Is it True? Don't Buy Nice Furniture Until the Kid's are in High School???

[Anonymous]

Our kids were fine with nice furniture. The pets not so much. However, when they were young we had a rule about no food or drinks (other than water) outside of the kitchen. It really made a difference both for furniture and carpet.

[Anonymous]

You can have nice furniture- just not in areas where the kids are always around at first.

We invested in solid cherry furniture for our bedroom- natural finish, clean lines, made in America. That was 10 years ago when we had a toddler. Now we have two kids and a dog- the bedroom furniture is fine.

Everything else- meh. It is hit or miss.

Dining room table is solid wood from CB is fine. Upholstery not so much. Family room top grain leather sofa we purchased 15 years ago for Ethan Allen is ok- needs a lot touch ups but fine. Ikea furniture is destroyed. Havertys tv stand is fine but the coffee table is destroyed.

Solid wood (not veneer and not heavily stained) looks ok still. But anything painted or veneered looks like poop. Upholstery is not great but we didn’t spend a lot on that.

And don’t forget- it’s not just kids.

It’s spouses too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:again, good for the folks with perfect children. I don't care how well I hide stuff to write with -my child still somehow finds a way to scribble on her furniture and her walls. We still have yet to figure out what she used to write on her carpet that is absolutely impervious to stain remover.

I need the non-sneaky non-destructive kid upgrade....

This is taking me back to when my kids were in elementary school and we were googling how to get marker off a tv. In general, they are good kids but that summer there was marker on the tv, the lounge chair mysteriously got broken, the shades were dangling in the basement. Oh and there were silly putty and slime deals going on at school so even if we didn’t purchase that material (because it’s he&& on furniture) it was still in the house. I remember telling a co-worker about this thinking I would be past this with kids in early elementary and they were saying how their teenagers had messed up furniture etc.

I would say to OP that you should be prudent about rooms of the house where it makes sense to invest in an expensive piece and what type of furniture. Rugs, carpets, couches, chairs in den/living room and multi purpose tables where people eat/drink/put stuff down/might do art work are going to be tough to keep pristine so I would go inexpensive. Master Bedroom, Guest room furniture, dining room furniture have all held up well. Our side tables with lamps that we got when kids were in elementary school have also held up. It’s also nice to in the later years to update a room with an eye towards not needing stuff for toddlers and lots of toys. We redid our basement once kids were in high school and it’s a relaxing space for adults that couldn’t have the same design with toddlers. We have great memories of the IKEA storage drawers, lots of toys, tough material that hid all for the couch, Berber carpet where the kids learned to crawl etc, cheap craft/coffee table with glitter still crusted and lots of scratches etc, everything baby proofed so there were no sharp edges or glass. It’s a very different design when we aren’t designing for the kids.

[Anonymous]

We waited until the kids were late middle school/high school to buy nice living room furniture. Then the pandemic hit, and we now have four adults/teens sitting on the furniture ALL THE TIME--eating, drinking, working with feet curled under them etc. My nice expensive furniture already looks old and scuffed.
Go ahead and treat yourself to what you want now. You never know what the future might hold.

[Anonymous]

That's ridiculous. We have nice furniture.

We also have a no-shoes household. When you come in from outside you wash your hands. And all food is eaten in the kitchen or dining room.

[Anonymous]

If you live in a normal home with formal and play areas you are ok, if u live in shi1tshack one room living area than no

[Anonymous]

People who have children that “destroy their home” don’t create boundaries and don’t teach their children in toddlerhood how to treat the home. If you want to have nice things, you have rules, enforce them and buy performance fabrics. It doesn’t mean kids can’t have fun. It means they wash their hands after eating instead of wiping them on your sofa.

[Anonymous]

We got a nice Italian leather sectional when my kids were a toddler and newborn - our big splurge with new house. 10 years later it still looks new, and the solid wood Amish table and chairs we got at the same time have also held up well. I think if you invest in the right kind of pieces (I.e. not fabric) you’ll be okay.

We did have one incident with a toddler ballpoint pen on the couch slightly after we got it, but it cleaned up fine!

[Anonymous]

Upholstered- yes. Just buy crap or with washable covers.
Wood no. Buy quality now.
Your bedroom- get what you want.