There is no doubt that having children is one of the most rewarding, magical, and life-affirming things you will ever do.
However, if you are house-proud, having kids can also be a bit of a nightmare at times. Just imagine it – smudgy chocolate fingerprints on the walls; play-do trodden into your favourite rug; crumbs scattered over the floor; toys and discarded clothing strewn around the bedroom/hallway/lounge (delete as applicable).
If you are struggling to find a balance between having an attractive home and indulging your children’s interests, habits, and quirks, here are some top kid-friendly decorating tips that will hopefully help you find a happy middle ground.
Experiment With Colours
When decorating your kids’ rooms, you shouldn’t feel any compunction to stick to a restricted gendered palette of blues or pinks – unless you love those particular shades, of course. Kids love colours of all kinds, so you can draw inspiration from every section of the rainbow.
For a nursery, consider bright and sunny hues, like yellows and oranges; alternatively, if you want to foster a calming atmosphere for effortless sleep, go for soothing shades of blue and green.
Murals are becoming increasingly popular in children’s rooms and they are sure to love the vibrant effect. Help them choose an image that reflects their interests and use the mural to create a stunning feature wall that will give them a thrill every time they see it.
Create A Dedicated Play Area
To prevent the whole house from being taken over by bits of Lego, Barbie dolls, and other kiddie paraphernalia, it can help create a dedicated play area where they can keep all their toys.
If you have younger children, you can furnish this special space with some adorable toddler furniture, including a toybox and a small but well-stocked bookshelf. Hang some colourful artwork on the wall, set up a little table with some crayons and drawing paper, and you have a dedicated children’s zone they are sure to love spending time in.
Older offspring needn’t be forgotten either. If they enjoy playing video games such as Minecraft, you can devise a gaming area for them, complete with gaming beanbags and second-hand electronics. You could even consider adding a climbing wall, which is sure to be a big hit with adventurous kids who have a head for heights.
Explore Innovative Space-Saving Options
If you don’t have a lot of room to spare, there are plenty of things you can do to create extra storage for all of your children’s belongings.
One ingenious method is to choose beds that come with built-in storage underneath. You can use these drawers or shelves (depending on the make of bed) to keep clothing, bed linen, or towels.
Another attractive but functional furniture option is a storage chest or ottoman. These are available in a range of shapes and sizes and can provide a surprising amount of extra storage space for all of your extra bits and bobs. Best of all, you can have one in every room of your home, choosing colours and styles that fit with your décor.
Choose Attractive Fabrics That Are Easy To Clean
When it comes to choosing soft furnishings for a kid-friendly home, it’s vital that you choose hard-wearing fabrics and materials that aren’t a hassle to clean. As spillages and stains are an unavoidable aspect of raising children, it’s also probably best to avoid the colour white – and anything made of silk or satin should probably be stored away until your kids have flown the nest.
When it comes to choosing the right carpet for each room, the key is to find durable but attractive carpets that are comfortable to play on but also tough enough to withstand mucky feet and sticky fingers. It may be best to opt for carpets in shades of beige, grey, wood, and earth tones, as they will not show up stains so easily. Not sure where to shop? Designer Carpet offers a range of carpets and rugs in various shades and materials, so you can find the perfect option for every room.
Make Your Main Living Space Open-Plan
If you have young children who love to play and explore in your lounge and dining areas, it’s probably a good idea to arrange the furnishings so that the space is as open and expansive as possible.
This will give them plenty of room to move around, and will hopefully limit any bumps and scrapes. It will also make it easier for you to wield the hoover whenever you need to vacuum up the crumbs and dried up bits of play-do they have left in their wake!
Use Their Artworks And Favourite Books
If you tend to store your children’s artwork for safekeeping, or perhaps even throw it in the bin when the fridge gets too full, why not use it around the home instead? You can dedicate one wall in your lounge, hallway, or kitchen to your children’s artwork. Buy a bunch of frames in different sizes, insert the pictures, and hang them up from the floor to the ceiling, creating your family’s very own vibrant art gallery. Your children are sure to feel a glow of pride, and they will be thrilled that their artwork clearly means so much to you.
Another way to create an eye-catching focal piece in your kids’ bedrooms – or even in your lounge or study – is by displaying their books as if they were artworks. There are plenty of children’s books with exquisite covers that deserve to be admired rather than tucked away on a shelf, so make the most of your kids’ most stunning hardbacks and place them on some shelves so everyone can see them.
Artificial Plants
Having foliage and flowers dotted throughout your home is a wonderful inexpensive way to make it feel even more cosy and nurturing. However, if you buy real plants, you have to worry about whether not they could be toxic to your children and your pets. You may also need to worry about compost being scooped out of plant pots and sprinkled all over your freshly vacuumed floors.
To avoid those potential hazards, opt for artificial plants instead. You can find some stunning and very realistic flower arrangements and fake succulents that will add vibrant pops of colour to any space – and, best of all, you won’t need to worry about watering them. It’s the best of both worlds.
Go For Childproof Furnishings
Once your toddler starts walking unsteadily around the lounge, you will probably experience the unnerving realisation that your furniture isn’t as safe or as child-friendly as you may have previously thought. From tables with sharp edges to expensive fabric sofas just begging to be spilt on, there are so many potential pitfalls waiting in every corner of your home.
Some of these crises can be averted with the use of helpful baby-proofing tools, such as those handy rubber crescents you can pop onto the corner of tables. However, you may also decide you want to swap out some of your lounge furnishings for pieces that are more kid-friendly, such as sturdy wooden cabinets and benches, and maybe a round table or two.
When it comes to that precious sofa, simply cover it with a cheap machine-washable throw and you’re good to go!
Wall Hooks For Little Coats
Your home probably already has coat hooks hanging by the door – but if they’re at your eye level, they won’t be useful to little ones who also want to hang their jackets and raincoats up. Adding another little row of hooks on a lower level will give your children the motivation – and the ability – to hang up their coats every time they come inside. This will help teach them to take responsibility for their belongings and prepare them for school where they will each have their own pegs to hang their things on.
Paint Your Doors Black
This may seem like a rather dramatic move, but if all of your doors are painted black, then it stands to reason that you won’t be able to see any smudges and streaks from questing little hands.
Black doors can also add some effortless drama and elegance to your home, particularly if you opt for decorative knobs or handles. You never know – your friends and family may be so impressed that they opt for black doors in their own homes too, even if they don’t have any little ones.
Finally – Lay Down Some Ground Rules
Last but not least, if you want to try and ensure that your home remains as clean and attractive as possible, it’s a good idea to start teaching your kids how to tidy up after themselves from a young age. Show them how to put their toys away in their toybox when they have finished playing; how to replace caps onto their felt tips; and how to wash their hands after they’ve been playing with anything messy. If they are keen, you can even get them to help with the chores, turning the washing up or sweeping into a game so they become engaged and excited about keeping things clean and orderly. There are plenty of ways to make household tasks entertaining.
By laying down some ground rules early on, you will teach your children how to take responsibility – and you are sure to enjoy having some little household helpers around to help you keep things spick-and-span.