Five years ago, Ben and I were new parents and found ourselves feeling a little cramped in our starter home. We had outgrown our first home, which was an adorable duplex in Northampton, and were searching for a new home to accommodate our growing family.

We had a few items on our “must have” list: a large yard for our dogs and children to play, at least 4 bedrooms, and a view (we love our mountain views!). As we were house hunting, we came across our current home which met all of our wants except for the fourth bedroom; however, it had a bonus space that we knew we could eventually finish when we found ourselves needing more room.

An old cellphone image of the bonus space. It sure looks different now!

Fast forward a few years and we found ourselves expecting our second child. We decided it would be an ideal time to finish the bonus space which, for a short time, became a guest/playroom for the kiddos.

As my business continued to grow, I found myself really needing an office. As a stay-at-home mama and business owner, I needed a space that was my own where I could shut the door and focus on my work tasks without being disturbed or distracted. The obvious solution was to have our girls share a room to free up a space for my office.

We decided to give it a try and turned the playroom into their shared bedroom/playroom. I LOVE everything home decor and decided I wanted to have a farmhouse-inspired space for the girls. I also wanted to do everything on a budget since I know that kids outgrow things quickly and can be rough on their things. I didn’t want to spend a ton and then get upset when things got scratched, colored on or damaged (these things are inevitable when you have young kids)—I wanted them to have a space that was their own that they could enjoy!

I started with a cream/wooden/baby pink theme and then found pieces one by one to make the space feel complete. I love the metal farmhouse beds that I found brand new on Facebook Marketplace (can you believe that!?). The pink buffalo check bedding, pink under-bed storage boxes and futon are from Ikea. The girls’ craft table is from Pottery Barn Kids and the adorable kitchen set came from Amazon. The wooden dresser and most of the wall art was found at Homegoods—my favorite place to shop! Finally, the bookshelves were on sale from Target, so I grabbed two! I just love how the shelves are different heights and widths to accommodate their toys.

The most meaningful pieces in the space are the refinished antique pie table that I am using as a shared bedside table for the girls, the found milk glass vases and the antique kitchen canisters in the play kitchen. The kitchen canisters were from Ben’s grandmother’s house—I just love that they have something from their great-grandmother to play with and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy a little peek into our girls’ sea salt & pink farmhouse space!

Alyssa is a fine art wedding & portrait photographer serving the Lehigh Valley, Poconos, New Jersey, Philadelphia & surrounding areas.   To inquire about having your special memories documented, send a note here.