Good Design With Kids in Mind and Chelsea Horsley

This post and series is brought to you by one of my favorite places to shop for Kids, Land of Nod! 

I hope you are all enjoying the last few days of the good design with kids in mind series. Don't forget to enter my giveaway on instagram! 

You have a great chance to win an e-design done by me for one of your kid's spaces. It can be a kids playroom, corner in your living room, kids room, nursery etc! Just post a picture of the space you need help with and check in Friday night for the winner! Find more details over at my Instagram...

And now back to the series...

Throughout this series I wanted to take some sneak peaks into blogger's real homes and get a feel for the solutions that work for them.  Chelsea from Yours Truly is giving us tips and ideas on the solutions that work best for her. Chelsea has excellent taste and is proof that your home can have good design while keeping kids in mind! 

I'm so happy Kirsten asked me to be a part of this series! I have loved decorating my own home & the homes of clients, but making a space for kids is my absolute favorite. It's a place to let go, less rules, and more fun. Having three kids under six myself means my home needs to be kid friendly, like so many of you. I whole heartedly believe your home can be beautiful, stylish, and a place for your kids to be kids. It just takes a little more creativity (and being okay with an occasional broken item:) You can tell right when you walk in my home that I have kids, and I like it that way. Hopefully it's not because you're having to step over a toy, but because there is a playfulness and contrast to the design. Below is a chalkboard wall I painted in the kitchen. It's great entertainment for us all! It's the second home we've had with a chalkboard wall in, and I can't imagine not having one now, it's so practical and fun.

We keep the bigger bulkier toys in our kids rooms and closets since we don't have a play room. Sure things tend to make their way out throughout the day, and sure I have blocks and doll heads laying around in my kitchen, and that's okay. For me, the best way to rein in the small stuff is with baskets. Baskets, baskets and more baskets. I have catch-all baskets in almost every room of the house. A cool tribal one works great in our family room. An industrial wire basket fits well in our kitchen. The baskets in our console table, while look just decorative, are filled with toys, as are the bottom drawers of both our family room & dining room armoire's. It makes for an easy and quick 10 minute pickup when I know someone's coming over, and at the end of the day. Because the baskets are meant for anything small, my kids can even help me pick up since they don't need to know what goes where. I feel like you can put a basket anywhere too. I like them especially next to a fireplace, to help anchor a side chair, or paired up under a console table.

Books are another thing I love decorating with, and they make so much sense with kids. Most young kids know books only by their covers, so facing them out makes finding their favorites easy. You can find stacks of books all over my house. In my daughter Tate's room we hung the Ikea book ledge to create a cozy reading nook. It was cool how much more she read when her books were out on display like this. I wasn't expecting that. I also layer them on her windowsill, stack them in her desk cubby, and on a small chair. It's such an easy, charming way to bring color and playfulness to kids spaces while using something functional.

I think it's important to create spaces for your kids in areas other than their rooms. It is their home too. I spend so much of my day in the kitchen, so it was only natural that the chalkboard wall, as well as their play table + chairs live there. It's turned into a little snack/craft area and it's the happiest corner in our home. I always feel like a lucky mama when I see this nook, and I know my daughter feels proud seeing her artwork displayed for everyone to see. 

Art is something I hear from clients that they struggle with. I am drawn to art that means something, which is tricky since you also want it to mean something to your kids, but with out having giant puppies, or peace signs on the wall (what my kids are currently into:). For my twins nursery, since we didn't know them yet, I chose pieces that meant something to our family. A set of finger painted portraits by Tate for them, a favorite quote of mine that reminds me how strong the twins are despite their early struggle, and a print of multiple tiny homes that gives nod to our many travels and places we've called home over the years. They all coordinate yes, but more importantly they were chosen with thought and over time. It made their room feel personal even though they were too little to have any say in it.

Both my twins and daughters bedroom have lots of white. I get asked how I keep it clean all the time. Which is funny, because I feel like it's actually been pretty easy. While I don't let my kids eat in their rooms, there is always the inevitable stain. Luckily, minus the rugs, everything is removable and machine washable. My twins are two now, and the rug has stayed fairly clean. If you can find rugs that are reversible get them! They are a lifesaver when you need a fresh start. I've flipped the boys rug once, and I assume by the time they're 3 or 4 I'll need to get the rug professionally cleaned. I love having white too, because I know if something serious did get on it I can always use bleach. I honestly haven't felt the white has been much of an issue though.

Thanks so much for having me Kirsten!

Teeppes are all the rage right now for kid's spaces. I know my son is obsessed with tents and this "A Teepee to Call Your Own Teepee" from Land of Nod would make him jump up and down with excitement. Every kid needs their own space to read, play and dream and this teepee is fit for all of that! Not only is it cute but it's also sturdy and well made. This teepee is sure to be a hit for years and years to come.