HOME TOUR
I just bit my nails and bought an antique table. Will I regret it? I guess we’ll see. It can feel a bit daunting to bring home an antique find when you’ve got kiddos in your home, especially rambunctious little ones. Because try as you might, their little hands are going to touch, they’re going to want to climb–it’s just who they are. We’ve made it a goal in our home to not have anything sooooo fancy that it can not be accessed by my children. Because I don’t want to live in a museum and family is what my home is for. But does that mean you just avoid antiques altogether? In some instances it might but more likely a scenario, you just need to be strategic about incorporating antiques in decor with kids.
Marie Flanigan Interiors
I love the character an antique piece brings to a home. It tells a story. It reminds you that you are a part of a larger story. And especially if it is a family heirloom it should be on display and treasured. And don’t get me wrong, kiddos should also have an appropriate level of respect for the home they are in. Fostering this respect is part of a larger role of instruction that is your job as a parent to prepare them for a world of boundaries. But as a momma of littles, I know that they are only capable of so much and strict rules and limits on where they are allowed to go isn’t for me.
Ruth Eileen Photography
Although excited to bring this antique piece into our home and our family story, it did make me pause and think, maybe it’s worth talking about–this incorporating antiques into your home while simultaneously raising littles.
Ruth Eileen Photography
There’s an antique version of everything out there. Here in our bathroom we have an antique stool and rug. You can buy vintage plates and paintings, couches, chairs and tables to bread boards and tea kettles. You name it, you can find it in an antique form. And by “antique” I mean, from an earlier era. For me I’m really looking at the turn of the 20th century and earlier for the character I’m after. But mid-century (usually with the word “modern” tact on to that is usually referencing the middle of the 20th century (1933-1965) and also “vintage” or “antique”. So really it comes down to the style you are after. What are safer antiques to invest in to add that character to your home without sacrificing your sanity and keeping it safe from little hands? I’ve got some ideas.
Ruth Eileen Photography
HOME DECOR ACCESSORIES
Antique accessories are way easier to incorporate than larger pieces. They can be higher up on shelves and more fragile with less concern for damage. I’ve everything from vintage vases to oil paintings to Japanese fishing floats. In my home, we’ve got a designated playroom. Nothing accessible in that space is an antique but I do have some antique globes in the bookshelves and vintage marbles in jars. They aren’t reachable by the kids yet still add a ton of character. In our family room, which is open to the kitchen, we’ve got zero antiques except in the shelves. It’s a perfect place to layer vintage pictures.
OUT OF THE WAY FURNITURE
I like to think of these as the “there” but not really “seen” by those sweet kiddos. They’re the furniture pieces they usually don’t play with, climb on or bother much. For us that’s a few small side tables or the console in the entry or the dining room table. They’re there but my kiddos don’t bother them. When I think about how my kids use spaces, like our family room, I know they hang all over our coffee table but rarely touch the side table in the window nook. When looking to incorporate a vintage piece of furniture in here, I’d opt to find an antique side table because I know that is probably a safer find then a coffee table.
VINTAGE RUNNERS
Whittney Parkinson Design
What about rugs? Do you risk spending thousands of dollars on a gorgeous antique rug only to find playdough smashed into it a few short days later? I give that a hard NO, opting for “cheaper” rugs in the kid-frequented spaces (playroom, family room, dining room) that have a vintage feel without the price tag or worry just to save my sanity. My kids don’t frequent our bedroom as often with playdough, I’m more inclined to put a lovely vintage rug in there. It’s all about strategy to strike this balance between living with kids and antiques.
Long story short, buy antiques! If you’re in the market for a side table search for a gently used antique piece filled with character. It is absolutely possible to incorporate antiques into decor with kids. Think about where your kids go in your home, what they touch and where they eat. Mine don’t hang out in the entry so for me, this would be a “safer” place to put say, an antique console table but they do use the dining room chairs for games and fort building. I’ve decided to avoid any antique chairs in my home for this season of my life because of spills and grubby kiddo hands and all the fort building. But I did just purchase an antique dining room table from Provence and I’m excited to fit it into my decor. With my current dining room chairs for me it’s a way to blend the old and new in my home, building layers of character (especially with all that beautiful wallpaper coming soon!) and enjoy antiques without losing my sanity. Where do you like to use antiques?
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