13 charming twin bedroom ideas
Designing a beautiful twin bedroom can present both a wonderful opportunity and a challenge. In the case of a room for children, how do you accommodate the burgeoning tastes and warring preferences of children of different ages? And where to put all their toys, books and clothes? If storage is important in a bedroom for one child, it is paramount in a room for two. No matter how many children occupy a bedroom, the ultimate goal is the same: to create a space that fuels their imagination, respects their growing autonomy and facilitates their rest.
When the occupants are older, (for example, guests spending the night) comfort and convenience remain key. A space that is both visually appealing and calming will have friends and family wanting to stay another night.
Whether for adults or children, the success of any room with twin beds lies in its ability to balance beauty and function. Adding character via statement table lamps fitted with bespoke patterned shades or elevating space-saving bunk beds beyond mere utility with bold block colours can strike just the right note.
Here, we explore twin bedroom ideas that do just that: thoughtfully incorporating colour, interesting textiles, and uniting practicality and playfulness to create delightful spaces.
Milo Brown1/12For the children's bedroom in her vibrant early Victorian house in Stoke Newington, interior designer Lonika Chande eschewed specifically child-sized furniture and instead re-upholstered an old sofa in this fun orange-striped fabric. Comfy enough for the children to lounge and read, sturdy enough to “launch themselves off at bedtime”.
2/12In designer Beata Heuman's daughters' room in her London house, she too has borrowed from more "grown-up" interior design. This charming painted mural is a replica of the one in Bemelman's bar at the Carlyle Hotel in New York.
Chris Horwood3/12In this warm Hampshire cottage designed by Max Rollit, the curtains have been made from a repurposed quilt by Max Rollit Antiques which has been cut and trimmed with Dedar's crushed-pile velvet Plushy ‘Bleu de Preusse’. The walls of this cosy room are painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘White Lead’.
4/12The twin beds in this house designed by Jules Haines are from the Original Bed Company. The head and footboards have been upholstered using a floral pattern fabric from Sophia Frances. The circus-tent-inspired drapes behind each bed are made from repurposed textiles and not only make a room with high ceilings feel a little more cosy, but also emphasise the satisfying symmetry.
Simon Brown5/12The beds in this room designed by Salvesen Graham are framed by Alfred Newall headboards in the signature bobbin style. The cushions and blinds are Flora Soames's ‘Cornucopia’. While twin rooms provide a convenient opportunity to double up on everything, the two similar but not identical framed circus tent prints adorning the walls above each bed break the symmetrical twinning in a charming way.
Paul Massey6/12This refined Nicola Harding-designed children's bedroom in a 19th century London home, plays with textiles. The custom shade on the Pooky table lamp is by Tobias & the Angel. Sumptuous headboards covered in a rich red fabric from Claremont provide a lovely contrast with ‘Sakura’ wallpaper by Galbraith & Paul in ‘Frost’.
7/12This twin bedroom in a Cotwolds cottage designed by Anna Haines has walls in Farrow and Ball's light green-grey ‘Cromarty’, and headboards in ‘Small Damask’, a charming Peggy Angus fabric from Blithfield.
Ngoc Minh Ngo8/12Designer Hugh Leslie created this bright playful bedroom in a converted barn in the Connecticut countryside with Ottoline's 'Improvisation Number 1' wallpaper in yellow, vibrant headboards covered in Josef Frank's ‘Vegetable Tree’ from Svenskt Tenn, Wallace Sewell blankets and a Swedish rug from Afridi Gallery. A painting is by Cornwall-based artist Richard Ballinger hangs on the wall between the beds.
Christopher Horwood9/12More snug rooms can make use of high ceilings as seen in this bedroom designed by friends Victorian von Westenholz and Xenia Buckhurst for the latter's family home, a thatched cottage in the south of England. The designers painted the bunk beds to complement Molly Mahon's Birds and Bees wallpaper.
Paul Massey10/12The bunk beds in Alexandra Tolstoy's Victorian terrace in London are from Scumble Goosie are painted in Farrow and Ball’s 'Rectory Red', a vibrant and fun colour, which stands out against the more serene pale green walls of this antique-filled children's room.
Alexander James11/12Interior design duo Salvesen Graham painted these bunk beds in a Victorian house in west London in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Hague Blue’, with the skirting and cornice in the same dramatic shade cleverly tying the scheme together. Making savvy use of the limited space, the lower bunk has a discreet roomy storage drawer and there is also a built-in shelf at the head of the bunks for books, alarms and trinkets.
12/12These bespoke bunk beds in this four-storey end-of-terrace house in leafy Hampstead designed by Anna Haines are painted in ‘Lichen’ by Farrow & Ball.
