By the time Mancub #6 was born in mid-April of this year, we had reconstructed and remodeled the kitchen and entire lower level of our home...and switched up every bedroom in the house. Every piece of furniture in the entire house had been moved at least once during the pregnancy. It was crazy, to say the least!
One of the big decisions we made in the Spring was to move Troy and me out of the master bedroom, and re-assigning the largest bedroom of our house as the boys' bunk room.
Here are some thoughts about why we did it:
1. A desire for more "us", and less "me" mentality.
2. Space: We could have 5 boys (eventually 6) in one room with an extra room for a nursery, and one for an office, vs. 3 smaller rooms of 2 boys in each.
3. Family closet (boys closet) in the master walk-in.
4. Bigger closet = needing 1, not 3 dressers
5. Bonding and brother community.
6. Space for group gathering.
7. En Suite bathroom helpful for school mornings.
8. Desire to problem solve with what we have to work with.
As of two weeks ago, all 5 boys older boys are sleeping in the bunk room. It took Number 5 a few months to warm up to the idea of relinquishing his crib to the new baby. :) This room is still a work in progress. The arrows and hanging mobile decor around the dresser was made for my amazing arrow-themed baby shower...
The hanging bed was made by Troy, based off of this plan for hanging daybed, and adapted to our aesthetic with cable and hardware....
....and you may remember the decor above the hanging bed as the decor made for the simple machines birthday party...
Now that the 2 year old has moved in, there's even a little corner prepared just for him... 
There are two sets of floating bookshelves in each corner of the room...reading nooks for the boys to get lost in. By the way, I've decided that I'm going to make some sightly sleep sacks for their beds. There is no way to decently make a bunk bed, and I'm thinking I've got a good thing going with my idea! I'll let you know.... :)
The old school table and chairs now reside under the floating bed. The boys love to congregate there with Legos, puzzles, and artwork.
We purchased the popular graphic rug from IKEA as a fun focal point in the room, tying together colors in the room, and anchoring primary colors to a mature design element.
It was a bit of a heartbreak to give up the en suite bathroom with walk-in shower and garden tub, but ultimately, it has been a super convenient way to get ready for bed and up and going in the mornings.
You see that clipboard? It's the chore-chart keeper. There is no perfect solution or method to getting our kids to keep their room neat and tidy, but we've been sticking to a schedule that I created...and so far, so good. :)
Is it worth it to move all your kids into the master bedroom? We think yes. Is it hard? Do I sometimes miss my extra space? Yes and yes. But, for us, the joy and benefits have outweighed the sacrifices made. This bunk room is oftentimes a war zone, a laundry sorting center, dance party, a audio book listening center, and nightly family back rub headquarters.
And behind these master-bedroom double doors, there have been lots of crying, lots of laughing, lots of pride and ownership, and lots of brother caring for another brother. For us, Operation Bunkroom has accomplished more than just space; it's created closeness.