As most people with kids will attest, decorating a home comes with its own new considerations once little ones enter the picture. Everything from sticky fingers being wiped down on the couch to trying to grab everything in sight means that you have to take these things into account with your colour scheme, your furniture and home decors. Of course, having older children gives you a little more freedom to decorate as you wish but when it comes to younger kids, this is what I’ve learned…
Go for durable fabrics
We have a couch made from a durable earthy toned fabric and the pillows are made from quite a similar material so this helps to avoid the couch looking worse for wear. When it comes to the furniture in our home everything is quite neutral and quite durable so I always consider those things when I’m buying anything for the house.
Invest in baskets
I never used to have baskets around the house but now I love them as they’re great for storing (or hiding!) things like toys and pillows in a hurry. This is a lifesaver when guests pop around unexpectedly and I need to quickly tidy the house.
Do a big edit of ornaments
I still like having decorative bits and pieces around the house but I’ve done a big edit so I only have the pieces I really love dotted around our home. This makes it easier to keep track of them as the girls are quite curious and love picking things up and playing with them.
I like to do a tight edit of ornaments but find gallery walls to be a great way to liven up a space, but is out of the way from little hands
Choose neutral kids’ furniture
We live in an apartment so the kids’ space is our space so I feel like the kids’ stuff has to blend in with our stuff. I find children’s furniture can be really bright which tends to stick out a lot so we try to get furniture that is neutral so we’ll get white or blonde wood rather than bold colours such as reds, blues or greens.
Think like a kid
Ultimately kids will be kids so you have to take that into account whenever you’re buying/arranging anything in the home. So look around your home and see it from their eyes. For example I would position delicate things somewhere that’s a little more out of the way and not right in the middle of where the girls tend to play a lot. Now that the girls are older it’s a little bit easier, but it’s always important to think about what things are made of because for example something made of glass is definitely more prone to breakage than something made of wood.
Incorporate prints
Prints are the kind of thing that can mask dirt or stains really well. So if you’re worried about little fingers getting food all over a pristine cushion, consider something like a check or a ikat print or an equally as busy pattern to disguise any marks. It works a treat.
4 Comments
Mess is what i can call my children room. However, I`v noticed many interesting, i can say smart, solutions for kids room. I fully agree with all you mentioned, and my experience is – invest in high quality furniture and sliding wardrobes…you will be always able to hide that mees kids can make :))
We dod some grat work for our children and now are satisfied, so if you are looking for kids room ideas, start with quality furniture!
Before we got our kids everything in my house was a pristine white as I have an affinity to this colour. Slowly, things started changing (had to!) and now my house looks like a mis match puzzle game. Lol. But thanks for sharing these handy tips.
I live in a small home, with 2 kids; when they where young, it was always easier keep things tidy if I was constantly curating (ie culling) their stuff. I had to put a ban on grandparents gifting stuffed toys when it got out of hand! My youngest turns 14 in a couple of months and we’ve spent weeks going through old toys. The eventual plan is to re-decorate her room, & make it more teen orientated (Japanese manga style………what is that you ask?). I’m an interior designer, but I don’t personally spend big on kids and teens furniture; they eventually grow out of it, don’t care for it, and their likes and dislikes change. As teens, their style is quite different from what I want in the rest of my home, and I can no longer dictate in their rooms. Ikea gets a good workout these days! And good luck getting them to tidy!
I definitely agree with you that it is a constant battle with keeping clutter under control. I’m sure I will also have that to look forward to once my girls hit their teens!