as well as pretty! I didn't see one that I thought would work perfectly (especially since I'm staying away from white). Also, my 7-year old didn't like the idea so much. I haven't entirely ruled it out, but it's on hold for now. Curious if you have the cotton or minky? Thanks so much!

arcy_gw- You are 100% right! Especially with these little guys of mine, accent pillows will definitely cause mayhem. It's really for me, I'm working with a budget, and wanted to splurge on this. Won't be used on the bed on a daily basis, I'd just like to have on hand for times when I want to "pretty up the room" for my own pleasure. Truth is, I don't need accent pillows per se, what I really want, is a well-dressed bed. I'll post my inspo pics for bedding shortly.

jck910- Thanks for saying it nicely! It's true that it's not particularly kid-themed, but they aren't into superheroes or sports and I'd like to stay away from a theme. I do think it's a tad too mature/dark and moody and that's why I'm trying to lighten/brighten it up a bit. In truth, they don't really care about the designs, they just want space to store and play with their "prizes" and playmobil.

I would definitely not leave the bookcase freestanding. It will get anchored to the wall. I'm thinking of lying it down horizontally and storing toys that way, but will have to see if that is an invitation to jump off it.

ngcurt- Thank you! I've been second-guessing and doubting my choices about twice a day lol. It's nice to have reassurance from someone else. A bulletin board is a fabulous idea, I'll try to find one.

spainte2 - Thanks for your excellent suggestions!

I was thinking about the bean bags in green too. I'm a little hesitant about bean bags altogether because we had a bad experience once with a bean bag that got a rip...you can imagine what a huge hassle that was, the beads were everywhere for weeks. Ideally I'd like something I can sit in as well, to read bedtime stories etc. but haven't found anything yet that I like, that I could put two of in the room. I MUST have two because I will not set myself up for endless rounds of fighting of who gets to sit where, when.

Yes, I agree on the cork boards.

I love that coverlet! I was actually hanging out on LL Bean's site this afternoon, looking at all the comfy options. I really want navy so I don't think I will use that specific one, but the texture looks wonderful. I'm rethinking the duvet/duvet cover. Maybe a quilt or coverlet really is a good idea. I grew up with duvet covers, everyone in my extended family uses them, but they are pretty fiddly things.

About the bookcase, I thought I would just leave some cubbies without bins, and we would line up books in those. Is there a reason that wouldn't work? I thought it would be less likely to be knocked off the shelf than a long row of books on a standard bookshelf. And I really like the idea of rope baskets. I'm assuming I can try that in a cubby too.

I went back and looked, and you don’t have any kind of desk in the room. Maybe you have another room for that? IKEA has some small desks that work well for kids thru elementary school and into middle school…until they have those growth spurts!

Cubbies would work for books too! But I agree with ngcurt that the kids access them more if they are horizontal or front facing.

Depending on how big the room is, you could put it a loveseat or oversized chair instead of the bean bag chairs. We used to have a loveseat in one of the boys’ room before they moved in together, and it was wonderful for pre-bed reading and snuggles. You are smart to make sure they don’t have to fight over anything!

Depending on how rough your grandkids are, avoiding the bean bags might be smart! Mine kids would definitely jump from their beds to the bean bags and break them open! And be prepared for them to jump from one bed to the other if they are close enough!

What budget for the bedding?

https://www.pbteen.com/products/2018-mvp-stripe-quilt-sham/?pkey=cteen-quilts-and-comforters

https://www.pbteen.com/products/walker-plaid-comforter-sham/?pkey=cteen-quilts-and-comforters

https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/blocked-stripe-quilted-bedding-boy/?pkey=call-boy-kid-bedding

Thanks all!

@ngcurt I had that idea of using the top of the horizontal cubbies for creations too. More likely it will accumulate clutter but oh well.

About the desk, I specifically left it out for now. I prefer to keep a close eye on the kiddos when they use any writing implements/scissors/glue etc, so that usually happens downstairs (we're in a townhouse). Also, they need supervision for all school work at this point anyway. For now I envision their room as a place for them to play independently and I'd like them to have all the available floor space. I figure it shouldn't be a big deal to add a desk and chair in a year or two.

@spainte2 I wish we had space for a loveseat! Afraid we have to make do with something that takes up less space. I would really love some kind of glider or rocker but haven't found one I like that seemed to work with the space and I have the "needing two of everything issue" anyway. I'd been even thinking a compact but comfy accent chair with ottoman could work, but again, the two issue...sigh. I think I just have to stick with two kiddie/tween sized items. I've entertained the thought of dish/saucer chairs instead of beanbags. I just saw this and love it but it's too $$ for me.

https://www.pbteen.com/products/4372993/?catalogId=21

And yes, I expect lots of jumping (not the grandkids yet, these are my own kiddos but the grandkids will probably jump lots too one day)!

@Indecisiveness Thanks for the links! I like the second one, the Walker plaid one best. Just thinking I may want to go with plaid for sheets and do a navy comforter/duvet/quilt.

I don't have a defined number for the bedding but I really should. I'm just trying to keep costs low and find dupes wherever possible.

These are currently my favorite inspiration pics. I'm dreaming of a "well-dressed" bed that can look beautiful like these for special occasions, but has practical and comfy components that can be used separately on the daily.

The first pic is my current fave, but the second is pretty high up on my list too.

I think I really like the navy comforter in both. I've been thinking to copy one or the other, but so far, in all my browsing, I haven't yet found plaid sheets with navy, cream and brown to dupe the first pic. As for the second one, I figure I can get sheets and comforter from Target or the like (although comforter won't have the pretty piping at the seam) but I haven't found such a vibrantly striped quilt/throw blanket with similar colors to the pic yet either.

In the meantime, I'm thoroughly confusing myself by also liking this idea of striped sheets, adding a quilt/throw blanket on top for accent and additional use.

And these are the same stripes, but in a comforter. I could do navy sheets and a cream accent blanket/throw/quilt. Or the reverse but I'm all about practical and cream sheets for occasional bedwetters scare me.

Same idea with this one, I can do plaid duvet cover/comforter, with navy or other solid sheets, and add a throw or quilt for decoration.

So of course I don't stop and choose one track, I keep browsing pictures, products and ideas.

Rambling here, but I'm thinking it may be most practical/sustainable to go with a navy comforter, that way it's easy to change out for different sheets/accents at any time. Going with a striped or plaid comforter is more of a fixed decision for the next bit. On the other hand, I do really like how it looks... In case you can't tell, I'm not great with decisions. It's a wonder I'm married!

If anyone still reading has an opinion on my selections, please do share!

I don’t know why I got grandkids in my head! Sorry about that!

I think the solid navy cover is the way too go—it will always be in style and you can change its look with fun sheets, throws or pillow cases. Just folding over a colorful flat sheet will decorate the bed! If you want to stay in the blue/white family, I like the stripy pillow cases in this collection:

https://www.crateandbarrel.com/bauhaus-organic-bedding/f1001892

If you want a more subdued look for sheets, I’ve had good luck with sheets from the company store. It looks like they have some navy stripe options.