Who says you need to compromise your dream home when you start a family? Just because you have kids doesn't mean you aren't allowed to want to live in a beautiful space. This can be difficult, especially if you have young children who seem to accumulate objects and dirt like magnets, putting the aesthetic appeal of your home at risk. However, there are many ways you can strike a balance between keeping a home you can be proud of while accepting that your children need the freedom to grow and make a mess sometimes.
Choose Your Materials Carefully
When decorating a home with young children, finding the perfect materials is essential. There are kinds of wall paint that are wiped clean and certain fabrics for upholstery that make them much easier to put in the laundry should an unfortunate chocolate handprint appear. Not only are you preparing your home for the possibility of messy kids bringing dirt in the house, but you are also giving yourself more choice when it comes to personalized color palettes and fabric textures.
Storage Solutions
Children have a way of making even large spaces feel small due to their often chaotic energy and scattering of toys. No matter what size home you live in, having a family can make you feel like you sometimes live in a shoebox. While there isn't much you can do about how your kids make the space feel, you can still avoid decorating mistakes that make your house feel small. One great way to make your home feel bigger is to store your belongings with intent. Even if your children have hundreds of toys and clothes, keeping them out of sight can make your home feel less cluttered and surprisingly larger.
Accumulating Objects
As mentioned already, kids seem to be magnets for objects. Family and friends are constantly giving them gifts, and it can be all too easy to give in when they plead for a treat when out shopping. While it can be hard to part with sentimental items, avoid attaching meaning to every single belonging. This will make it much harder to let go when you try to declutter your home. If your children have grown out of their clothes or stopped playing with some old toys, consider donating them. Of course, keep the most precious items for happy memories, but don't feel obliged to keep everything.
Make Tidying a Fun Game
This tip works best if your children are still young. Instead of making cleaning and tidying feel like a chore, encourage both your kids and yourself to see these activities as an opportunity for fun. This way, your children won't dread putting their toys away before bedtime, and you'll get to enjoy a cleaner, tidier home.
Allow Mess Zones
If your children are truly impossible to instill with the urge to keep clean, then allow certain parts of your home to be 'mess zones'. Maybe the back of the garden is allowed to have toys strewn all about, or perhaps the spare bedroom can be left untidy for longer periods of time. Not only does this contain the mess and prevent it from leaking into the rest of the house,but it also helps you mentally accept that some messes are unavoidable.
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