Practical Decorating Tips on Sharing Room with Baby

October 14, 2019

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Crate & Barrel. All opinions are 100% mine.

Guess who just signed their apartment lease renewal and will be sharing their bedroom with the baby for another year?

While it would’ve been nice to get more space by moving to a two-bedroom, hubby and I honestly don’t mind sharing our room with Maxine for another year. Staying put means we don’t need to deal with possibly finding a new day care, movers, and the nasty beast that is the New York rental market.

Mostly, what really cemented our decision to stay in our current apartment is that we’ve finally mastered our apartment configuration. Every inch of our living space feels like it’s being put to its best use. This includes the shared bedroom.

If you’re looking to room share, whether it’s from necessity or you’re just into small-space living, I’ve got you! Read on for my hacks and practical decorating tips on sharing room with baby. And get a peep on all the new Crate & Barrel exclusive goodies I got.

1. Create a Distinct Area

Creating a distinct area doesn’t necessarily mean you need to make a physical divider. You can paint an accent color or add an area rug. Or you can even do something as simple as adding wall accents to anchor the crib, like I did here with the geo hanging textured weaving, paper mache rabbit head, and fox head from Crate & Barrel.

2. Pick baby’s furniture to complement existing room furniture a

Probably one of the most obvious decorating tips here: start with what you already have. I chose Crate & Barrel’s mid-century 3-in-1 spindle crib because it was an almost perfect color-match to my bed frame and dresser. And the cactus hamper is a perfect companion that compliments the crib and also has the added bonus of matching my existing wicker rocking chair and ottoman. Going with what you already own as a base ensures you’re going to get a cohesive decor at the end.

2. Don’t overdo the cutesy decor

After all, you’re sharing the room and this isn’t just the baby’s. I find that the easiest way to tone down the cloying cutesiness is to select kids item that comes in muted colors (maybe with a pop of boldness here and there). Overdoing the bright colors seem to amp up the kiddie factor for me. Probably because they remind me of playground colors.

4. Get creative with storage solutions

Living in a small-space for so long, creative storage solution is something that I’ve gotten quite good at. I tend to look at everything through the lens of storage potential. And don’t be afraid to get creative with product use. Instead of holding dirty laundry, the Crate & Barrel cactus hamper stores Maxine’s bedsheets, towels, and baby carrier.

5. Think practical

And finally I think it’s so important to think practically when it comes to decorating for your baby. Safety has got to come top of mind. Be aware of where the outlet placement is in your bedroom and make sure it’s not in reach of little hands poking out of the crib. Don’t hang heavy items above the crib, and especially not ones that are within arms reach of the baby.

Maxine is currently obsessed with anything bunny related, so she just loves the paper mache rabbit head. When I installed it, I made sure she wouldn’t be able to grab it and pull it down.