Family-Friendly Design Got kids? Then get the low-down on putting together rooms that will stand up to family life — and still look fabulous. (Continued from Page 3) By Leah Hennen
Special to HGTV.com
DO go for a no-fuss look.
Many types of decor can adapt to family life, but certain styles are just plain impractical. Fussy formality, for instance, is best left to masochists. Pre-kids, "I had an English Country look, with lots of tasseled pillows, trimmed silk lampshades, and skirted tables. That didn’t last long," Debbie Wiener laughs. And a super-modern aesthetic — with its sleek surfaces and empty spaces — tends to work better in urban lofts inhabited by single neatniks than in busy family homes. "Minimalism just isn’t family-friendly," reasons Deborah Burnett , ASID, the owner of Design Services, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, and the author of Comfortable Living by Design ($15, Humble Abundance). "Negative spaces are impossible to maintain when kids are coming home and flinging their backpacks all over the place." A clean-lined but casual and comfortable look, then, is the way to go. Style strategies: Avoid couches and chairs with skirts (which attract pet hair, dust bunnies, and dirty shoeprints) in favor of exposed legs. Same goes for fabric-covered tables (sooner or later your kid’s going to give that fabric a tug and send everything crashing to the floor). Well-loved vintage items and contemporary pieces with a slightly weathered look survive kids more readily than precious antiques or pristine new items, and a softly layered, slightly boho look melds well with the happy chaos of family life. Whatever decorating style you choose, though, low-maintenance is a must. Once kids arrive, who has time to fluff pillows, comb fringe, primp curtains, and dust around tiny trinkets — or to constantly clear clutter from rooms that only look good when they’re practically empty?
| MORE....
|
