Shared Montessori Bedroom

Some of you may remember this post about Henry's Montessori toddler bedroom. We made it back when Henry was around 2-years-old. It remained largely unchanged all these years later. But, when I got pregnant with Augustus we knew that we would have to double-up on bedrooms. For us, it made the most sense to keep Nora's old room as the nursery and move the bigger kids together.


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A shared Montessori bedroom space posed a few challenges for us, especially since Henry and Nora are more than three-years apart. But, I'm very happy with how the space came together and I'm happy that the transition to shared bedroom has been easy and welcomed by all! 

To keep as much floor space as possible, we knew that we wanted a bunk bed for the kids. But, we still wanted one that would be as low to the floor as possible. The hope is that Augustus will move in with Henry when he is a young toddler. Plus, Nora still needs something low to the ground for herself. 

It was not an easy feat to find a bunk bed that fit these needs. If you want people to look at you funny, go to a furniture store and ask for a floor bed, bunk bed. Thankfully, we found this bed -- the Camden Bunk Bed from Pottery Barn Kids -- and it works wonderfully. The floor bed gives Nora the space she needs, and the top bunk is not super high, so we can still comfortably tuck Henry in on top.

And, the sleeping space wouldn't be complete without the small baby crib for their dolls. This used to be in Nora's room and moved over with her. 

Play Area 

You can see that the play shelves in this room have remained the same. Using the open Lack shelving from IKEA and hanging at a low height has been perfect for this space. Seriously, I don't think we could have come up with a better solution. Plus, they have really held up well. They haven't started to lean or break and hold a variety of size materials.

I have made some simple changes over time, however. We decided we needed a large basket on the floor to hold some of our larger open ended materials. Usually, this includes magnatiles, duplos, magneatos, and other building materials that just take up a lot of space, and don't otherwise fit neatly on a tray. 

We have also switched out the art work for something a bit more natural and realistic. I let the kids pick out the prints from a postcard book I purchased. It's been the perfect way to add a natural touch to the room. Speaking of natural touches, I've been trying to add more plants to our home so I added a cactus to their space. I went with a cactus because I can basically neglect it and because I knew if it was spikey it was less likely to be ripped out of the dirt by a curious 2-year-old. 

I've also made some other simple changes to make the space more accessible for Nora. We added a touch lamp {from Target} so that she would be able to turn on and off a lamp easily in the space. I've also removed any toy that is not open ended or otherwise appropriate. This way I don't have to worry about trying to curtail her movements within the space. I try to pick things I know that they can play together, or alone. Materials that are specific to Henry or Nora are now in other play spaces throughout the house. 

Currently on their shelves: Rainbow Marble Tree; Maps Book; Haba Marble Run; Magnatiles; Schleich Animals

The reading and dressing areas round out the room. The shelf is the same as it was before the shared space. But, I have made sure to incorporate a good mix of books for both kids. This is one area that is harder because Nora will almost always choose a book meant for Henry. This isn't always a huge deal but sometimes they aren't appropriate or she doesn't have the attention span for them. It can lead to frustration, but its not a major issue. 

For dressing, I have included a laundry basket and a small chair into the space. Both of which used to be in Nora's room. This provides a little continuity for her, and helps make the space accessible. While Henry never used a chair for dressing, Nora does. This way she can still do things the way she is used to. And, of course, her beloved horse picture had to move with her. 

Finally, there is the chalkboard wall. This has remained unchanged and is still (as you can see) very popular.