Hip homes forgo the cutesy kids stuff

Kid-friendly decor doesn’t forfeit stylish sensibilities

Friday, May 02, 2008

 

Jennifer Ishiguro adjusts a crib display at Pink or Blue Baby Couture in Calgary. Modern parents are increasingly reluctant to compromise their sense of style after baby arrives, opting for contemporary colours and design in lieu of Winnie the Pooh. Ted Jacob, Canwest News Service

After Erin Ryan-Walsh and her husband Rob Engelhardt moved out of their downtown apartment into a contemporary townhouse, they were thrilled to spend time decorating and adding personal touches to their new home.

Relocating their old, inherited furniture into the basement, Erin, a 30-year-old communications specialist and Rob, a 36-year-old financial analyst happily furnished their new digs with custom furniture and artwork, establishing their first, truly grownup house.

Beautiful framed artwork, hardwood floors and treasured accents that reflect their travels and life together make their home modern, comfortable and elegant. Along with the thrill of adding a pristine ivory linen sofa set to their living room came the exciting news of Erin’s first pregnancy. One of Erin’s first reactions?

“Oh no, I should have ordered a different couch,” she recalls.

Suddenly, the couple was forced to confront a new dilemma: can we keep our sense of style when the baby arrives?

They’re not alone.

More than ever, Canadian couples are waiting until later in life to start a family. Statistics Canada estimates that since 2003, nearly half of Canadian women having their first child were 30 years of age and older.

By the time many couples are welcoming their first baby, it can put those expensive and sophisticated bits and pieces into question.

Nevertheless, Erin and Rob have found there is an advantage to having children later in life.

“We’re much more established now.” Rob says, “If we were in our 20s having kids, it would be more about what hand-me-downs we could acquire. Erin is picking out artwork to dictate the theme of the baby’s room; 10 years ago, I don’t think we could have imagined decorating like that.”

Stephanie Koo, co-owner of Pink or Blue Couture, a high-end baby shop selling fashionable baby clothes and furniture in Calgary, agrees.

“We target what we like to call the modern-day family. To us, a modern-day parent is in their 30s or 40s, professionals who have good jobs and who are just starting their families,” says Koo.

“They don’t want to decorate with Winnie the Pooh and princesses; they want to paint (their children’s room) chocolate brown and have stylish furniture and bedding.”

Koo, 25, is a native Calgarian who opened Pink or Blue Couture in August 2007 with her sister, Jennifer Koo Ishigura, 28.

“There are products out there now that allow couples to stay modern and keep their sense of [style].”

Catering to the modern-day parent’s desire to stay in vogue, Pink or Blue offers a range of cribs, changing tables and other furnishings that cleverly integrate a baby’s needs without compromising good taste.

As Koo pointed out, these aren’t your average cribs and change tables. Parents can choose from a selection of modern colours, shapes, and features, including cleverly hidden pieces that act as drawers or side tables.

“There are a lot of new, innovative designs that are very streamlined and clean looking and they actually have storage compartments that are hidden,” says Koo.

Staying stylish with kids isn’t necessarily cheap; customized cribs start at $1,100 and most of the other furniture starts at around $600. Despite the costs, some new parents are not inclined to let children take over their high-style habitats.

Jacqueline Corea is the principal designer for Calgary’s Corea Sotropa interior design. Her main clientele consists of homeowners between the ages of 35 to 45, many of them with young children or a baby on the way.

“Some parents allow kids to take over, but most of (our clients) have established a style of living and they don’t want their whole life to be completely turned upside down,” says Corea.

For most parents, combatting the piles of toys, books and games that children inevitably accumulate is one of the biggest challenges to maintaining a stylish home.

“They [children's toys] are a real eyesore and it’s one of the things that parents struggle with,” says Corea. “A lot of these toys are massive and they are really bright and don’t really co-ordinate with your interior.”

Parents certainly don’t have to sacrifice style to find storage, as Corea suggests. She recommends finding pieces that “don’t look like they came out of a children’s store,” but instead using a beautiful bureau or armoire, and organizing the toys in the drawers. Choose a coffee table with drawers or an ottoman that flips up and has built-in storage.”

Stair gates are an obvious necessity when babies become mobile, but they don’t have to be an eyesore, says Corea. Instead of bulky plastic ones, choose a wooden gate that matches other woodwork in the home. Or have one custom built to match your staircase.

Materials and high quality are of the utmost importance for any parent with small children. When buying furniture, Jacqueline Corea suggests choosing fabrics that are patterned or textured, as they hide stains much better than a plain, solid fabric.

“If you’re going to have an area rug, get a patterned one for the same reasons. You could invest in a tribal, Afghan rug and that’s an exquisite piece of furniture built to last.”

Many couples have found a livable balance with the care-free lives that they established when they were childless. Six years ago, Wade Hawkins, 36, a post-secondary instructor, and his wife, Lee-Ann Hawkins, 32, a physician, purchased their first home and worked hard to decorate in style.

“Our living room was the first room that we did, without even thinking about kids,” says Lee-Ann. “Just based on what we liked.”

As it turns out, one of the key pieces to their living room was an antique-style coffee table with a glass top. “We love solid woods and things that look like they’re built to last. We bought the antique-style coffee table with a glass top that flips up and decorated with pieces that went with it.”

When Megan, now three, was born, the couple had some initial panic about the safety and durability of their beloved coffee table.

“We had to be cautious with [Megan] obviously, and as she grew up, we had to really enforce the rule that she couldn’t slam her toys on it,” says Wade.

Before their second child Kiera, now six months old, was born, they renovated the basement to create a more rule-free space — with the whole thing designed around the kids’ comfort and safety.

The couple took their time to create a kid-friendly space that still respects their need to live in a well-designed, adult-looking home. The flooring is resilient and allergen-free hardwood laminate. They installed sconces and pot lights to avoid any standing lamps that could be knocked over. Wiring for TV and stereo was kept behind the walls.

“We also built in cupboards to hide the electrical and water panels and also for storage. We built the low cupboards for all of her toys, so (Megan) knows that she can open it she can pull out her baskets and play. It keeps it clean so that you’re not looking at toys all the time and it gives her a sense of her own space,” Lee-Ann says.

And what of Erin and Rob’s ivory linen couch?

“I’m fully aware that I have to be flexible and I’m willing to change things; I’m not going to go so far as to put a plastic cover on the couch, but maybe a nice blanket instead,” says Erin.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR STAYING STYLISH WITH KIDS

- Storage is fundamental to maintaining a comfortable, fashionable space. Existing pieces can be used, as long as they have large enough drawers. If furniture won’t do, think about built-in cupboards on the side of a fireplace, or installing shelving units.

- When choosing upholstery, try to choose fabrics that are patterned or textured as they hide stains much better than a plain, solid fabric and usually prove more durable.

- Leather is easy to clean, but be careful — a house filled with leather can look overdone and unnatural.

- Opt for neutral colour palettes in children’s rooms that can be accented with primary or bright colours. This is easier to change as kids grow older and it blends in with the rest of a modern home.

- Coffee tables usually take the most abuse in a living room. Look for a table that has a bit of patina or an aged look so that it can still look charming with scratches or dents. Avoid anything with a high shine, as scratches will be magnified on the finish. Consider an ottoman chair that can flip up and provide storage or soft leather benches with removable tops.

- Smaller side tables can easily flip over when a child puts their weight on them. Find something sturdy and solid.

- Invest as much as you can afford in quality furniture. It will last longer, and can be converted to other uses as your family grows and changes. For example, a solid wood trunk can be used as a toy box for a small child and later used as a bench in a mud room or guest room.

- There are more options for convertible furniture than ever before. Look for cribs that convert into a toddler bed and even a double bed.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

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