Designing a second floor that accommodates multiple children with distinct personalities presents one of the most rewarding challenges in residential architecture. When interior designer Jared Sherman Epps took on the Lexington Colonial project featured on This Old House, he faced exactly this task: creating three unique bedrooms for three girls with vastly different tastes and needs. The principles behind that thoughtful approach extend well beyond a single renovation. Builders, architects, and homeowners alike can benefit from understanding how architectural design and building envelope strategies interact with interior planning to create spaces that feel personal, functional, and cohesive under one roof.
Understanding the Second Floor Layout Challenge
The second floor of a family home often serves as a private retreat, separated from the communal living areas below. In the Lexington Colonial renovation, the existing 1966 Garrison Colonial layout required a complete rethinking of how bedrooms, bathrooms, and circulation spaces would work together. The second floor design tour with Jared Sherman Epps reveals how careful zoning transforms an ordinary floor plan into a series of personalized sanctuaries.
Zoning the Floor Plan for Privacy
One of the first decisions in any second floor layout is how to arrange bedrooms relative to shared spaces such as hallways, bathrooms, and linen closets. The key considerations include:
- Noise separation: Place bedrooms away from stairwells and high-traffic areas to minimize sound transfer between floors.
- Bathroom access: Ensure each bedroom has reasonable proximity to a bathroom, ideally with direct access from the hallway rather than requiring passage through another room.
- Visual privacy: Orient bedroom doors so that opening them does not reveal the entire interior from the hallway.
- Natural light distribution: Position bedrooms to capture morning or afternoon light based on the occupant preference.
Working Within Existing Structural Constraints
Renovations differ from new construction in one critical aspect: the existing structure dictates much of what is possible. Load-bearing walls, window placements, and existing mechanical chases all influence where bedrooms can go. In the Lexington Colonial, the team worked with the original footprint while reconfiguring interior partitions to create three bedrooms of roughly equal size. This approach avoids costly structural reinforcement while still delivering a transformed interior.
Creating Individual Bedroom Identities
The central insight from Jared Sherman Epps design approach is that each child requires a room that reflects their personality, supports their activities, and grows with them over time. Achieving three distinct identities under one roof requires a thoughtful palette of materials, colors, and furnishings. The structural steel design principles that govern the bones of the house are invisible to the occupant, but the finishes, fixtures, and spatial layout define the experience of each room.
Color and Theme Selection
Each bedroom in the Lexington Colonial project features a distinct color story and thematic approach. The strategies used can be applied to any multi-bedroom project:
- Use color temperature to differentiate spaces: Warm tones such as blush, peach, and coral create cozy intimate rooms, while cooler blues and greens promote calmness and focus.
- Incorporate accent walls: A single bold wall behind the bed headboard provides visual impact without overwhelming a small room.
- Layer textures over patterns: Introduce texture through bedding, rugs, curtains, and upholstered headboards rather than relying solely on painted walls.
- Carry a unifying element: Even with different color schemes, repeating one material or finish such as white trim, brass hardware, or oak flooring across all bedrooms creates visual cohesion.
Furniture and Storage Planning
Children’s bedrooms require more storage per square foot than any other room in the house. The design must accommodate clothing, toys, books, school supplies, and personal collections without feeling cluttered. The following table summarizes effective storage strategies by room type:
| Storage Type | Best For | Space Requirement | DIY Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in wardrobes | Clothing and accessories | 24 inches deep, full wall | No |
| Under-bed drawers | Seasonal items and linens | 6 to 12 inches clearance | Yes |
| Wall-mounted shelving | Books and display items | 8 to 12 inches deep | Yes |
| Window seat storage | Toys and games | 18 to 24 inches deep | Moderate |
| Peg rails and hooks | Backpacks and jackets | Minimal wall area | Yes |
Integrating storage into furniture pieces such as platform beds with drawers or desks with overhead cabinets maximizes usable floor space for play and study.
Shared Spaces and Circulation
A well-designed second floor balances private bedrooms with shared spaces that facilitate family interaction. The hallway, landing, and any shared bathroom must function as transitional zones that connect the individual rooms. Good pavement design principles teach us that surface transitions matter, and the same thinking applies indoors: the floor materials, lighting levels, and width of circulation paths all influence how people move through and experience the space.
Hallway as a Design Element
The hallway on a second floor is more than a passageway. It is the spine that connects the bedrooms and provides the first impression of the upstairs living area. Design considerations include:
- Lighting layering: Combine ambient ceiling fixtures with wall sconces to eliminate dark corridors.
- Flooring continuity: Use the same flooring material throughout the hallway to create visual flow. Hardwood or luxury vinyl planks work well for durability and consistency.
- Gallery walls: A hallway lined with framed artwork, photographs, or children’s creations adds personality and makes the transition between rooms feel intentional.
Shared Bathroom Design
When three bedrooms share one or two bathrooms, the layout must accommodate multiple users simultaneously. Key features to consider include:
- Dual vanities with separate mirror and storage zones for each user.
- A separate water closet for the toilet to allow simultaneous sink use.
- Ample counter space for toiletries and personal items.
- Task lighting on both sides of the mirror rather than a single overhead fixture.
Technology and Modern Home Design Tools
Planning a second floor renovation with multiple bedrooms has become significantly easier with modern design software. Builders and homeowners alike can use home design software for floor plan design to experiment with different layouts, test furniture arrangements, and visualize color schemes before committing to construction. These tools allow you to walk through the second floor virtually, checking sightlines, traffic patterns, and natural light angles from any position in the house.
Finishing Touches That Matter
The difference between a functional second floor and an exceptional one lies in the details. The finishes and fixtures selected during construction determine how the space feels, functions, and holds up over years of daily use.
Flooring Choices for Upstairs Bedrooms
Flooring selection for second floor bedrooms involves balancing comfort, acoustics, and durability. Here are the most common options ranked by their suitability for children’s bedrooms:
- Carpet: Soft underfoot, excellent sound absorption, and warm in winter. Choose high-density carpet with a stain-resistant treatment for longevity.
- Engineered hardwood: Durable and timeless but requires acoustic underlayment to reduce sound transmission to the floor below.
- Luxury vinyl plank: Waterproof, scratch-resistant, and comfortable underfoot. Ideal for children prone to spills.
- Cork flooring: Naturally antimicrobial, soft, and excellent at sound dampening. A premium option for bedrooms.
Window Treatments and Light Control
Children’s bedrooms require flexible light control for sleeping, playing, and studying. Layered window treatments such as blackout roller shades paired with decorative curtains give parents control over nap-time darkness while allowing natural light during waking hours. Consider cordless designs for safety in younger children’s rooms.
Electrical and Safety Considerations
Modern second floor design must account for the electrical demands of digital life. Each bedroom should include:
- At least two USB-C outlets near the desk or bedside areas.
- A ceiling fan with integrated light fixture for air circulation and ambient lighting.
- Dimmable switches in bedrooms to adjust lighting levels for reading versus sleep.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors interconnected with the rest of the house.
Conclusion
The second floor design approach demonstrated in the Lexington Colonial project offers lasting lessons for anyone planning a multi-bedroom renovation. By treating each bedroom as a unique design problem while maintaining a cohesive overall vision, builders and designers can create spaces that respect individual personalities without sacrificing the architectural integrity of the home. Whether you are building new or renovating an existing structure, the same principles apply: understand the spatial constraints, develop a clear design language, invest in quality finishes, and always plan for how the rooms will be used daily.
For families with specific accessibility needs, thoughtful planning extends to every room in the house. Resources on accessible kitchen design and construction for universal design kitchens illustrate how similar thinking about user-specific needs can apply across the entire home. The same attention to individual requirements that makes each child’s bedroom special can guide decisions in every other room, creating a home that works for every member of the family, today and for years to come.