Do you remember the house you grew up in? The one where your mother had an almirah full of items that were strictly under the ‘do not touch’ label? Or the glass-top table in the living room that you and your siblings were supposed to stay away from? Or that wonderful carpet that only saw the light of the day when you had guests over? If that is thememory from your childhood you remember, welcome to the club. For years, home-owners for the fear of the little ones, have hesitated to invest in beautiful and often delicate home decor items. But not anymore! It’s time to learn some tips on how to decorate your home without the boundaries and limitations for the little ones.
I have come across so many families that make do with minimal furniture or old things when their kids are young, dismissing interior decor for the fact that the kids are going to wreck everything. As the years go by, they become used to living in a mess, among discoloured walls and old, scraped furniture.
But what if I tell you that making your home beautiful is possible with young ones in the home? The focus here is to subtly teach the kids to appreciate the beauty and the art of interior decor.
Here’s what you can do to have the house of your dreams with your kids:
Who are the inhabitants?
Take note of how you are living and who you are living with: do you have kids who are under five? Do you have pets? Do you have a lazy spouse who can’t do much of the clean-up? If this is the scenario, you can opt for an interior decor that lives up to all of these. Choose a dark coloured-couch that doesn’t give away your toddler’s vomit stains. Go for dark carpets and non-frilly linings on your furnishings.
Frills and intricate designs can be a nuisance to clean, as extremely delicate fabric will be difficult to wash and maintain. Choose the colour of your walls or wallpapers carefully too, opting for a shade that can stand a bunch of kids drawing on them, or your toddler throwing food on the walls. Try the modern washable wall paints. So anything your kid puts on the walls, a good scrub can get rid of it all!
It’s a team effort
Involve the entire family in choosing the decor: instead of choosing the items for your kid’s room, why not consider his/her suggestions too? Have the bedsheets of their choice and the kind of toys that are beautiful but sturdy. Do not buy anything with pointed ends or made of glass, and you are in the safe zone. The ingenious idea behind taking suggestions from the kids is that they will be less likely to ruin items that they have helped you choose and decorate. They will develop a bond with the items and
therefore won’t be inclined to destroy them. In fact, they will begin to appreciate what they own.
The right furniture
When choosing furniture for a house full of kids, it makes more sense to go for corner-covered items that are sturdy and well-made. Go for round-cornered tables and coffee tables instead or pointed ones. Sturdy furniture can withstand all the pushing around your kids can do, or kids jumping on them. Cheap
furniture will break on the impact, harming the little ones. So, make sure you spend on the right items in this case.
Out of reach, out of mind
It’s always best to keep the ‘breakable’ things out of the kid’s reach. Cutlery, the beautiful glass table clock, photo frames, or the beautiful ornamental dolls you picked up on one of your travels must be kept in a high cabinet. Accessories are the last items that your children can reach because there is a high chance they won’t appreciate the artistic wooden bowl that suits your taste as an adult. To them, it’s an ugly brown bowl that doesn’t make any sense. Best to keep itaway from them.
Storage matters
With kids in the house, it’s a good idea to have a lot of storage space for your necessary items. Toiletries, DVDs, video games, medicines and other such items cannot be within the kid’s reach. You do not need to stock them really high though, but wherever you store them, you need to lock them up.
The space under your bed can be made into a storage space with drawers, and you can stack up your
books and DVDs there! Or a closet under the stairs, which was unused, can be turned into a space to store. You can cover up the cabinets with drawings on them, or by simply choosing dark colours to paint on them.
These tips can help you finally realise your dream of having a wonderful home with your kids!
(The writer is design manager, Houssup.com)
Published 15 September 2017, 07:32 IST