Home Design With Kids In Mind

John and Sherry mentioned that they're working on book # 2 and that the focus of this book is centered around decorating a home for real family life.  That got me thinking about the process we've been through over the past 6 years and about how basically every decision we make comes down to whether it'll be functional for these guys:

Yes I love grass cloth wall paper but I also have boys with peanut butter and jelly coated fingers.  From "dirt" colored upholstery and leather to tile selection almost everything we've done has come down to one thing: will it survive 3 little boys?

We basically live in our family room off the kitchen which means it has to be something that will take a beating.  I describe this design as "organic" which really means "color of dirt."

White quartz is basically indestructible and going with honed marble over polished means I won't stress over toothpaste stains and little boy poor aim stains:

    

Rolling crates hide toys and Books:

Outdoor hooks and buckets keeps our deck looking neat in the summertime.  

Irrigation System which unintentionally doubles as water fun for the boys:

DIY Wall Height Chart:

Back to School Organization:

DIY letters:

Big Boy Room:

Sports Room: 

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what your home looks like.  What matters is that your family is warm, safe and happy.  It is a place where priceless memories are made.  Our home is the 6th member of our family.