What My Kids Have Taught Me About Interior Design
(Lessons in balance, beauty, and letting go)
When I started designing homes, I believed good design was all about control — a perfectly balanced palette, a tidy vignette, every pillow fluffed just so. Then I had kids.
And everything — the schedule, the priorities, the floor plan — changed.
What surprised me most wasn’t how much my kids challenged my sense of order, but how much they taught me about design. They gave me a new way to see what home really means.
Here’s what I’ve learned from them.
1. Design Has to Bend With Life
Children are natural disruptors — in the best way. They remind you that homes are meant to be lived in. Fingerprints on the walls? Evidence of creativity. A blanket fort in the middle of the living room? Proof of imagination.
Good design doesn’t crumble under real life. It flexes with it.
That’s why I’ve learned to choose materials that can take a little love — washable slipcovers, durable rugs, forgiving finishes. The goal isn’t to preserve perfection, but to create spaces that still look beautiful when they’re being used exactly as intended.
2. Function Comes First — But Beauty Still Matters
Kids move fast, and their stuff multiplies faster. I’ve learned to think like a parent and a designer: where will the art supplies live, how can we make cleanup intuitive, where can a parent sit and watch without feeling like they’re in a playroom?
The truth is, function and beauty aren’t opposites — they’re partners. When everything has a place, the visual noise quiets down. And that’s when beauty can really breathe.
3. Playfulness Is Powerful
Children are natural designers. They mix patterns fearlessly, line up their favorite colors with confidence, and never overthink. They remind me that design should be fun — a reflection of curiosity and joy.
A whimsical wallpaper in a powder room, a bright piece of art in a neutral space, or a playful pop of color in a kid’s room — these details keep a home from feeling too serious. The best spaces have a wink.
4. Comfort Is Everything
My kids have taught me that comfort is the real luxury. It’s not the expensive sofa, but the one everyone actually sits on. It’s the rug you can sprawl across, the blanket that always ends up in the family room, the chair that hugs you at the end of the day.
As much as I love a tailored detail or the perfect millwork, the moments that matter most happen in the soft, well-loved corners of a home.
5. A Home Is Never Finished (and That’s the Point)
Designing with kids has taught me patience — and the art of the long view. Spaces evolve as we do. What starts as a nursery becomes a reading nook, then a study zone, then a room for sleepovers and dreams that reach beyond the walls.
A home is meant to change. If it tells the story of your family — fingerprints, scuffs, and all — then you’ve done it right.
In the End…
My kids have taught me that good design isn’t about control — it’s about connection.
It’s about creating a home that feels alive, a place that welcomes mess and magic in equal measure. A place that’s not afraid to show that life — real, beautiful, everyday life — is happening here.
And truly, what better design statement could there be than that?
