Imagine for a moment: You have two toddler boys, living in the city of Chicago. Little feet race through the house with mud and leaves packed to the underside of converse sneakers. A trail of coats, gloves, and hats are left in their dust…
How do you; a stylish, fun couple lean into a kid proofed home without sacrificing your design taste?
We hear it all the time.
“I can’t wait until the kids are older, we’ll be able to invest in our home again.”
We get it, which is why we wanted to feature this project and share some tips for making smart decor investments that will carry you at least through the middle-school years 😉
Our mission was to create an inviting home for this sweet family; where they could all live comfortably without having to sacrifice red wine, nice things or good style. Because no parent should ever have to choose.
Myth: Our space is small, where will we put all of the kid’s stuff? I guess we will have to move to the suburbs.
Time to get creative with storage and space planning. We like to space plan in “zones” – the mud drop zone, the cozy zone, the toy zone… aka the media console deep enough to be a toy shed. Careful space planning before you set out furniture shopping will help you narrow options and lead you to pieces that are worth the investment.
Myth: We can’t have a light colored sofa, my kids will ruin it.
We found ways to lead with light upholstery… In PERFORMANCE fabric. If you have kids, and you are buying a sofa; It is worth the extra money. It’s not perfect, but consistently improving, and definitely helpful in keeping things clean and stain free.
Myth: My kids will climb on everything.
Ok, you’re probably right. Investing in statement lighting will transform your space and keep it out of reach.
Myth: My kids will ruin all of my things so we can’t have decor where they can reach.
Introducing enclosed display coffee table. No home feels complete without the decor and polish. It’s a real bummer when your coffee table styling is a plastic tractor and a sippy cup. Case pieces like this are amazing for displaying your personality without being accessible to your littles. Sticky fingers still included, but 100% wipeable.
Myth: We can’t have nice things, we have kids.
Investments like statement lighting, wallpaper and unique chairs that get better with age transform the style of your home. Combining texture like wool, leather, and woven materials will give you a layered, collected look. Those are the fun elements that your kids will remember about your home years after they have left.
We wanted this house to be light and bright; yet warm and inviting. We were able to infuse playful elements, great lighting and a style for the whole family where mom gets to sit back, drink her red wine and enjoy the view.
October 20, 2021
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