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

Forum Index » Home Improvement, Design, and Decorating

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

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If West Elm and Pottery Barn-type stores are nice, then no--we didn't wait. As a young family, I wouldn't buy priceless antiques (not that I'd want them) for the house, but I want to live in a place that makes me feel happy and at home. To me, that means decorating nicely. It's my house too, not just my kids' home.

And listen, I don't have any experience with anyones kids but my own, but we raise them to respect belongings and it has worked since they were babies. With the exception of baby proofing cleaning supplies and the like, we didn't change anything about our home and its never been a problem. Will there be a crayon drawn on the wall or couch? Sure, occasionally, but everyone slips up and then they help clean the mess.

I wouldn't buy a white or cream sofa though. Partly because I would likely spill red wine on it, regardless of what the kids would do :)

I will say I have never understood people who use kids as an excuse as to why their house is dirty or messy. It is absolutely possibly to have a clean and tidy home with young children. If you don't want to clean and pick-up, just own it, lol. [/quote]

[b]I don't think it's about cleaning and picking up. It's more about constant close supervision for your kids to make sure they never ruin the furnishings. 
[/b]

We did sort of in between furnishings. We have new, nice-looking but not expensive sofas and accessories. Now's not the time for a $12K sofa for us because we have little kids. I can find sofa pillows that I like for under $40 each. We have a really nice antique buffet in the dining room, but it's not like the kids use it. We have a modern upholstered bedframe, but it cost hundreds, not thousands. Duvet sets from Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, or Pottery Barn on sale. We buy mid-range window treatments. I really don't see spending thousands per room on window treatments with my little kids, but I prefer simple panels anyway. We paint, put up wallpaper, accessorize, etc., so we're not living like recent college grads. I can decorate a room for $3-5K and really enjoy it vs. spending $30-50K and stressing about kids ruining it.[/quote]

My toddler does not require close constant supervision in order for us to keep the house tidy, though I've made sure most of her toys are of the puzzle and toy house variety. Art supplies I keep a closer eye on, but I have the power to choose when those come out. And of course, we don't get anything not 100% washable.

Each family may be different, but I also know most of my friends--who I adore--who have "trashed" houses have no desire to pick up after the kids go to bed. That would drive me nuts, but I'm a neat-nick. Just don't think having a nice, tidy house with young kids is as impossible as people make it out to be. Expect in more extreme personality situations this more about personal preferences and parenting style. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics