You CAN Live in a Stylish Home with Kids; Here's How
You can raise kids in a gorgeous home
"My house is full of beautiful furniture, but none of it is precious," says Blair, who lives with her husband and six kids, ranging in age from 5 to 17, in Oakland, Calif. "I have some pieces that look that they would be really difficult to clean, but I got them in a kid-friendly material. There really are options, and as you go out and start shopping, the more you look around, the more you realize, 'Oh, this fantastic, industrial side table would be great with kids. It's already been in an office for 30 years, and if it withstood that, it can withstand my kids.'"
Instead of getting stuck in the thinking that your home design can't be beautiful and functional for your family, think about how your spaces could work the way you want or need them to. "Look for where your home is frustrating to you, and if there's a way to re-adapt things, just go for it," Blair says. "The nice thing about homes these days, and the way people are approaching designing them, is that the rules have kind of gone out the window. If you want to do a girl and boy in a bedroom, that's fine. You want to do a playroom/bedroom? Totally cool. You want to get rid of your dining room? Do an art room, that's fine. If you want to make your family room more like a movie theater, there you go. It's really up to you."
Of course, you do have to make practical decisions, Blair says, and that's what her new book is all about. "There shouldn't be anything in your house that's making you yell at your kids, or causing it to be a trigger where you're getting frustrated," Blair says. "There shouldn't be anything in your house that you value more than your relationship with your kids. Whatever it is, if you feel like it's a frustrating point in your family, there are solutions that are good looking and that you'll like."
Check out these eight ideas from Blair to get you started on the path to living in a gorgeous home while raising your kids.
Choose the right entryway rug
Little sneakers can get pretty dirty, so having the right entryway rug is important to stop the crud from migrating too far inside—plus, it's the first thing you see as you come in and the last thing you see as you leave. "If the first thing you see is a stained rug, it's just depressing," Blair says. "And you don't want your last thought to be, 'Not only am I late, but I have one more thing to add to my to-do list: Get that rug cleaned."
Instead, choose an easy care rug that hides everyday dirt, Blair advises. Wool rugs repel moisture, respond favorably to cleaning, and hide soil wonderfully when woven in dark colors or complex patterns. Or, consider a woven vinyl rug. It is durable, mold and mildew resistant, and easy to clean. You can shake the lightweight rug out on the front porch, or scrub it outside with a hose and dish soap.
Blair says families could also keep a stack of washable cotton rugs at the ready by the door for extra dirty sneakers or wet boots. Homes in rainy climates may want to keep them rolled in a pretty basket within easy reach while those in drier climates could store them in a nearby closet or storage cubby for the occasional grab.
Find an easy-maintenance couch material
Choosing the right material for a couch will stop you from cringing every time one of your kids launches themselves onto it with grass-stained knees and sticky fingers. Blair loves leather because it can be wiped down and cleaned up easily. "If you go with a natural-looking leather, it will age gracefully, embracing scratches and faded patches like a pedigree," she says.
If leather isn't your style or you hate thigh-stickage in the summer, microfiber is water-repellant and soft next to your skin, and can be excellent at resisting fading, staining, and wear. "There's different qualities to microfiber, and some are more stain resistant than others," Blair says. "It's less a function of having to make a design decision and more of a function of asking the right questions at the furniture store." She suggests finding a store salesperson who is knowledgeable about the product or even calling the manufacturing facility to find out which is the easiest care and offers the most natural stain resistance or stain treatment options.
Proclaim an "Only Gorgeous Toys in the Living Room" edict
As the mom of six kids, Blair knows a "no toys" rule in the living room is no fun and impractical. Instead, she says to choose a few of the best-looking ones to add to bookshelves or a side table. You're looking for nonplastic, sophisticated toys, such as a basket of wood blocks, a box of magnetized marbles, a tin of classic dominoes, pretty children's books to mix in with the coffee table books, or anything you could buy at a museum gift shop.
Hanging from the ceiling in Blair's living room, for example, is a wooden crane whose wings go up and down when you pull a string. "I bought it in Prague as mobile to go over my sister's baby's crib, but she gave it back to me after using it for many years because she knew how much I loved it," she says. "It's one of the first things people see as they come in, and we've hung it at a height where it's just reachable for a little kid to jump up and grab the little string and pull it." Of course, adults enjoy it, too.
Forgo the formal dining room
"In the average American homes, space is a premium," Blair says, "and to have a room that really only gets use at dinner time, and maybe then only when you're not eating at the kitchen table, just seems like a waste of space." Instead, convert it into space that works for what you really need, whether that be an art project room, a library or something else.
"I suggest a library [with floor-to-ceiling bookcases] because people collect books, they pile up, and they have no place to put them," she says. "It can still have plenty of room in the center for a small table with removable leaves for reading or studying on a daily basis. On special occasions when you need a bigger table, put in the table leaves, round up the seating, and you're ready to host."
Source : http://www.parenting.com/Family-Time/Home/You-Can-Live-Stylish-Home-Kids-Heres-How?page=4
