Operation Sister Room: How We Updated Our Girls' Room To Create The Perfect Shared Space

If you’ve followed along on Instagram, you know that we recently completed “Operation Sister Room”, where we turned my oldest’s room into a space she can share with her sister!

Why did we do this, you ask?

Since we moved into this home, we have always had it in our minds that we would have the girls share a room at some point. The room my 4 year old moved into was the perfect space to share, with enough space on either side of the window for twin beds.

She loved the idea of having her sister in the same room as her because she can tend to get anxious at night, and my 2 year old always seems to sleep better when she knows someone else is with her.

And even though my youngest had her own room, she never slept in there. She would always want to sleep in a Pack ‘n Play in my oldest’s room. So it was time to get a real bed in there for her!

Hence “Operation Sister Room”.

Here’s where we started (after fixing this up for our oldest)…

I originally planned on building headboards for this space and updating a few minor things, but (of course) this project kept spiraling as new ideas popped into my head.

So, now, I’ll share all the DIYs and decor with you here so you can reference it all in one spot!

OPERATION SISTER ROOM: HOW WE UPDATED OUR GIRLS’ ROOM TO CREATE THE PERFECT SHARED SPACE

FEATURE WALL

SCALLOPED HEADBOARDS

What inspired this entire room was the fact that I wanted to make some scalloped headboards for the space! But I wanted to do it in a simple way.

I wanted to be able to use tools I already had and plywood (because that’s always the cheaper option).

So headboards turned into more of a wall feature!

I grabbed some 4’x8’x1/4″ sanded plywood and measured how far up the wall I wanted these headboard features to go. I decided on 4′.

Then I drew a line at the 4′ mark to use as a guide. Once I had my line, I needed to create my scalloped guide.

You know what I used? A paint staining can! Total professional over here. I simply eyeballed how large I wanted my scallops to be and tested a few variations out on some paper first.

Then I started to draw my scallops on the back of the plywood sheet. I used the can (approximately 2/3rds of the way around) to create a scallop, marked two dots on the can so I could ensure each scallop was uniform, and continued the pattern accross.

I did this two times for our two walls that would have twin beds in front of them, then I used my HART Tools Orbital Jig Saw to cut them out.

I also used my favorite C Clamps to secure my boards as I cut.

Don’t forget to cut out where any outlets are on your walls too!

Once they were cut, I primed them with Bulls Eye Primer.

Then it was time to paint them! I had gotten several Sherwin Williams samples, but none of them were working for me.

I settled on mixing Sherwin Williams’ Romance and Sashay Sand in a 1:1 ratio to create the color of my headboards!

And before I brad nailed them to the wall, I needed to install wallpaper above them first!

WALLPAPER

When Brooke at Nesting With Grace launched a new wallpaper collection, I fell in love with the Ditsy Floral print in black!

So I snagged a couple rolls to use above where the headboards would go!

It was peel and stick, so I just used my wallpaper tool kit to help me adhere it to the wall.

Once the wallpaper was up, I secured my scalloped headboards to the wall using brad nails and my brad nailer.

I then caulked around the edges and got a second coat of paint on them!

Now, the feature wall was done!

SHIPLAP

But wait… now that the wall was done, the window left something to be desired. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but then someone in my community suggested shiplap!

That was it!

So using the leftover plywood from my headboards and my jigsaw, I cut 6″ shiplap boards and fit them in around the window.

I used brad nails to secure them to the wall, then I primed them and painted them Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore to match the walls in the room!

A quick and easy update that made all the difference!

SHELVES

Now to figure out if I needed nightstands or if I wanted to build some shelves! I had been debating throughout the feature wall process, but once that was done, the decision practically made itself!

Shelves it was! But I decided I wanted them to have scalloped edges so they not only matched the headboards, but so there were also no sharp corners to hit heads on!

I again grabbed my extra plywood sheets and searched for something round around my home that was about the size I wanted for the shelves.

I settled on a breadboard! I used that to trace a round guide.

Then I grabbed my stain can again to help me create the scalloped edges! This time, I only traced about 1/3rd of the can for my scallops. Since this was going to be round, the scallops didn’t need to be as large.

Lastly, I wanted these to wrap around the corner of the wall, so I drew a 90 degree angle 6″ in to cut out as well so it sat flush against the two walls.

I repeated that process twice, then I used my jigsaw and clamps again to cut them out.

Again, I primed them and painted them Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore!

(See the repeated use of materials here to create several different features for the room? That always helps me save money on projects like these!)

I snagged two sets of gold brackets from World Market that I knew would be perfect for the room…

And I secured them on either side of the corner to hold the shelves in place!

Then, I used liquid nails on top of the brackets to secure the shelves to them… I know that’s not the greatest idea in the world, but I didn’t want to put screws through those shelves!

So far, it’s holding up!

BEDDING

Now that all the items were built, it was time to talk bedding!

BEDDING

We have always loved our Beddy’s Bedding for our girls, so we grabbed a second set of Chic White Bedding for my 2-year-old.

It’s fantastic because it’s all one piece, and it zips up! So it is simple to make the bed, wash the bedding, and keep kids in the bed.

BEDSKIRT

We also love the Chic White Bedskirt! It matches the bedding well and acts like a fitted sheet. It cinches around your box spring so it doesn’t move when you slide the mattress around.

I mean, come on! Coolest thing ever!

BLANKETS

We let our 4-year-old pick out the blankets she wanted on their beds! She found these pink faux fur blankets at Target, and she couldn’t put them down!

So that’s what we went with! And honestly, I don’t blame her. They’re SO soft!

PILLOWS

Our decorative pillows are all from Cloth + Cabin but they’re no longer available! Keep an eye out in the springtime to see if they come back, and you can always use my code…

ISH10

… to save 10% on Cloth + Cabin’s site!

DECOR

Now that all the big things were done, it was time for the fun part… DECOR!

HOOP WREATHS

Let’s start with the hoop wreaths. I made these years ago for my daughter and put them up above her window when we moved in.

I love how they act as a window dressing of sorts since this window is too low for curtains!

I have a tutorial and answer FAQs on how I make my hoop wreaths here!

RUG

I loved the rug we used to have in this room; but with two beds, we just needed something larger!

I stumbled upon this gorgeous rug from Boutique Rugs…

And I knew it was exactly what we needed to keep the same look and feel, but to also elevate the room!

I grabbed an 8′ round!

SCONCES + MAGIC LIGHT TRICK

I also realized the beds needed sconces above them once we were starting to put the room together. Isn’t it funny how new ideas have a way of popping up once your initial ideas start to come together?

I grabbed two gold sconces from Amazon…