Between their bursts of energy and muddy fingers, kids can easily get harmed by furniture and in return they can easily harm your furniture too. We know it can be challenging to design a home that’s both sophisticated and child-friendly, so we scoured the Internet for the most beautiful kid-friendly interiors to provide you with some much-needed inspiration. Read on for our top designer tips on how to stylishly childproof and babyproof your home so that you can create a space that is both gorgeous and safe for your little ones.
Ultra-Chic Ways to Childproof Your Home
- Get washable walls
- Create a book gallery
- Soften your corners
- Lay out dark colored rugs
- Stick to the 2-foot rule
1. Get washable walls
Credit: Homimu
Dirty hands and gifted little artists can easily ruin your beautiful wallpapers, which is why washable wall paint is going to be your home’s new best friend. Opt for finishes that are semi-gloss, eggshell and satin, which can be cleaned up with a sponge and water. We recommend the Dulux Easycare paint range, which is washable, scrubbable, and actively repels liquid stains too. For your child's bedroom, you can go the extra mile by getting chalkboard walls so that your little tot can unleash their creativity.
2. Create a book gallery
Credit: Flippedcase
If you have a junior bookworm in the house, then what better way to delight them than by making books the center of the room’s attention? Create a book gallery by displaying book covers facing out, and lined up on a low narrow shelf like this 5-shelf birch hardwood book display shelf ($$139.99). Doing this adds pretty pops of color to your kid’s bedroom but also offers a safe way for your child to pick out books on their own without the risk of stacks of heavy books toppling on their precious heads. For more cozy reading space ideas, check out Lemon & Kiwi Designs' article on 10 creative reading nook ideas for kids.
3. Soften your corners
Credit: Homary
With its sharp edges, the notorious coffee table can take out even the most careful adults (guilty!), let alone little kiddos. Most parents will go for the quick hack of adding corner guards and childproofing furniture bumpers on their furniture edges, but large bits of styrofoam can really take away the aesthetic appeal from your home. To keep your living area looking stylish, we recommend opting for circular tables or this soft edged oversize ottomon bench with storage ($151.19). Poufs and floor cushions also make for great options for extra seating if you’ve got a big family.
4. Lay out dark colored rugs
Credit: The Everygirl
With butterfingers of my own, I can’t blame a kid for spilling a drink or two. To avoid stain-splotched floor rugs, use darker colored and patterned rugs in your family home. We like this kid and pet-friendly contemporary dark gray area rug ($118.77) as it is designed to be resilient against everyday wear-and-tear, making it perfect for high traffic areas of your home such as the living room and dining room.
5. Stick to the 2-foot rule
Credit: In Honor of Design
Anything your kid can reach, especially when they’re on tiptoe, is officially in the danger zone. This means fragile pieces like picture frames, ceramics, vases, and other decorative objects need to be moved from low-lying surfaces to a safe location two feet or more above your little one’s head. An easy way to achieve this is to install floating shelves high up on the wall, like these beautiful rustic BAYKA floating wooden shelves ($26.99).
