Parents! This one’s for you!

Too many families hold back on updating their decor, waiting until their kids are older (or out of the house) before they redecorate out of fear that their nice, new things will soon be ruined.

When pieces of your home have been written on with permanent marker, broken, or smeared with unidentifiable kid-goo, why would you splurge on new living room furniture?

Sound familiar? We are here to show you that you CAN have kids AND have nice things. You can have your cake and eat it, too, while sitting on your white sofa. So go right ahead and create a home that the whole family can enjoy without worry!

Last week I shared one of our recent interior design projects where I gave my clients a brand new “grown-up” great room.  As this Before & After picture circulated through our social media, our readers were responding with comments longing for nice furniture that can stand the test of their children, roommates, and pets.

Thankfully, the super smart folks at Crypton developed a super smart, super soft “Super Fabric” that is permanently stain, moisture, mildew, bacteria and odor-resistant. It is also the only non-porous, anti-microbial, Greengaurd certified fabric on the market. What started out as stylish and functional dog bedding and blankets has exploded into a fabric revolution. Sofas and chairs, window treatments, bedding and clothing will never be the same! Crypton not only makes durable, beautiful fabrics, they have their very own furniture line deliverable to your doorstep.

The makers of Crypton use nanotechnology to transform fibers on a molecular level to create fabrics that repel liquids, lint, dirt and pet hair and releases stains. While this product is not yet available in a Do-It-Yourself spray can, fabrics treated with Nano-Tex® are now on the market. THIS IS HUGE! You can select your upholstery and drapery fabrics from companies like Knoll Textiles and Kravet to create the furniture of your dreams. That gorgeous CR Laine chair that you’ve had your eye one, like the one pictured below from Design Connection, Inc., can be upholstered in the Nano-Tex or Crypton fabric of your choice.

For decades, coating fabric fibers with a moisture protective coating like Scotchguard was the way to go. With the recent insights into the dangerous of using Scotchguard, this once heavily used product is off the market indefinitely. Ultra-Guard is highly regarded in the interior design community as a Scotchguard alternative for treating furnishing and carpets. If you have furniture that you already love, this is an extra step you can take to prolong the life of your furnishings without having to slipcover it or layer it in plastic. This extra large custom-made sectional by Design Connection, Inc. is kid-proofed. This entire lower level remodel was designed with our clients’ growing kids in mind.

Having furniture that is impervious to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is a great start to creating a beautiful space that is truly family-friendly. But what about the babies? “Baby-proofing” is a process that all new parents experience, but it is more than just covering your outlets and fencing off staircases. That beautiful, functional coffee table doesn’t look so great in the middle of your living room once your baby’s face has met it’s sharp corners.  Multi-functional furniture like this storage ottoman will keep the battle scars at bay, store toys away and out of sight and look great while doing it!

Another way to ensure your children’s safety when updating your home decor is by properly addressing your entertainment center. In this Design Connection, Inc. project, we created built-in cabinetry that housed the electrical components for the television and sound system. Kids can get rowdy and with entertainment centers like the one pictured in the ‘before’ photo, all it takes is a bump of the hip or a climbing toddler to topple your TV.  By relocating the TV on a swivel arm, this eliminated any danger and provides optimal viewing from every seat in this living room update. Kids have the ability to turn the living room into their personal place space in the blink of an eye.  Built-in cabinetry is the perfect place to quickly store those toys that keep finding their way back.

Another space that could benefit from kid-friendly furniture is the dining room. While tablecloths serve their purpose, they hide the beauty of the wood they are designed to protect. By covering your tabletop with tempered glass, the wood will be preserved, protect and showcased. Sure, the fingerprints and smudges are a constant in a family with children, but the extra cleaning effort is well worth it. Its amazing the damage a pencil can do with the wave of a small little hand!

Get your family involved in updating your home. Let the kids help with fabric selections and give them a voice when perusing paint swatches. They may even feel enough ownership to think twice before trekking their muddy shoes all over the rug they picked out or taking a crayon to the wall that features paint they helped select.

Don’t forget that kids need their space, too! We’ve shared some great bedroom ideas for your teen & tweens in our blog, and we’ve got a ton of ideas for kid spaces on our Pinterest page.

We share designs that inspire us in the hopes that you, too, will be inspired to make the changes in your home that you dream of. If you need help making these changes come to life, contact the interior design professionals at Design Connection, Inc. for a complimentary design consultation. From selecting the perfect paint color to creating custom furniture and draperies to masterminding an entirely new floor plan, we do it all, big and small. Contact us today!