When bringing children into a home, making the environment safe for them is of the utmost importance. Because of this, many people spend hours and hundreds of dollars working to baby-proof their homes before they bring in any little ones. However, if you’ve worked hard to design and decorate your home to your liking before you had children, you may find that making changes to accommodate a child won’t keep the coherent look you’ve mastered. To avoid this problem, consider designing your home to be kid-safe in the first place. While this may seem like you’ll have to water-down your ideas of a dream home, you can actually create a beautiful and functional space that is pleasing to see while also being safe for your kids.

 

Around the Fireplace

 

A fireplace is a great addition to any home. It can truly be a focal point of your room while also offering some realistic benefits like heat and ambiance. Luckily, you don’t have to forgo having a fireplace just because you’re planning to have kids. However, you do need to make sure your kids will be safe around the hot surfaces. Parenting.com suggests showcasing a beautifully made fireplace guard to keep your room looking posh while also protecting your kids. You will also want to keep your fireplace tools out of reach of your kids. An interesting design idea is to have these items mounted on the wall to be both decorative and utilitarian.

 

Safety On the Stairs

 

Stairs can be a big safety hazard for children, especially when they just learning how to be mobile. But if you’ve made some smart decisions about the type of stairs and stair accessories you want to build into your home, you shouldn’t have to worry about kids flying down the stairs. To keep both children and adults safe, install stair railings that meet both the industry standards and the motif of your home. You’ll also want to make sure that the vertical part of the railings won’t be large enough for body parts to get through and not be able to get back. Try glass or woven railings to avoid this problem while still adding style to your home.

 

Sturdy Materials and Finishes

 

If you spend thousands of dollars on decorating and designing your home before kids just to have all your hard work and possessions ruined by crayons and stains a few short years later, you’ll likely regret choosing those home items in the first place. To avoid these feelings, pick sturdy items and nearly indestructible finishes for your home. HGTV advises applying wipeable paint to the walls, easy to clean wood window blinds, heavy fabrics with flat weaves and dark carpet. Materials and furniture made for these materials will look gorgeous in any style of home while standing up to the mess and abuse your children will dole out.

 

When you have children, you don’t have to sacrifice looks for safety. Get creative and find ways to have your cake and eat it too.