Personally I would block the outside entrance if I had toddlers. A strategically placed curtain with a couch, chair or dresser in front would work. I would also see if I could paint the utility door with chalkboard paint and set that area up for arts & crafts. Be sure to put a deadbolt lock on the door so the little ones won't want to wander in while playing.

Go light and bright on the walls and use a colorful area rug to distract from the hideous grey carpeting!

Good luck!!!

Most apartments will let you paint walls but I doubt they can get away with painting a door. Maybe frame a piece of plywood, put it over the door and paint that with chalkboard paint?

I would also suggest blocking off the door to the outside--maybe with a good, self-locking babygate? You don't want something too heavy or cumbersome in case of fire.

Other than that, I'm stumped. That room is a dilly of a pickle.

The chalk board paint is a good idea. Wall stickers - ETSY has tons of unique ones, are a good way to spruce up the walls and easily removed. I would add a colorful area rug to hide the ugly carpet and place furniture in front of the doors. A tall bookcase should do the trick for at least one problem door. Blocking and locking the door to the outside is key! Maybe taking the closet door off and storing it then adding fabric curtains in a fun colorful print would help as well. Don't forget PLANTS!!!

Depending on your need for closet space... it looks like the closet has sliding doors, which come off (and go back up) easily. You can make a reading nook or toy corner in the closet after removing the doors. I've seen lots of cute before/afters posted here.

Love the idea for the chalkboard art space on the utility room door. Maybe some magnetic paint underneath the chalkboard paint for a set of alphabet magnets or fridgits? Something a little less harsh visually (as in still white paint in a rental) is the glow in the dark paint. See Fangletronics link:

http://www.fangletronics.com/2010/01/glow-in-dark-sketch-wall-and-led-pens.html

I like the idea of pulling a piece of fabric/tapestry over the outside door and then putting a nice chair/couch in front of it. You could run the bed down the longest running wall on the right. That's all I got right now. This room is tough.

I would pop off the closet doors to lighten the space. Hang a piece of fabric infront of the door to outside and put a chair in front of it, or two chairs and a little table. The wall to the right of the outside door would be best for two little beds. You could put the headboards against that wall and place them close to one another or put them foot to foot.
ceiling tiles can be covered by swagging fabric in and out of the aluminum grid.

my first instinct would be to block the exit to backyard door, but if that is your only exit... then perhaps that would not work. you could set up the two beds (side by side) against the largest wall with the heads of the bed to the wall, block the utility door with something functional (low profile wardrobe for clothes), and place a table/art/play space near the large closet which can function as an everything storage closet. toys and art supplies can be near the play space and doors can be pulled shut to "quiet" the room at bedtime. PAINT!

a super-low, shared loft bed could help free up some additional play space or reading nook area underneath the bed, too.

The ceiling tile fabric idea is likely a nono--that would be a fire hazard, and if your landlord follows the rules, that wouldn't be acceptable.

If I were you, I'd install either a simple hook and eye or a slide bolt on the outside door, up high, so it's not openable for the kids, but able to be opened for a fire exit.

As for aesthetics, a fun color of paint coordinated with bed linens, a bright rug over the carpet, and bring kids' stuff in, and soon you won't notice the ugliness that's so obvious in an empty room. I love the reading nook idea and the chalkboard idea. Perhaps a mini-rolling cart for dress up clothes could go in front of one door?

I suggest making a wood frame out of 2x2 and plywood that would insert into one of the doorways you do want to completely block.

You can then decorate in fabric or paint with chalkboard. I like the idea of doing both. Cover the top section with padding and burlap for a decorative board that stuff can be hung on and chalkboard paint on the bottom

I wish I could have seen the whole room in a few pictures.

Decide which two doorways you want to block.

Plywood is sold in pre-cut 4x8s you can buy quickly, and the store can cut whatever custom sizes you want to make an art wall.

The first thing I'd do is buy a huge area rug to cover up that yucky grey carpet.

If you can take off those closet doors and store them somewhere out of view, you can redo the closet as a combo storage/nook.

Wow, you all are the best! I'm loving the plywood/chalkboard idea, and will definitely experiment with removing the closet doors and making a cozy nook. The more I think about it, the more I realize I can also block the door to the back yard, since there are two other ways to get there. But it should be somewhat accessible in case of fire. Perhaps covering it halfway is the way to go.

Why is rental carpet SO BAD ALWAYS?

Thanks, y'all. I see this as my biggest design challenge yet!

Didn't read many of the comments above, so I apologize if I'm echoing someone else's idea.
Baby-gate the outdoor access and then hang multiple curtain panels continuing from the big window over to that door, thereby covering it. Know what I mean?
Then, as one of the first commenters suggested, place a large chair or bookshelf in front of it to deter little nosy nosers.
For the drop-ceiling tiles, try getting one or several large sheets and hanging them from the cross sections, creating a billowy effect. I don't believe it'd be much of a fire hazard if you don't have/use ceiling lights. If you feel uneasy about that idea, you could thumb-tack artwork/posters/colorful paper to the individual ceiling tiles.
For the other doors you won't be using, you could hang cork tiles from and display artwork and photos
We're in a rental house right now too and knowing that there are beautiful hardwood floors underneath the wall-to-wall carpeting in my daughter's bedroom is KILLING me! But we're making-do with a huge (and cheap!) area rug that I got from IKEA and painted stripes on.
Hope this helps!

nellymom, I'm laughing about dilly of a pickle, too funny.

That's a ton of doors! Was it maybe a laundry room or office at some point originally?

I'd block the outside door too and like the idea of plywood covered with chalkboard paint (or a really cool wallpaper, dwell studio has got some cute patterns for kids).

Could you use Flor tiles on top of carpet? They've got great bright colors and prints, you can even mix and match to your liking.

I'd put two beds in an L formation, heads together so that they meet on the corner where utility door and backyard door meet.
I'd have to have a childproof lock on that outside door.

when I was renting, I realy wanted wall paper up in my baby girls room. My husband went to the hardware store and got a thin panaling that waqs unfinished. It was realy cheep to about 14$ a bord. I pinned them up with alot of the velcro strips you hang pictures up with and hung my walpaper. It did look great and it came down with out any realy work and moved to our new place. No damage at all in the 1.5 years we lived there with her. I am just guessing with very little damage you could put a cupple presher rods up on the door way and use it as support. As for the other three ext"s. Hang pritty curtens. same color as the wall or shear with little butter flys pinned on or flowers. That would block the veiw of the doors with out makeing them unuseable. Hange them over the whole wall like a decoritive affect. as for the bathroom make it fit your girls theme. Make it part of the room and make sure it is tot proofed. Baby gards on the bathtube or lock on the shower door. Hange another shear over the door. Best part about decorative shears covering the wall in the bed room you can clip the girls art up on them. No take wholes to fill when you move out.

My thoughts to share...
--take off the closet doors, closets for little people is such a waste of space, put clothes in a dresser. Can put dresser in closet too.
--can hang a long piece of colorful material like a swag over windows and carry over to opening of closet to frame the space.
--put beds in L shape either in front of door to backyard or to utility room (which ever fits best) this way you can still use as an emer. exit but not easily accessible to girls.
--posters over some of the ceiling tiles to add color and design.
--Ikea has great light fixtures for kids rooms can hang from ceiling tile frame.
--PAINT the walls, they look like they need it! even if white go with an eggshell or semi gloss to add light (shinier paint reflects light to brighten a room)
--small table for a work space for the girls and hang rod above it to use for crayons, play things...(again Ikea, like the ones used in the kitchen to hang spices, utensils...)
--cover a door with felt material (cheap) and make little dress up dolls with furniture, etc.. so they can play like a dollhouse. find pics of things in clip art, etc, print off, color, laminate and add velcro to back of each item/doll.
--I salvaged 4 old wood windows (glass was intact) from a curb and found large posters to fit behind them. I did two a beach theme and 2 fall landscapes with leaves changing colors. I add them to rooms that look small (we move alot due to hubbys job) and it adds a "window" to a space that needs color or someplace to draw the eye.
--stick with simple material (colorful is OK), duvet covers, material from Ikea to coordinate so room will look fun colorful but not cluttered.
post pics when you're done!

Is this the only bedroom in the apartment?? If you were to move into this room and give your girls the master bedroom it might give you peace of mind about all those doors. Just a thought.

I'm thinking the outside exit door was necessary for code requirements because the windows are so high!! There's no way a person could get out through the windows if there was a fire. I'd be inclined to block the utility door, but NOT an exit door.

However, I understand the need not to have your toddlers wandering around. Perhaps a lock high up that can be opened easily in an emergency? Then, perhaps come decorative decals on the door or chalkboard contact paper (they do make it - we have used it in our own home).

Removing the closet walls is genius! Pop in a dresser and staple curtains to the inside to open up the floor space. Then, find a good position for the beds that leaves open space and have a big outdoor rug (cheap!) in the center. A low bookshelf and snuggly beanbags under the window would be great.

would it be possible for this to be the master bedroom, instead of a child's bedroom? I would be rather leary of that door to the backyard.

I haven't read all the other comments.
My first thought was to use a dressing screen to put in front of the door to the utility room and then put a bed in front of that. (Make the screen a make-shift wall.) As for the 2 beds, if you are not using bunk beds, maybe put them in an "L" shape in the one corner possibly overlapping the dressing screen/utility door.

I'd also make use of removable wall stickers. You said you can paint, but the wall stickers can be changed out more frequently and more affordably.

I want to echo the few wise comments above about NOT putting toddlers into this bedroom. It's trouble waiting to happen.

Why not make your bedroom the toddler room? Or, you can have them sleep in a small office or den (if you have one) and make this room their play area.

Or, you could come up with some other creative solution that doesn't involve giving toddlers access to the bathroom, laundry room, and back yard.

That outside door is the big problem-every house needs multiple exits in case of fire, but it absolutely must be secured to keep the girls in and strangers out! I would look at all those openings as opportunities! First, how deep is the closet? Can you remove the doors and put a built in bed for the girls in the closet? If the little girls are toddlers they can sleep at opposite ends of the same bed. Even if the bed protrudes into the room a little, it still frees up more play space. I would surround the closet opening with a 'castle' cut from poster board. Make a few colorful banners to hang from staffs of the castle. If your little girls need a bed rail at night, make it look like a drawbridge that can be let down during the day. If the utility room door never has to be opened, I would take the door off and build a shallow storage unit in its place, with a bin at the bottom and shelves above. If putting a bed in the closet is out of the question, then I would make that the toy storage area, again with bins at the bottom for easy access to large toys and shelves above. I think I would also place two little desks in the middle where they can look at books or dress a barbie, color etc. There is no detail about the bathroom. Is this a bathroom you will be using? Is this the only entrance? If it is, then a clear path will have to be maintained. This room looks pretty small, but we aren't seeing one end of it, it may be longer than it looks. If your girls have toddler beds, they can probably be placed with the heads against the wall opposite the bath room, but I'm not sure a twin bed would fit there. If they sleep in one bed, you can place it with one side against that wall. If they use two beds, consider a trundle where the second bed slides under the first during the day. As for the extremely ugly carpet, make a floor cloth! Buy a painters canvas (cheap at wall mart) and fit it to the room. Sew or glue under any cut edges. Tape it down on a flat hard surface. If you have to do it indoors, put plastic under it. Paint both sides (to seal it) letting each side dry before painting the other. Then paint the top any color you wish, buy some fabric (get a a little girl theme or flowers, teddy bears etc) and place them around them on the floor cloth in a pleasing pattern. glue them down with Elmers or a comparable glue. You can finish the edge with a couple of rows of checker boards-just cut sponges into squares, dip in paint and stamp on-they look better if the paint is scant. Finish it off with a couple of layers of diamond finish varathane (some other clear coats yellow over time) letting it dry well between coats. Its easy to clean and will look great. If the landlord will let you paint, that will help those walls! If not, I once 'papered' a room with gift wrap and scotch tape! I would put stick on, glow in the dark stars on the ugly ceiling If you can't paint or paper, look for kids fabric and make 'panels' out of cardboard covered with fabric. You can buy or scrounge boxes and cut them open for the panels. Hang the panels around the room like paintings. Paint a few cardboard panels with chalk paint for art surfaces. You can also hang toys on the wall for decoration and to get them up off the floor. I would probably put a chest for clothing under the window and some pretty ruffled curtains to soften the space.

I'm with fuzzyEgg - swap rooms and take this one for youself, and give them a room that does NOT have an outside door or a utility room with water and electricity.

As adults, you can edge around furniture, and make do, much better than fuzzy-brained beautiful children.

i was thinking one set of bunk beds but if they are still little perhaps that wont be safe. what about one twin day bed. have them sleep feet to feet on either end. if you did get a day bed there might be a way to attach (tie on) a large oblong pillow to help establish different sleeping areas in one bed. to cover the door if your still needing to use to door you could do some modern day hippy hanging beads, ribbons, felt balls or cut out shapes, or a curtian. good luck.

Wow, I thought my daughters bedroom was bad, but this one has it beat. Here are my suggestions: DO NOT BLOCK THE BACK DOOR with anything other than a dead bolt with a thumb latch and a drape if this is your only second exit in the house. Building code laws require a second exit for a reason: SAFETY. That said, a nice thermal drape could add some insulation and hide it while not blocking it. Covering the door with a sheet of thin Masonite, or plywood coated with chalkboard paint (notch around door handle and lock) and attached with industrial strength Velcro might be a nice fix as well. A child's table and chairs set in front of the door could easily be moved, even by children, in case of an emergency. Bookcases can easily be secured to the wall by "L" brackets hidden at the top or under a shelf of a bookcase if you want one in front of the utility room door. Fabric can do wonders on the ceiling. Check with the landlord before painting wood stained doors. This could be a problem. The daybed ideas that have been given sound great. Lots of times these problem rooms turn out to be the best rooms in the house, because they require more thought and creativity. Have fun setting this up and good luck.