Before you have kids, and even shortly after they are born, you don't fully realize just how many changes you will have to make. Take interior decorating, for example. Once you have mobile toddlers, the house that you worked so hard to make warm and inviting seems to morph into something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
Maybe you had a nice accent chair or two?
You might as well just replace those with a jungle gym, because that is what your kids will use them for. That soft, light-colored fabric will soon be a sticky, multicolored mess. Your nice accent chairs will then be replaced with something like these...
Let's talk dining tables for a minute. I still have yet to figure out what kind of dining table is "safe" for those of us with little ones running around. Forget about having a nice glass top dining table. That is just a disaster waiting to happen. Fingerprints are now the least of your concerns with that...at the top of your list is making sure your child doesn't learn how to throw when you're not looking. Trust me, cleaning up shattered glass is no fun. Wood is a safer alternative, but what happens when that cup of juice that your sweet little toddler set up there wasn't quite flat when they took their tiny little hands off of it? Unless, of course, you like the unique design that warped wood will provide you with.
And finally, I'll quickly mention all of those knick-knacks, picture frames and glass vases that finish off a room. Put them up high. Very high. It is amazing how a two year old can stack up enough stools and chairs to reach pretty things. Do they care that they have a room full of toys? Nope. They want to smell those pretty flowers that mommy has purposely placed out of their reach. Well, at least she thought she did.
What about you? Has your decorating style changed since you have had kids? Have you encountered any decorating disasters?
4 comments:
Hahah, so true! I had a lot of knick knacks, figurines, bottles, etc. that I used to keep out. Now they are all put away, I gave up when my daughter became mobile and I figure I'll bring them back out (the surviving ones) after our kids are older... or out of the house lol.
Funny thing - I really haven't changed anything regarding the house. The couches were always comfortable and there is stuff everywhere - that hasn't changed. I feel like I should probably bolt down some of the larger pieces of furniture or put those little plastic stoppers in the sockets - but I won't. The kids will try to do something once and learn their lesson...just like I did as a kid :)
WM
I put kid's books, face forward, in front of our regular books on the shelves to prevent my son from taking them all off. So far, it's been working pretty well. He gets distracted by his books & sits down to "read" them.
Otherwise, It's the knick-knack thing. There are NONE in my house any more. :(
Oh yes - I can totally relate to this one! My coffee table used to have beautiful framed pictures on it....now it's empty. Too many little hands :)
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