Any parent knows managing a home with busy kids – be they toddlers or teens – can pose decorating challenges. But having children doesn't mean delaying the dream of a stylish home. Here are five quick and easy tips from Krista Fabregas, founder of
KidSmartLiving.com, that add livable style to those busy family spaces.
1. Choose Your Paint… Wisely!
Decorators agree, a freshly painted color scheme is one of the easiest ways to update a room at minimal cost. Nowadays most paint brands offer easy-clean – termed "scrubbable" – paints in all sheens, including popular flat. These durable paints are an ideal choice for updating family spaces in easy-clean style.
2. Add Pop with Fashionable, Functional Fabrics
Another decorator trick – freshen up seating areas with colorful throw pillows. Some kid-friendlier choices include throw pillows with removable washable covers or easy-care faux suede and microfiber fabrics. Pillows in outdoor fabrics offer an array of easy-clean colors, patterns and textures that look great indoors, too.
3. Stash Toys in Style
Storage-style furniture, accent pieces and decorative boxes are great ways to store away kid's toys in family spaces. Add a few storage cube footstools in seating areas, stash a mini-trunk under an end table, or place a few stacking baskets in a corner. These strike the perfect balance between practicality and style for kid-friendly living spaces.
4. Accessorize with Kids in Mind
Keep headaches – and cleanup – to a minimum by accessorizing family rooms with kids in mind. Breakable accents and collectibles are best displayed on mantles or higher shelves. In kid-accessible areas consider adding decorative touches like containers, candlesticks and figurines made from break-resistant materials like wood, acrylic, resin or metal.
5. Step Up Floor Style with Easy-clean Rugs
Area rugs add style and comfort to any room, but they're a magnet for kids' spills and smudges. To combat this, consider using outdoor rugs in busy family spaces. Rugs made for patios and outdoor rooms offer textures and colors that mimic indoor versions, but are made of easy-clean, moisture- and mildew-proof fibers. They're easy to spot clean for minor spills and, unlike indoor rugs, they can be taken out and hosed down for a deep-down clean.
Looking for more ways to create family-friendly style at home? Visit
KidSmartLiving.com for tips, how-to videos, projects, products and more.
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Krista Fabregas founded KidSmartLiving.com in 1999 to help parents combine safety, livability and style in a home that's welcoming to family members of all ages. Find more KidSmart child safety, home decorating and living ideas, DIY projects, how-to videos and family-friendly products for kitchen and home at KidSmartLiving.com, on the
KidSmartLiving @ Home Blog and on the
KidSmartLiving YouTube channel