How To Have A Beautiful Home With Kids
I know the idea of having a beautiful home with kids of all ages sounds attractive. But how realistic is it? Well, I can tell you from first-hand experience that it is possible to have a nice, more or less neat and functional home while kids are living in it. And I will be more than happy to share my tricks and tips.
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I know the idea of having a beautiful home with kids of all ages sounds attractive. But how realistic is it? Well, I can tell you from first-hand experience that it is possible to have a nice, more or less neat and functional home while kids are living in it. And I will be more than happy to share my tricks and tips. My kids are 12 and 15 now. When they were 2 and 4, we remodeled our home and it has survived beautifully. I have not repainted the walls yet; all the chairs, book cases and side tables are still being used. The only piece of furniture that we replaced was the sofa - and that was only because the one that we had before was a cheap one. The sofa we have now is of much better quality and I am sure had I bought it in the first place, it would still be around. Enough with preamble. Let's get to the point.
1. Create A Family-Centered House.
Kids are a blessing. They are fun, they are sweet, they are pure love. And they can cover the entire house with toys, clothes, art projects, magazines, cups, bottles, children's books, etc. etc. Sometimes it seems like kids rule the house to the point where it is almost impossible to find the parents' style.
As sweet as children are, they are not the only people living in the house. Parents are important too. So instead of having a child-centered house, create a family-centered house. Let each child have his/her own room and decorate it especially for them, but let the rest of the house represent the adults. By that I mean that there is no need to cover every wall in each and every room with pictures of kids and their art. Your favorite paintings have a right to be admired daily as well. Dedicate one wall in your home to kids' photos and art, and leave the rest to "adult" decor.
2. Boxes, Baskets, Bins and Containers Are Your Best Friends Forever.
The joy of baskets (containers, bins, etc.) is that not only do they look nice, but they allow you to hide clutter in a matter or minutes. Even better: they allow your kids to hide their own clutter in minutes. We have baskets in just about every room of my house. They allow us to keep the kids' stuff out of sight, yet close at hand. In other words, infuse the kids' stuff into your home without allowing them to take over it.
3. Cover Everything.
Indoor/outdoor fabrics have gone a long way. There is a great selection of colors, patterns and textures. You can use indoor/outdoor fabric for upholstery, as well as for pillow covers. And it is always a good idea to have everything removable and washable. For pillows that means pillow covers versus solid pillows. As for the furniture, you can find sofas with removable cushion covers. (All seat and back covers for cushions on my sofa are removable and washable - very handy!). Slip-covers may be another option if you don't mind straightening them up all the time.
5. Furnish Kids' Rooms With Future In Mind.
The thing about babies is that they grow up. Really fast. Which, of course, means that their rooms should be able to grow with them. Sure, you will have to switch out the crib and get rid of the changing table. But if the bones are good, it will give you lots of flexibility. For example, a nice comfy chair will be a great investment piece. Good storage like a book case or a roomy chest of drawers will always be in demand. Everything else can be added or replaced as needed.
6. Use The Right Wall Treatments.
My children have always been drawing and painting. Sometimes on the walls. That is why it is important not only to teach your kids that they should use paper, not walls, for their projects. But it is equally important to use a good quality paint (sounds boring, but true!) in flat or satin/eggshell finish, so that you could easily wipe off the crayon marks or hand prints. Sometimes, though, the marks or scratches won't come off. My personal trick is to save some extra paint in a mason jar (after you are done painting the room) and use it for quick touch-ups. I usually do it 2-3 times a year to keep the walls nice and clean. (When my kids were younger, I had to do it more often, of course.)
If you want to make things a bit more fun - wall decals is your answer! They are easy to stick on and to peel off and you can create something really unique. There are all kinds of themes and designs available, even dry-erase and chalk board ones! I find decals especially handy when you have a long emply wall (by the bed, for instance) that might be tricky to fill up.
And my favorite quote is: "You can not organize junk, you can only get rid of it!". This has been my mantra for years. I declutter often and has taught my kids to do the same. Otherwise there won't be any room for us to live.
To sum it all up:
You do not have to wait intil your kids grow up to have a beautiful house.
Of course, this is just a small portion of possible solutions and advice. I will be more than happy to hear your ideas!