If you have small kids at home, you'll know that they are over practically everything in the house –– from your bed to your couch. So, when you're in the market to shop for your new furniture pieces, you're going to have to make some practical decisions that help you stay sane when the kids jump on them. Follow these buying strategies when visiting furniture stores.
Let Dark Colours Rule
Forget all your dreams of a sleek white couch because it will be a nightmare to manage when small kids are running around everywhere. You'll also want to forego all notions of light colours in general, since they tend to display stains more easily. Instead, opt for darker colours because they tend to hide stains better. With darker colours, you won't have to worry about tomato-sauce stains and overturned sauce bottles creating unsightly marks on your furniture.
Think Patterns And Textures
The idea of patterns and textures stems from the fact that children are bound to dirty furniture items, either by climbing onto them directly after a session of playing with your backyard mud or by spilling all kinds of food and drinks on them. Like darker colours, patterns and textures can camouflage stains and mishaps better. This means that you don't have to press the panic button every time your toddler is near the couch. The best part of incorporating patterns and textures into your darker coloured furniture pieces is that you get to decide how bold or subtle you want to go. For instance, if bold paisley patterns are not your thing, then you can always choose more subtle diamond-shaped patterns for your furniture.
Establish Low Maintenance Fabrics
Silk, cotton and suede look stunning, but they can be difficult to maintain with small kids in your home. So, you'll obviously want to pick low maintenance furniture fabrics that resist stains better than others. Materials like vinyl and faux leather are good low-maintenance options because you simply need to wipe off stains with a cloth and they're gone. If you're looking for a cloth-based finish, then materials like microfibre and tweed are good for repelling stains and marks because of the tight weaved texture they provide. Tweed and microfibre offer you the softness you desire without the same maintenance needs as other cloth furniture fabrics.
Follow these clever buying strategies to help you stay sane when your small kids decide to jump on your new furniture pieces. Check out a site like http://www.furniturenmore.com.au to begin shopping for furniture pieces.