Co-habitating Kids

Giving kids a place in their room where they can express themsleves and their personality is vital, particularly in shared rooms. Bunks beds are great for space savers when you cant have two separate beds, but they are not as condusive to individual spaces. However, if you cant have two twin beds, you can still create spaces for each child to be expressive with a corkboard or corkboard paint (Benjamin Moore's black Corkboard paint works perfectly...)hung over each bed. Another creative idea idea is to hang a wire clothes line with clips to hang awards or art work. This can create a "brag" space for each child, thus giving them a sense of individuality within a shared space.

Sometimes parents try to physically "divide" a room with things like dividers. I would not suggest cutting a room in half-perhaps its better to keep the room a unified space and just create small areas within the room for each child. Instead, use color as your divinder. Use a color from each child and blend them into the room. For example, if one child is into soccer and the other into princesses, try using black and pink in the room to unify the separate personalities.

Either way, sharing a room will be a positive experience and lend to years of chatter and companionship and no doubt a little feuding. But in the mean time, have fun trying to unite the kids into a shared sibling space...

Planning a Color Palette

When determining a color palette, take a minute to sit down and think about yourself. Think about what makes you tick and consider the following:

* Are you drawn to warm colors such as reds (Benjamin Moore Maple Leaf Red -2084-20) and yellows (Benjamin Moore Lightning Bug 340)or do you prefer cooler blue and green palettes?
* Do you like a lot of colors, or various shades and tints of a single color?
* Are you looking to create a sense of calm in your room or a feeling of energy?
* What colors in nature appeal to you?
* Where do your selected colors fall on the color wheel?
* Do you have a range of intensities that you prefer?
* Do you need to add accent colors for interest?
* How does your selection work with your floor color? After walls and ceilings, floor color is the largest area of color and can be a determining factor in creating your palette?

Now you can start grouping colors to see what appeals to you.