When I recently received an email about a new book called Design Mom: How to live with kids, a room-by-room guide, it really resonated with me. When you care a lot about how your home looks, it's a natural worry to wonder how all of the paraphernalia that comes with children will fit into your decor. Ruby is still young, so she doesn't have too much stuff just yet. I currently use boxes and baskets just to throw all of her toys into once she's gone to bed, but I'm sure this will change as she gets older and wants more things.
So this book by Gabrielle Stanley Blair, grabbed my interest. The book is full of lovely interior images that show you how to still have a lovely home with kids in the mix. It's broken down into bite size chunks; perfect for us mums who don't have extended periods of time to read - we can pick it up when we've got five minutes! Tips such as 'shoe storage is your best friend' and 'furniture that moves as quickly as your kids' will probably ring true with some of you. It also has some easy DIY projects thrown in which is really nice.
These are a few of my favourite images from the book to give you a taster. I love how there are clearly children living in these homes, but the owners have made it part of the space, rather than trying to hide it all away. It really is a lovely book that is practical as well as pretty. I'm sure I'll be referring to it for years to come!
Photo credits: 1: Caroline Rowland / 2: Caroline Coehorst / 3: Meta Coleman / 4: the Land of Nod / 5: Anna Napthali / 6: Meta Coleman / 7: Heather Zweig, with stylist Jordan Ferney
Design Mom: How to Live with Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide by Gabrielle Stanley Blair (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2015 Buy it now mums and dads!