Have your cake and eat it too
Remember the excitement of decorating your first home together with your partner? You put so much effort into creating a beautiful space that reflects your personal style, featuring memorabilia from holidays and heirloom furniture from grandparents. Then you have your first child, and you soon find your home dominated by bright plastic toys and furniture pieces, making your little nest look like a preschool rather than a home. But with some careful planning and creative ideas, designing your home to be both stylish and kid-friendly should not be an impossible task. The feature posts by Design Mom Gabrielle Blair, give great examples of how families with young kids can have gorgeous yet practical homes.
It's all in the materials
For furnishings that you use every day that can withstand the daily abuse of being jumped on, spilled on, and sometimes even drawn on, durability is key. One of the great pieces of advice I came across is the importance of outdoor materials used for indoor furniture. With the advancement of technology, synthetic water-proof materials are now more sophisticated both in terms of texture and design. This way, your couch can actually be hosed down if necessary and can be more resistant to spills and stains! Consider using scratch-resistant flooring materials, like stained hardwood or tile for a stylish look, and they age well too! If you would like to place some kid’s furniture in the living room, go for neutral colors so they can blend in with the rest of the adult furniture around.
Think storage
It is unavoidable that along with kids come a lot of toys, crafts, books, and more. Without proper and clever storage solutions, your home will become cluttered before you know it. For example, colorful baskets are perfect for stuffed animals, or Grandma’s antique chest is both practical and visually appealing and can hide a good amount of craft materials. An Ottoman with built-in storage serves as a great toy box and a corner-free coffee table at the same time!
Play Corner
One of the best ways to make your home feel kid-friendly is to include a little play area in the common space so that the kiddos can call it their own. It doesn’t need to be big, just a little nook or corner where they can relax and express their creativity can go a long way. You can decorate it with art done by the kids, like a kind of showcase of their creative outputs, or place a cozy rug and a few cushions on the floor for their quiet time.
Photo: @happynomadsouls
There are still so many great ideas out there for designing a stylish and kid-friendly home, the key is to find the right balance between style and functionality. With a little creativity, a splash of humour, and some planning, it is possible to create a space that is both beautiful and safe for you and your children. So, go ahead and let your imagination run wild – the possibilities are endless!
Stay Sparky!
