Child Friendly Decorating Tips
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How to decorate your home in a child friendly way.
Home decorating is an entirely different challenge when you have children then it is without. You not only have to worry about beauty and functionality, but you also have to take safety and maintenance into consideration. Without sense and bursting with energy, there is all sorts of trouble that your kids can get into around the home, damaging your possessions and hurting themselves in a multitude of ways you might never think of. Luckily a little pre planning can help to eliminate these problems and create an environment that will be safe for children of all ages.
The first thing you want to do is take a look at the room and try to determine where the hazardous features are. This will vary depending on the age of the children. If you have a newborn, then you won’t initially have to worry very much because they won’t be mobile. However, as soon as they start to crawl on their own, every stair case becomes a potential pit, ever mantel piece a potential bolder.
Once you have basic safety considerations taken care of, then its time to decorate. Some people think just because they have kids that they can’t own nice furnishings. Rather they fill their homes with ratty worn out pieces, thinking they will only be ruined by the children eventually. However this is not a healthy mind frame to have when raising kids.
Rather what you should strive to do is get them involved in the process of decorating. Every time you purchase a piece or go to find some art for a mantel or wall, bring the kids along and incorporate their feedback into the process. Try to teach them about taste and color, but also allow them to add their own opinions, and try to come to any decisions as a family. In this way they will grow up with a sense of pride, and ownership, which will make them respect the possessions in your home all the more.
In general, when decorating around children its best to avoid clutter as much as possible. The more things there are in a room the more you have which can be broken, lost, or thrown out a window. Rather you should try to keep the spaces simple, with just one or two decorative accents to focus the attention of people who enter the space. Avoid extras such as couch skirts, as these will just tend to collect dirt and dust. Rather opt for wide open legs beneath you furnishings which will be easy and relatively maintenance free.
Try to stay away from modern perfect design pieces. The more perfect an object is, the more that the faintest scratch or stain will show. Rather you should opt for vintage items that have been lovingly used. The inherent personality found in distressed and antiqued pieces will hide dirt, while also acting as a lovely compliment to the decorative nature of the surrounding room.
Another great child decorating tip is to opt for heavy duty everything. Whether its curtains or couch covers, pillows or throws, try to find the toughest and most durable materials possible. Stain resistant pieces are especially helpful as they will save you the hassle of endless scrubbing when your kids decide to get creative with their paint or crayons.
Child friendly decorating involves two distinct themes. On the one hand you have to create an environment which is safe for the young ones to play and live in. On the other you have to try and create an environment which won’t be easily destroyed by their enthusiastic games. This is a matter of planning and choosing the right furnishings and materials. Try not to get too complicated, and remove as much clutter and unnecessary mess as you can.
This article is brought to you by PebbleArt, the rustic stone home decorating company, featuring a unique product line of marble, slate, and onyx stone home accessories. The author is Joey Pebble, a stone artist and design professional.
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