As Seven is growing like it’s growing out of style I have turned my attention to intentionally decorating her new bedroom! I have previously put together a guest room that is home to a beautiful set of twin beds, the decor was done in a general fashion and her uniqueness was lacking. I am looking forward to attacking her room after the Holiday but as I am considering the many decisions involved with creating her new space I thought it high time to talk about what it means when your designing for a tike.

When consulting with clients I often hear “that space is for the kids so I’m not going to worry about it” or “how am I supposed to have nice things, I have kids!”. Before becoming a mom myself I had an idealistic vision of what home life looks like with children. After the birth of our daughter and, more significantly, after she started walking and pulling and climbing I knew my approach to design in my own home would need some tweaking. I wanted our home to be just a stylish as before, I didn’t want to compromise. I wanted nice things! But the reality was, some of our previous pieces just wouldn’t survive the toddler years.

Our home was built in 1908 and has retained its original floor plan since. One of my personal loves of an older home is the ability to separate the formal living spaces from the informal. When you enter our home the only views you have are our formal living and dining rooms, the staircase and a small peek into our den. That’s it, and that’s how I like it. I remember telling my mom “The only thing I have to do is keep these spaces tidy and I would be literally ready at all times for any unexpected visitors!” - the things stay at home mother’s dream of, am I right?

My concern when I became a mom was how do I expose my child to antiques, and beautiful, and oftentimes breakable things, while still keeping her safe and my curated style in tact. If you’ve ever heard of the phrase “if you tell me “no”, I’ll want to do it even more.” you’ll understand what I was up against. I didn’t want part of our home to be closed off to our daughter. This was her home and she was going to have access to it all. She had to learn how to interact in these spaces. Understanding what “gentle” meant was mandatory. 

I am proud to say that she did learn “gentle” and she also has learned “look with our eyes”, phrases that have helped extend the lives of numerous decor items. I also allow for some grace in my expectations. I look for pieces that are beautiful but also not so dear that if they are broken I’m not left crying over spilled milk. Broken things will happen and that is a fact but I believe that the life lessons your creating for your little one are certainly worth it.

Creating beautiful children’s spaces takes guts and a little ingenuity. But creating sophistication in the spaces our children occupy grants them an opportunity to realize and appreciate the art that surrounds them. Censoring their rooms to simply survive their wear and tear limits the development necessary to care for and appreciate their surroundings. I always encourage clients of mine that are parents to dress their children’s space in the same way they have approached the rest of their home. Your children’s spaces should reflect the home they occupy with a few minor tweaks in an effort for survival.

Here are a few tips of creating style within your children’s spaces and approaches you can take throughout your home to achieve a balance of accessibility and longevity in intentional design.

Art 

Invest in hanging art, it is out of reach of tiny hands and adds such a visual impact to any space. I always urge clients to look for sophisticated lines and elements in the art they select. Use the color of the pieces to add the whimsy we expect in those spaces. 

Color

Enjoy playing with color. It most of the time is only paint. You can of course choose bold colors, but a sophisticated color pallet will keep your spaces from feeling too kid friendly and lends itself to grow with your child over the years.

P.S. The wipe-ability of gloss will make this sheen your new best friend. 

Thrift

As Gwen Hefner shows us, thrifting will be the gift that keeps on giving. The key is not to declare your going to go by that. I can almost guarantee you will not find that. Go and go often and leave your expectations at the door. I’ve picked up some amazing couches and chairs that cost me so little, that potty training is no longer sending me into a panic attack. This also gives you an opportunity to inject more sophisticated lines into your kids furniture. Wingback chairs in the playroom? Yes please!

Take a moment to share with us your hits or misses when decorating around your children!