As the first entry in our How Do I category, we’d like to extend a warm welcome and even warmer thank-you for helping us, well, help you! This section is meant to carve out an area of the blog for simple how-to’s and mini tutorials, from organizing your fridge to creating a reading corner to matching scattered silverware. We’re here to help! So with no further introduction, let’s talk kid corners.
Just like the KKDL team and many people we know, the family dynamic is constantly in flux. Sometimes you work from home, sometimes the kids go to camp, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes you want to play with your kids, and sometimes you want some alone time. As we’ve stated before in a few other articles, your home is a direct reflection of you and your lifestyle. While we’d like to think kids’ creativity can be contained to their room or designated play areas, that isn’t always the case, and that’s perfectly okay. Thanks to a great question via our Instagram follower, Elise (@dearmyelise), we’ve done our research and compiled our best ideas for how to create a functional kid corner that is also adult friendly. Here goes nothin’!
Extra Space
Is there an odd corner of the living room that can’t be fixed with furniture? What about a wide open space near the couch? Do you have a nook near the family room in need of just something? Consider that your kid corner. By creating a special place for your tikes, they’re able to take ownership of their small space and you’re able to take ownership, of, well, just about everything else.
Get Creative
As one would think when kids are involved, it’s always best to get your creative juices flowing. Does your daughter love to draw? Are your twins mesmerized by puppets and stuffed animals? Do building blocks consume your boy’s life until bedtime? Use their developed interests and pint-sized passions as cues for creating their space. If your daughter has a thing for doodling, consider painting a section of an accent wall in chalkboard paint and dedicating that area to Picasso-like pictures. If stuffed toys, dolls, or action figures are more their scene, try arranging buckets and bins for the specified toys. Get crafty with building blocks by putting their favorite creations on display. Extra tip: Make a particular area reachable for the tinier tots. Multi-level tables and shelves makes it so nobody is tempted to grab what isn’t theirs (i.e. mommy’s coffee).
Make it Match
Here comes the tricky yet fun part: kids toys are usually bright, neon colors and patterns and make sounds and tend to get messy. Adult, grown-up decor? Not so much. The trick in creating this special place for the kids is seamlessly blending it into the rest of your house. First, try choosing living room/family room staples with lots of storage (kudos if the storage is hidden). A coffee table with slide out compartments or under-shelving units makes for fantastic storage of the previously mentioned building blocks. Next, grab toys, books, and gadgets that your little one would like but that also sneakily blends in with your home decor. For example, stuffed animals in tones of gray and white wouldn’t look all that misplaced if they were left out in your Deco-Modern living room. Building blocks in different types of wood look both functional and artisan, lending a crafty vibe to your space. Check out these fun, whimsical toys that make us want to be kids again.
Recap
1. Find a corner or small area that can be 100% designated to the kids
2. Use their interests as cues for decoration and function
3. Match their toys and play-things with your decor
4. Enjoy family time that looks and feels picture perfect!
For more tips and tricks, we’ve tracked down a few of our favorite looks and creative kid rooms on Apartment Therapy, Houzz, and Young House Love. And as always, we’d love to here your favorite ideas for storing extra toys, maneuvering furniture to be kid-friendly, and other creative inspiration in the comments below!
