Best Ideas for a Shared Kids Room

Find Consensus: It's important to start out with the areas that the children agree on and then build from there. For example, if both kids love the color green, then make sure the color is prominent in the room's decor. Shared interests can also be a good building block. Create a theme bedroom that revolves around both kids' love of sports, animals, trains or some other interest.

Personal Space: Just because kids are sharing a room, doesn't mean that they don't need a space to call their own. Help kids establish personal space by placing single beds on opposite sides of the room or setting up room dividers to create privacy. If you're short on space, bunk beds save on room but still give each child his own place to occasionally hide away.

Customize It: It's important that each child feels special in the room. Consider adding a decorative pillow to each bed that has been embroidered with each child's initials or painting your kids' first names above their beds. Not only will this help to define the space, it will also add a warm personal touch.

Create Zones: Divide your children's room into separate zones with a specific purpose. For example, a bunk bed can serve as a sleeping zone, a pair of desks against the wall can be the study zone and a table set up in the middle of the room can be the creativity zone -- perfect for drawing, crafts and games.

Storage: Storage is at a premium in kids' bedrooms, especially when the space is shared by two or more kids. Use storage closets, plastic bins and trunks to keep toys and games organized and out of view. Make sure each child has a special area for his own toys, so the kids don't become competitive over which toy belongs to who.

No matter what you decide on, talk with each child about what he wants in a room and any anxiety he may have before combining rooms.