If you’re planning on having children, you’d need to start planning and making provisions around your home as early as the renovation stage.
(Some parents will tell you that the house buying stage matters too. You’ll realise factors like location, size, and number of rooms make a difference. But that’s for a whole other post!)
While we did have plans for children in the horizon, we also realised that some of our initial renovation & interior design decisions had unintentionally made our home kid-friendly. That meant we didn’t have to do a full renovation again (thankfully!) or replace all our furniture.
Here are some of the things that worked for our growing family, which you may also want to consider during the renovation & design stage for your new house!
Used neutral, light colours
If you prescribe to the Montessori method, it is a form of education for children based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play.
This method employs the concept that “less is better”, meaning that you should have less distraction and create more soothing spaces for children to obtain higher concentration. It also helps them to remember clearly the order and place where objects belong.
Using neutral, light colours around the house is a great way to create a Montessori space for children. We had initially picked a Scandinavian design to make the house look big and cozy, so we’re quite glad that it works out in creating a conducive & calm space for children as well!
Vinyl flooring for easy clean-up
Another accidental by-product of our Scandinavian house theme is the intentional choice to go for vinyl flooring.
Unlike wood, tile, stone, or carpet flooring, vinyl material is actually easier to clean up any accidents and spills. They’re also resistant to scratches, stains, and moisture!
Many homes opt to install vinyl flooring for the kids’ bedrooms for additional reasons. Vinyl flooring is tough enough to deal with anything a child can throw it, and also comfortable for little children to walk barefoot on.
Washing machine with high capacity
As both of us work out a lot and go out pretty often, we bought the LG 10kg Smart Inverter Top Load Washing Machine. We thought this would help reduce the number of laundry cycles we’d need to do in a week.
For a couple, a small washing machine with a capacity of 6-8 kg would usually be sufficient. For a larger family, a larger washing machine with a capacity of 10-12 kg is usually recommended.
Luckily, we now don’t have to buy a new washing machine to deal with the extra laundry load!
Tables without sharp edges
If you look at our dining table and TV console – or even our study tables! – you’ll realise that none of them have sharp edges.
This was a design choice mainly for aesthetic reasons. We wanted to add more curves to the house without paying for built-ins.
However, we can now cut down on the number of bumpers we’ll need to protect our little one!
Minimal built-ins, especially in study room
We did have plans to convert the study room into a kids’ room in future. This is because we had converted the other spare room in our 4-room resale flat into a gym room, and want to keep it that way.
We mainly kept built-ins out of the study room because of the costs involved though! Our carpentry had already cost $25k and we didn’t want to add on to our high renovation costs.
Easy-to-clean sofa
We were initially hesitant to get a fabric sofa due to maintenance concerns, but didn’t want a leather one either as it didn’t match our home aesthetic + wasn’t comfortable.
We were eventually won over by the Auburn Performance Fabric 3 Seater Sofa from Castlery. It is made of spill-resistant bouclé performance fabric, which we were told is easy to clean.
We haven’t had any issues with it thus far, so we’re hoping this holds up for our little ones!
No rugs in living room
This one is a mixed bag!
Some recommend having the rug so that it’s softer and more comfortable for young children to walk around on.
Our stance is that we already have vinyl flooring (comfortable & safe enough) and that rugs are terribly difficult to clean – more so than the sofa!
No TV
This is also controversial decision that we decided was best for our children.
It is common to entertain children with television, but we both agree that we don’t want to get ours started too young. Screen time can come at a later age for our kids.
Both of us also don’t really watch much television, so we hope it sets a good precedent!
We’re not completely cutting out television from our children’s lives though. We may consider getting a projector in future, which is more cost-efficient. It also produces bigger images and doesn’t strain the eyes as much as a TV.
No glass walls & doors
We initially considered getting glass bi-fold doors for our home gym, but decided against it due to the high cost.
Now we realise that it is a great idea, as glass doors are a potential hazard for young kids who may walk straight into the glass.
We will, of course, consider putting up gates and fences to keep areas like the gym out for children. But this is still a much better budget option compared to the glass doors!
We’ve shared some of our renovataion & home decor decisions that have been unintentionally (but luckily!) kid-friendly for us. We hope it helps you if you’re in the midst of making these important questions with young family members in mind!
For more related posts:
- Items that made pregnancy easier – & hopefully helps yours too!
- Ultimate list of free baby & mother care samples in Singapore
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