Dreaming up a room design for the girls shared bedroom with a classic-meets-whimsical mermaid design. It’s complete with classic matching Jenny Lind beds, rattan, macramé, nautical stripes, and a whole lot of muted pink, texture, and pops of gold.
When we decided to move forward with buying our home here in Boston, one of the first things we did was ask the girls what kind of rooms they’d like in a new house. We wanted them to feel like a big part of the home buying process. So, we knew that talking up a brand new room design would help to get them excited.
The Girls Shared Bedroom Wishlist
The girls had three conditions for their new rooms:
(1) They wanted to share a room.
(2) They wanted a “magical mermaid” room.
(3) They wanted matching big girl beds.
Although they each had their own rooms in the rental – Emmeline’s nursery and Scarlett’s big girl room – they had been having “sleepovers” in Scarlett’s room the last several months before the big move, and we had a hunch that they would want to continue sharing. They adore one another, and I’m all for room sharing so long as it makes them happy.
The mermaid theme didn’t come as much of a surprise either. Remember this epic mermaid birthday party? Not to mention the fact that Scarlett has been a mermaid for Halloween the last three years and has big plans for this Halloween … you guessed it: she’s going to be a mermaid. 🧜🏼♀️
My Vision and Plans for the Girls Whimsical Mermaid Shared Bedroom
I’m a sucker for a vintage design. Give me rosettes, antique pieces, all of the gilding, and I’m a happy girl.
Of course, with a mermaid theme, I also knew that I wanted to pull in some classic nautical elements like rope and stripes.
To get that whimsical, bohemian feel I adore so much, I’ve scoured stores for macramé and rattan; and lucky me, both are still very much on trend. We actually lucked out and found the prettiest macramé canopies at Home Goods, though with the sloped ceiling design on one side of the girls new shared bedroom, I’m not sure we can make both canopies work over their beds as I had originally envisioned when I bought them so many months ago. I think instead I’ll set up a reading nook with their book shelf, a few pretty floor cushions, and one hanging macramé canopy in the reading corner.
Of course we’ll also add in plenty of sea shells that we’ve collected over the years on our trips home to Miami and Maine too.
I’ll also use baskets (maybe rope baskets to tie in the nautical theme?) to store toys on the shelves, etc.
The Beds
I’ll admit, I’ve wanted matching Jenny Lind beds for our girls from pretty much the moment I found out I was having a second girl. I love the classic design so much. (Though I’ve seen these beds used in room designs for both boys and girls and they always look amazing)
And then, as I was dreaming up what a mermaid-themed room could look like, I realized that the intricate carvings on the posts of the Jenny Lind beds actually look like bubbles. PERFECT.
I also ordered a toddler rail from Crate & Barrel for Emme’s bed and we’ll push the other side of her bed up against the wall.
The Bedding
Though I’m still stumped on the bedding, I will say, these rosette sheets caught my eye immediately.
We’ve used and loved Beddys in the past, and may go that route again, just not quite sure yet!
The Floor
We totally lucked out with our new house: hardwoods everywhere, both upstairs and downstairs. Naturally, since the house is quite old (as in, 100+ years old), the floors show some wear in certain spots, but nothing that can’t be fixed with the right area rug. And I actually love using area rugs, especially in living spaces and bedrooms to help warm up the space.
This Lulu & Georgia rug has the look I’m going for, but we’re also definitely trying to keep each of the room designs in our new house reasonable, so I may just repurpose one of our beloved washable Lorena Canals rugs.
The Windows
The girls shared room has one large window so we’ll use our favorite Pottery Barn Kids blackout curtains. I’m on the hunt for a pretty gold sea shell curtain hook, and I may spray paint the existing curtain rod gold, rather than buying new, to save money.
The Bedroom Walls
I’m still not entirely sure what our plans are for the walls of the girls’ shared room.
This wallpaper in the color “pink sand” reminds me of delicate seaweed and I love that muted pink color.
I also fell absolutely in love with the painted oversized striped walls that Joni Lay of @laybabylay created for her girls’ shared room. I’m thinking Farrow & Ball in the color Calamine could look INCREDIBLE in big, bold stripes.
Help!
All that to say, the girls shared bedroom is still very much a work in progress!
A Whimsical Mermaid Shared Room Design
Click each image below to shop your favorite picks from my shared room design plans!
If anyone has anyone suggestions, or you’ve stumbled across some amazing, whimsical mermaid décor that could work in a girls bedroom, send it my way!
SHOP THE WHIMSICAL MERMAID ROOM DESIGN | CLICK LEFT & RIGHT ARROWS TO EXPLORE
Join the Fun
Older Post
