Niki Milliken Designing for the littles in our lives.
Recently, I was tasked to help friends with a living room that serves multiple functions in their lovely home, nestled in the San Ramon hills of California. The house has a mid-century modern floor plan with a medium size dining space, large open family room central to the home, and a kitchen with striking views of Mt. Diablo. There is a living room off to the left of the kitchen with a fireplace, several doorways, and a few, frequently used walkways. As a major thoroughfare, this living room provides several challenges in terms of how it functions day in and day out.
For my friend’s family, their ultimate desire is for this room to create some sense of place for their toddler with ample toy storage and seating for all. This family also has pets who will share this multifunctional room. While designing for the entire family was my objective the majority of this piece will focus on products that cater to children, but some of my picks are pet friendly as well. Ultimately, the main question becomes, how do we choose items that still function for everyone’s needs but look nice and will be long lasting? This is a design challenge that comes up in all of my projects and it’s one I enjoy tackling.
Something I like to remind myself when designing a space for kids is to keep it fun and simple! I focus on playful elements like bold, bright colors and patterns. Climbing walls, custom artwork, or brightly colored storage containers can be implemented to bring in unique and whimsical details. Elements like these play an influential role in enhancing children’s imagination, and make them feel welcome to the shared space. I pulled together a list of go-to items that I have used on similar projects, all functional and chic.
Niki’s Go-To Products for Littles:
- Rug: Who does not love a washable rug?I am a fan of Ruggable and have several in my home. However, for this project, my friends said they wanted something that had a thicker pile. I found this adorable plush rug at Crate & Kids. The pattern and colors fit the project perfectly and it is ALSO washable!!
Crate & Kids: Taza Washable Wool Geometric Rug
Photo Courtesy of: Crate & Kids
- Coffee Table: Parents are always looking for a unicorn when it comes to coffee tables. Something that looks like it’s made for adults but durable enough to withstand toddlerhood. Room and Board has a beautiful outdoor product line.The Nova round coffee table is made from HDPE, this material is incredibly durable, non leaching, and tends to be a more affordable material.
Photo Courtesy of: Room & Board
- Fabric: Fabric can really make or break the look of any furniture piece. When designing for pets and children focus on performance fabric, especially when redesigning high use spaces. I love Joy Bird for a number of reasons but most of all they have a wide selection of performance fabrics, meaning that they are kid, pet, and sometimes liquid friendly. They can be cleaned easily and will last longer than standard stocking fabric options. Expect to spend more when selecting a performance fabric and the lead times might be longer but for a larger piece like a couch it’s really worth the investment in the long run.
Joy Bird: Briar Sleeper Sofa with Performance Fabric- Faithful Indigo Fabric
Photo Courtesy of: Joy Bird
Performance Fabric Options
Photo Courtesy of: Joy Bird
- Art Hangers: A fun way to personalize any kid(s) area is by displaying their artwork. There are literally dozens of ways to do this depending on your set up. The Homeschool Decor art racks below are customizable in the sense that you can choose your stain and claw color. The size is substantial enough for a few pieces of artwork, and stacking them either side by side or on top of one another like the photo shows creates an area for a mini gallery where one can rotate seasonal artwork.
Etsy: Homeschool Decor, Art Display.
Photo Courtesy of: Homeschool Decor, Etsy Shop.
- Art: Whether you are planning a nature theme for your little’s space or incorporating learning elements, Minted.com allows you to choose unique artwork for amazing prices. You can customize the size, frame, and matte color. I found the examples below and fell in love with the whimsical nature of these prismatic prints.
Photo Courtesy of: Minted.com
Photo Courtesy of: Minted.com
- Poufs: Extra seating seems to always be needed and it makes sense to have floor pillows or poufs that can be tucked away when not in use. When possible, I love sourcing poufs that come in bold colors or patterns to help enhance the overall look and feel of the space. I found the poufs shown at Crate & Kids. They come in a handful of colors, plus they are velvet, and well, who doesn’t love the soft touch that velvet offers. Lastly, the handle detail is cute but also functional.
Photo Courtesy of: Crate & Kids.
The one thing I want my readers to take aways is don’t feel obligated to compromise design because you have pets and kids. We live in a time where there are plenty of options (maybe too many) for the littles in our life that can be functional and look stylish in your home.
Dream, Design & Redefine,
Niki Milliken
