3 Grown-Up Design Ideas Borrowed From The Kids

After years of renting and being unable to put your stamp on the place you live, buying a home and decorating it for the first time is the most amazing experience. There’re so many trends and styles you want to try out and not enough rooms to give them all a go. Don’t rush into anything and avoid theming every single room, it can feel like overload once you settle down to actually living in it. Take your time to get to know the space and work out how you will use it best. Then begin your makeover, slowly! Collect pieces you love as you see them and base your scheme around them, not the other way around. That way you end up with an organic, timeless look that reflects your tastes. Of course, we all want to have fun in our homes too. So here’s three lessons we learned from the kids about what to include in your chic, grown up space.

1. Don’t Follow The Latest Trend

Kids have so few options for personalising their space yet they still manage to do it well. They choose colours that aren’t in style, combinations no one would have thought would work and arrangements that are fun rather than practical. We have a lot to learn! It’s all very well knowing that moody florals or all-white schemes will be big news next year, but that’s hardly a reason to decorate a room (or a house) with them. You might know they’re cutting-edge and couture, but will visitors? Let’s be honest, we tend to tap into the latest style because it is fashionable and it shows off our style credentials. If the people in your life are likely to recognise the latest hot trends and applaud your take on them then center your home around them, they will clearly work for you. However, if you're only incentive to replicate the fashion is something you’ve read in a glossy magazine, then decorating in the latest style is pointless. It will push up the costs of your renovation and will go unnoticed by the people around you. If you love the style, great. Incorporate it with little pieces you saw and fell in love with. Don’t order heaps online and then wonder if you like it once it’s arrived.

2. Have Fun In The Space

It’s so easy to opt for neutral tones and clean lines and then spend your life tidying up the clutter of everyday life. What a waste of time. Take a lesson from the kids and create a space that works with your life, one that isn’t ruined by an errant magazine left on the coffee table. This is the area you want to chill out in, so make sure it’s relaxed and comfortable. If you’ve bought that upright sofa that you love, but your friends feel too stuffy sitting on it, think about including other pieces in your scheme to relax it a little. Have you considered a wacky option? How about Comfy Sacks and bean bags? Yes, they’re not an obvious choice but they can create a great contrast with more formal pieces.

Think about how you use the space and don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit. Do you need a formal dining room and a home office? A large sideboard looks great alongside a dining table. Keep your laptop, filing and papers hidden away in it when people come to dinner and then whip them out the next day and voila! Two rooms for the price of one.

3. Get Personal

We’re not talking about finger paintings on the wall and colouring in on the fridge here (although both have their merits). Kids make the most of their spaces by injecting them with personality. Veering away from couture trends and fitting your home to your lifestyle are both great ways to make it completely personal. Don’t be afraid to add your stamp to other aspects as well. If you love your coffee table but think it’s just a shade too dark for the room, sand it down and re-varnish it. If you’ve got some paint left over from the walls, why not add a few flourishes to the dresser or chest as well? The secret to decorating like a kid, and creating a space you love, is to follow your heart and try new things. If they don’t work, you can always try something else.