this room needs help

Bedroom 3.



Right now, it's a shared boy and girl bedroom. Five year old boy. Seven year old girl. I knew it was going to be tricksy. But, after studiously researching some inspiration pics, I had a plan in my head. A decent direction mapped.

The problem was, the kids weren't going for my plan and didn't care diddly squat for my direction.

I didn't want to be too controlling with their space, so they wound up taping everything that stood still for longer than 5 seconds to the wall.

And Punkin wanted Caribbean-colored shelves for her birthday.

Not. part. of. THE. PLAN.



I feel like I blinked and it turned into a jumbled mess of IKEA Meets Sunday School Crafts...

Meets Jedi Council...

Meets aquamarine shelving.



I had thought I was establishing a rather generous color scheme. Based loosely on the colors of these books here.



Which - more or less - mirror the colors in the town rug.

The town rug that both of them really dislike.

Anyway... I haven't finished the room. Maybe that was part of the reason it started getting all wild. Because there was open space. I'm hoping, planning to work on it next month. I really don't want to be too controlling of it... obsess over it. But, I would like it to come together a little better. I'd like to get a rug they don't scowl at.

What's up with that, anyway? What's wrong with the rug? Punkin also thinks the "jaggy" polka dots are too boy. But, I can't please everyone all the time. And they stay.

So, here's my question...



What rug would you go with instead of the IKEA town rug? And please don't pipe up and say that you're one of the people in the world that don't like rugs over wall-to-wall. I'm planning on a rug. The room looks unfinished without one. Ungrounded.

I had my eye on something like this (but a little darker gray)...

Source: decorpad.com via Jacci on Pinterest

... thinking it would work well in Brother's room when Baby and Punkin get their girly room together and he goes solo. But, guess what.

They don't like it.

It's even worse than the town rug. Too "decorator-y." Seriously. One of them said that to me.

Can I just say, really, in general my kids are sweet. Generally respectful. They have great dispositions. But, I made the mistake early on in letting them have this crazy thing called an opinion. And, boy - did they catch on quick. NO stripes. The sovereigns have declared it.

So let it be written. So let it be done.

What do you guys think might work here? A solid? I kind of wonder if the room looks disjointed because there's a lot of little bits of color. The IKEA rug looked much better before the 53 packs of Scotch tape found their way to the wall. But all the bits here and bits there paired with the bits of broken up color in the rug just wound up looking very unpurposeful. And not in a good way. I'm not sure I can convince them to go for a graphic rug. Something like these. Even though that's what I think would look best. I can't spend a fortune, either. Do you have any ideas? Links?



I have, since these photos were taken, brought a little order to the "art walls". (The birdie print is still in the kitchen. It was just holding place for another RIBBA frame that same size).

It helped a little.

Moving on.



Please excuse the pretty-daggone-bad-low-light iPhone photo. But, the shelves. What can I do to make the color of the shelves less random?

I haven't put anything permanent on the dresser top, yet. I was thinking maybe a potted plant in a container with this color? Maybe painting something like a large ceramic animal with this stuff? Okay, maybe not. But something with this color on the other side of the room. Maybe?

Orrrrrrrrrr...

Source: landofnod.com via Jacci on Pinterest

Or I could kill two birds with one stone and work the shelf color in with the rug?

Too much? Yeah, probably. And maybe a little too girly for a shared room.

Source: landofnod.com via Jacci on Pinterest

This one? There is a lot of aqua going on upstairs these days. This would help tie this bedroom in with the others some.

Source: ikea.com via Jacci on Pinterest

This IKEA rug is super high-energy. It has the bright aqua in it. Hmm...

But, wait! It's stripes! Stink. I wonder if it changes things if they're happy cuh-RAZY stripes instead of Blog World stripes.

I'll ask my clients.

I want to figure out what I'm doing with the rug first, I think. That will set the budget for the other items and give me an idea of how to work the other colors in or take them out. And I have to figure out what to do about the aqua shelves (the color is Sherwin Williams "Aquarium", by the way. Punkin picked it and Punkin loves it). It stays.

Any thoughts?