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How Should I Paint the Walls in the Twins Room?
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Q: I have two toddler boys and am now pregnant with twins. I'm due in 5 weeks but the babies could come any time. I am trying to figure out what to do with the babies' walls. I realized that everything else in this room is tan- the cribs, the changing table, the loveseat, the carpet, and the baskets. So to liven up the room I want to paint some sort of design on the walls.

 
 

My first idea is to paint a chocolate brown rectangle on the wall, hang a little string in it and use wooden clothespins to hang a little dress and a little shorts outfit. Pink and blue. Typical boy/girl twin imagery.

I made a very quick sketch of the room this afternoon, then scanned the sketch and spent a couple of hours trying to figure out how to make Photoshop behave like Illustrator and add color to my rough sketch.

The girls' blanket and skirt is Marimekko Pieni Unikko Mini in light green and blue. The boys' blanket and skirt is from a Kingsway fabric called Flashback in Lime Twist. You can see the motifs repeated on the walls from these fabrics in the sketch labeled number 7.

Any ideas for what looks the best?
Thanks!

PS- I've got all the pictures up at my mommy blog, by the way at www.ktothfamily.blogspot.com.

Sent by: Kristen

Editor: Please share your ideas and opinions with Kristen in the comments below - thanks!

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Comments (11)

I see how you have one girl wall and one boy wall, but why not combine the two a bit? I like the idea of doing a loose version of the Flashback pattern with a good amount of space between the circles, but also peppering in the Marimekko flowers throughout. (Every 5th or 6th dot can be a flower instead.) I'd do this in those pretty blues, greens and chocolate browns from the patterns.

The brown square with the baby clothes is a cute accent idea, too.

Congratulations and GOOD LUCK to you!

- Mere

posted by mere1975 on September 8th 2009 at 1:16pm
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i like the checkerboard square pattern. i would paint them on a large canvas though...wait toddlers soon will be taking them off the wall....humm....ok second thought i like the circle and flower pattern room only i am not a fan of the flowers...i would do circles on both sides in boy or girl colors. let us know what you end up doing. congrats on your babies!

posted by jackied302 on September 8th 2009 at 2:52pm
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Have you thought about decorating with Wall Decals instead of painting your nursery? Wall Decals can be a very stylish, inexpensive and versatile way to decorate the rooms. You can do polka dots in pastel colors on one side and maybe a more bold design on the other side.

In our spare time, we started WeeDecor (http://www.weedecor.com), our Mommy blog, to provide fresh ideas and inspiration to other Moms for their baby and kids rooms. You can check out some of favorite nursery decorations on our blog.

posted by weeDECOR on September 8th 2009 at 2:52pm
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I know you didn't ask this, but I would suggest swapping the couch with the changing table wall unit and swapping the long curtains for some kind of mini blinds or shutters, to open up the space. Can you replace the couch with a chair that has a smaller footprint?

The rooms seems very dark...I would go with a bright bold color like yellow or turquoise on the walls and add accents that go with the bedding you like. Maybe do something fun with paper lanterns in different colors on the ceiling to give the room some more dimension?

Congrats and good luck with twins!

posted by TheLittlestChicken on September 8th 2009 at 6:44pm
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I have a boy and girl in the same room. They aren't twins but 19 months apart.
I painted the walls a light grey and went over the wall where my son's bed is on with a dry brush with a light grey blue. I did the same on my daughters crib wall with a smokey pink. I have one dresser that they share and she has her side with girly things and he has his cars and stuff on his side but they are the same style so it doesn't look like there is a line on tape down the middle of the room.
Oh I also pick out brown to inter twine both together.

posted by Icanmakeit on September 8th 2009 at 10:51pm
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The stripes. I love it!

posted by penelope22 on September 9th 2009 at 1:52am
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I also like the stripes. and I like the idea of swapping the couch with the changing table, and maybe get a white (washable) slipcover for that couch... it's looking a little dowdy... and will look more so once you redo the paint and curtains.
Good Luck!~

posted by teeze on September 9th 2009 at 9:33am
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it looks like you have a turquoise/aqua/lime thing going on. why not expand on that and stay away from cliche pink and blue? a rug to break up the sea of neutral, more cushions and/or a throw on the couch, an accent wall (much simpler when you're worried babes could arrive any day) and some art work, family photos, a hanging quilt?

posted by doubledutch on September 9th 2009 at 10:14am
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i vote for the stripes. i love the brown square idea.

congrats on your twins! multiples are fun. :D

posted by pyjammy on September 9th 2009 at 10:15am
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I love the first design, with the striped blue and pink walls.
Good luck!
:o)

posted by tylr61 on September 9th 2009 at 10:06pm
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I like the stripes, too, and I'm also a fan of the idea of switching couch and changing table. I think lighter curtains would look better, but I understand how important it is to block out light... evil, evil, nap-ending sunlight! :)

posted by girlwithgreencard on September 9th 2009 at 11:00pm
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