Let’s face it: Kids are messy.
There’s nothing worse than thoughtfully decorating your home only to find a grape juice stain adorning your living room upholstery. It’s easy to feel like the dream of a stylish, organized home flew the coop as soon as you became a parent.
But don’t despair!
With a little help from Lifestyles Furniture, it is possible to equip your home with furniture that will stay beautiful through all those ketchup spills, grass stains and other kid-induced messes. Keep reading for a few handy tips to help you out.
Choose Durable Fabric
When decorating for the family home, you want items that can take the occasional spill, or magic marker drawing, and still look fabulous.
- When selecting kid-friendly furniture, stay away from rich fabrics like wool or velvet. As lush and trendy as they may be, luxurious natural fabrics are notorious for trapping pet hair, stains and dirt.
- Instead, look toward stain-resistant material. For example, the smooth texture of leather allows stains and dirt to slide right off. Leather does, however, tend to absorb heavy stains like paint and ink, so proceed with caution if you have artistic little ones.
- Another good choice is a tightly woven cloth fabric like microfiber or tweed, both of which will repel stains and clean fairly easily.
- Look to companies that have engineered fabrics for durability and easy clean up. There are some great choices from brands such as Revolution Fabrics, Crypton and Sunbrella, which are all available at Lifestyles Furniture.
Consider Outdoor Fabrics
Durable fabrics are a must when you have kids running around, and engineered fabrics are typically more durable than natural fabrics.
The most durable fabrics can be found on – you guessed it – outdoor furniture. Luckily, the days of scratchy, gaudy patio furniture are long gone. Today’s outdoor fabrics are not only soft and touchable, but come in a wide variety of beautiful colors and patterns, giving you the durability of outdoor with indoor style and comfort.
Try solution-dyed acrylic, a colorfast, durable and stain-resistant fabric becoming more and more popular with savvy decorators.
Disguise Wear And Tear With Bold Colors and Patterns
You’re proud of your kids’ creativity, but you’re not so proud of their paint spills and unwanted markings on walls and furniture.
Stains can be challenging to avoid when you have an active family, but camouflaging them is a great way to get peace of mind without worrying about cleaning your fabrics constantly.
Large, bold prints are a great pick for on-the-go families, while bolder, darker colors can cover the worst stains from juice, grass and other common offenders in between furniture cleanings.
Choose Pieces That Are Easy To Clean
When it’s time to clean your furniture, washable slipcovers and easy-to-remove cushion covers can save you lots of time and headaches.
Choosing pieces that are closed with zippers will make it easy to clean stains and spills before they wreak permanent havoc on your furniture. Even better, many cushion covers can be washed at home, cutting out the headache of dry cleaning.
Ready to revamp your family’s furniture? Lifestyles Furniture offers unique family-friendly styles with local flair you won’t find anywhere else. Schedule a free design consultation today.