When we have children, especially younger children like infants and toddlers, and even preschoolers, many of us tend to put away everything -- our rooms become bare and boring! And I understand this. Of course we want our children to be safe! That is a huge priority.
We also want our furniture, art, accessories and so on to survive our kids, am I right?
By child friendly, I also mean that we decorate in a way that includes our children. We want them to have access to their stuff, see things that represent themselves in their home (not just in their bedrooms and playrooms) and feel like it's their home too.
All of this being said, it is obviously important to take the age and disposition of your child into consideration -- especially when it comes to safety. What you put on your coffee table when you have a cruising baby is going to be different from what you put there when you have a preschooler.
So, here are some of the things that I think you can have, and should consider having in your home, that are both stylish AND child friendly!
Plants
Ok. I know what you're thinking. You're like this woman is crazy! Hear me out! Like I always say, every room needs a plant or two. It adds life to a space {even if it's not real ;-)}. Just check out home decor magazines -- you'll see them in pretty much every space they feature.
You too can have plants in your home, even with kids OR even if you are a plant killer like me!
First, real plants or delicate faux greenery can be placed out of reach by putting them on the wall, hanging them, placing them on shelves or inaccessible furniture.
Second, durable faux plants (like those found at ikea) can be placed on coffee or side tables and put in metal, woven or plastic pots. Faux is not for everybody, for sure. But I contend that there are some pretty good fakes out there AND I'd rather have a good faux plant than nothing at all.
Coffee Table Decor
When you have little ones, it's probably easier to keep things simple on the coffee table. But you can still accessorize, whether it's purely functional, personal or just decorative items.
Coffee table books are beautiful and probably most suitable for preschool and up. But there are some gorgeous nature inspired books that kids would love to look at. Also, there are some pretty gorgeous children's books too. You can stack a few or top them with an accessory, like a wooden box.
Stylish photo albums or photo books with pics of the kids, family members and pets is an idea that I love. When my son was little, there was nothing more he loved doing than looking at photos of himself and our family.
Woven baskets, wicker boxes and wooden bowls for corralling all the things look great and are so functional. I personally love felted items like bowls and plant pots. They are so textural and I love anything "handcrafted".
Pillows and Poufs
This is kind of self-explanatory. But I will say this: kids need to move. They need to roll around and jump. You, of course, want to set boundaries, but you cannot expect children to sit on a sofa and not move. If you have kids, you know what I'm talking about.
Poufs, floor pillows and blankets are just the perfect addition to your family room for this exact reason. They cannot hurt themselves or others with these things (well, mostly they can't). They are so versatile! They can make forts with them, lie on them while watching TV or cozy up with a book on them. And the best part is, it only takes a few minutes to fold the blankets, re-style the pillows and place the poufs back where they belong. Boom! Your room is put back together.
Children's Art
Maybe it's the fact that I used to be a kindergarten teacher, but I love the idea of using children's art to decorate. I think it is important that we honour our kids creativity. But, we all have struggled with what to do with the sheer volume of stuff that our kids produce. There is only so much room on the fridge, right?
Pinterest has crazy amounts of ideas for what to do with your children's art. But there are two ways that I think are really decor friendly.
Framing children's art is an awesome way to display it. Like in the example above, you can get your kids to create art that is colour coordinated for the space. Just give them the colours to paint or draw with that you are within your palette and voila! Instant art. Looks pretty awesome to me. And your kids will be so proud.
You can also put together a curated selection of your child's art work -- saves you from having to store it all too. I really love this idea.
Kid Friendly Furniture
Child friendly/forgiving furniture is everywhere on the market. Whether you love Farm House, Industrial, Modern Country -- whatever -- these pieces can be incorporated into your home.
I like this coffee table above because it is kid friendly on two fronts. The finish is very forgiving AND there drawers to hide away all their stuff!
My reclaimed 100 plus year old harvest table has taken a beating over the years. And it still looks great. I love it and will have it forever.
So that’s my take on Child Friendly Decorating. I'd love to hear your ideas. What have you tried in your home that has worked? Let me know in the comments!
If you need help finding solutions to your kid clutter problems, let's chat! Get in touch here and we can discuss how I can be of help.
