How to Decorate When You Have Kids

Hey, new friend! I’m so happy to be subbing in for my dear friend, Erica, today! I’m Chelsea, I’m a stay at home mom of two little girls (firecrackers), navy wife to my cute hubby, Matt and DIY/home decorating blogger over at Making Home Base.

I love sharing quick and easy DIY projects or decorating ideas. Almost all of my projects are rental friendly because let’s face it, military life keeps us on our toes!

One question I get asked a lot by my readers is, “How do you decorate with kids?” or since I have small kids I hear this one a lot: “How do you keep your home from looking like a daycare?”

I wanted to share a few simple ideas that can help you decorate your home with kids and for kids.

1. Get organized. I’m the first to admit that I’m not the most organized person, as I sit here with a pile of papers on my desk (the struggle is real). But, I mean give everything a home. Think about all the items in your home that are prone to causing clutter. Think of ways to combat that clutter. For me, that’s my entryway. We were always just dropping our stuff by the door and it would be such a mess all the time. Since we don’t have a mudroom or even a coat closet, we built this entryway organizer to house all of the necessities you might need on your way out the door. I figured out what was causing clutter and gave each thing a home. I added baskets for the shoes that would constantly pile up. Then I added multiple hooks for backpacks, my bag, and jackets.

Hide toys in plain sight. This is my favorite trick for keeping my home looking polished with kids. It’s not that we don’t have a ton of toys or that my kids don’t make messes, it’s that we are really good at hiding it. We don’t have a dedicated playroom. So my older daughter keeps toys in her room and in our living room. I have tons of decorative baskets around my house that store toys. I love these large seagrass baskets from Target for hiding all of the toys. I keep them under my console table, next to my sofa, and in my sitting area. In addition to random baskets all over my living room. We have this awesome cube organizer that houses tons of toys. It was in my living room in our last house, it’s since been relocated to my daughter’s room. By utilizing decorative storage like baskets, storage ottomans, chests, etc. you can hide toys in plain sight, while maintaining a polished-looking home.

Lean into your style. It’s my belief that regardless of the age of your children, you should decorate your home according to your personal style. Don’t skimp on the style in exchange for convenience or for fear that something might be ruined. Look, I’m not saying go out and buy that $3000 sofa from Pottery Barn when you have a 4 and a 2-year-old. What I’m saying is, don’t settle! If you love a certain look, find a way to make that happen. Don’t skimp on style because you think you have to. I bought a white slip-covered sofa a couple of years ago when my daughter was 2. Everyone thought I was nuts, white with a baby, they’d say, “You’re crazy!” But look, it was an IKEA sofa that I bought second hand (just purchased a new slip), the cover was removable and I could bleach it. I had loved the look of a white sofa and after years I finally leaned into my style and went for it. It was the best decorating decision I’ve made! Don’t get me wrong, it gets dirty. We aren’t the “no food on the sofa” kind of people so sometimes chocolate milk gets spilled but it’s totally okay! Consider ways that you can incorporate your style in a practical way.

Involve your kids! I just mentioned that we aren’t the “no food on the sofa” kind of people. Well, we also aren’t the “no kids allowed in a certain room” type of people. There’s nothing off limits in my house for my kids. We don’t keep any precious family heirlooms within reach. We don’t have white carpet or super expensive furniture. My goal has always been to make our home livable for all of us. So, since we all live here, I like to incorporate my kids into the process of decorating our home. You can create a gallery wall of their artwork, or allow them to help you pick out pillows (I really do this – giving a couple of choices of course).

Those are my tops tips to creating a loveable, liveable home with kids. What are your favorite tips?

If you like this post – I’d love for you to join me for my 5-day FREE Mini e-course How to Love Your Home. It’s a quick 5-day challenge that allows you to think about your home in a different way. Whether it’s a rental, new home, forever home, apartment, you’ll get something out of this course. I used to put off decorating my house because I thought in the next house this would be better. Or in the next house that would be better. I was wasting so much precious time not loving my home. It’s my goal to help others create a home they love right now! After all, it’s where your people are! Click the button below to join!

You can also find me over on my blog, Making Home Base. I’m typically sharing home decorating tips and ideas like How to Decorate on a Budget or Where I Buy My Throw Pillows. I’m also on social media: Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram I’d love to connect with you!