Designing a Kid-Friendly Space Without Sacrificing Style

How can you create a kid-friendly home without giving up your dreams of a home style you love? It can be easy to think that having a young family and a stylish home simply can’t go together, and the very idea just feels daunting. Kids toys tend to be everywhere and we’re afraid of what will happen to easily breakable things. However, it is possible and with a few key choices, you can enjoy having a home that caters to your young ones without sacrificing your sense of style at the same time.

1. Prioritize Durable and Stylish Materials

Materials matter when you’re designing a kid-friendly home. With little hands covered in sticky stuff, drinks accidentally being spilled and occasional art experiments on the walls, you’ll want surfaces that are easy to clean. When picking furniture, consider performance fabrics that are stain resistant like performance velvet, Crypton or leather. For your flooring, you’ll want something durable but beautiful, so consider luxury vinyl plank or laminate with a washable area rug. This will give your home a classic appearance but also some peace of mind knowing that the grape juice that just spilled isn’t going to stick around until after your kids are in college.

2. Incorporate Smart Storage Solutions

Having kids comes with a lot of stuff. I know that when I had mine, our previously perfect 2 bedroom apartment suddenly got a lot smaller and filled with toys, baby swings, cribs, changing tables… you name it. However, we were able to pick up some great storage solutions that have helped us keep our house looking less like a day care and more like a place we want to be. Go for fabric or woven containers to hold all of the small things like diapers, wipes and toys. Our living room has a section for our kiddo with two sets of shelves and their toys tucked away in fabric bins. Multifunction furniture helps too, like a changing table that doubles as a dresser. Containing the flood of things can actually be pretty simple and still look good.

3. Go for Soft, Rounded Furniture

Ever walk into someone’s house and they have bubble wrap taped to the corners of the table? It makes sense when you have a toddler, but it is a little bit of an eyesore. Choose furniture that is soft and round, like upholstered dining chairs instead of hard wooden ones. Get a soft, plushy couch that is comfortable but also fashionable. If you already have furniture with sharp corners, you can get clear corner protectors that are harder to see but are more kid-friendly and can help prevent bruises and bonked heads in your stylish home.

4. Create a Versatile and Stylish Color Palette

Kid colors tend to be bright and very loud. However, your style may not reflect that and you may want more neutral tones. You can still create a palette that fits your style and is still kid-friendly. Think neutral tones with pops of color: warm beiges, soft grays and creamy whites accented by playful sage green, mustard yellow or dusty rose. You could try some removeable wall paler or wall decals to work in some fun patterns or themes without a long-term commitment. This works especially well if you want to evolve your space as your kiddo gets older. It’s hard to go wrong with classic style furniture in neutral shades while swapping our accessories as your family grows up.

5. Design a Dedicated Play Area That Blends In

When we laid our our living room, we created two zones: one for the family space and one for our kid’s play area. They have a few book shelves with toys and books, a play kitchen and some of their artwork on the walls, but it works well with our space and the colors of our living room. They goes back to point 2, by using stylish storage for the toys rather than simply having them piled up on the shelves. Other ideas might be to have a cozy tent in the corner with soft textiles or a small, minimalist reading nook with a stylish book shelf. The play area doesn’t need to be a disaster zone, it can definitely fit your style.

Final Thoughts for your kid-friendly home

Balance is key to creating a kid-friendly yet stylish home. If you follow these suggestions and use some creativity, you can certainly serve your kids without losing your sense of personal style or give up the sense that your home is yours (and not your child’s). By using durable, easy to clean materials, using soft, rounded (and in some cases, multi-functional) furniture and choosing a classic but playful color palette, you’ll still be able to make your home your own and have it work for your whole family, including the ones that still don’t realize that their toy truck scratches the floor.