TCJ: As a mom to four and designing on a budget, what’re some practical ways to create a beautiful but comfortable home?
EK: If the kids are too afraid to be kids in a beautifully decorated home, then the point has been missed. A home is for LIVING! To that end, I try to purchase with a realistic eye: What season of life are we in, and how can I still get the look I want without gasping every time my toddler toddles through a room afraid she’ll break something? That’s why I love old-made-new pieces…they’re SUPPOSED to be dinged up and worn out, ha!
Would you believe one the best décor decisions we ever made with four small children was to purchase white slipcovered furniture from IKEA? People shake their heads at all that white and all those sticky little hands, but hey—BLEACH PEN for the win! I betcha our white furniture is cleaner than most sofas in town, because anytime there’s a spill, we can whip off the slipcover, wash it, and it’s good as new!
