Design Star Judge Vern Yip's Tips To Make Your Home Family-Friendly

Families with young children often struggle to find furniture that won't get ruined by spilled drinks or muddy shoes. That white couch you have had your eye on, for instance, certainly won't be practical! Or, perhaps you are concerned that you may have to change the design of your children's bedrooms as they grow. If either of these scenarios is true for you, 'Design Star' judge Vern Yip sympathizes with your plight. Father to two children of his own, he knows what it's like to choose between practicality or aesthetics, but he also knows that you can have both.

Yip has some tips that will help you create both a gorgeous and family-friendly home. first of all, he recommends teaching your kids the importance of maintaining their possessions. Yip says that, as a child, his mother allowed him to hold fragile decorative pieces, which gave him an appreciation for them. He adds, "Of course, I broke my fair share of stuff, but being allowed to interact with beautiful things on a daily basis helped me develop a sensitivity to them and was so influential in honing my design eye. Now I encourage my kids to do the same," per CountryLiving – read on for some more of Yip's advice.

When choosing the right rugs, fabrics, and countertops, Yip recommends high-performance materials that won't stain or easily get damaged. In fact, he even designed his own line of upholstery fabrics with Trend – called Inside Out — which can be used both indoors and outside. He says, "I want to be able to come home after a busy day and just have a beautiful home and enjoy my environment. I don't want to have to stress about asking somebody, 'Please don't eat that on the sofa'... For me it's just really about enjoying your space, having that vacation at home feel," per Southern Home.

According to CountryLiving, he recommends choosing rugs made out of durable nylon and white quartz countertops. In his kids' bedrooms, he uses washable polyester curtains because they're easy to clean, notes HGTV. Choosing these materials will allow you to feature lighter tones in your design without worrying about getting them dirty.

To save money and benefit the environment, Yip also recommends using transitional furniture pieces in your children's bedrooms. According to CountryLiving, he says to "pick furniture they can use long-term, so you won't have to update pieces every few years." Then, to personalize their spaces, he says "kids will naturally add their own touches in the form of art, toys, or collections over the years." 

Another way to change up the look of their space is by upholstering furniture: Yip suggests, "For kids' rooms consider big-people furniture with really good bones. You can always have it reupholstered when you want a change," per HGTV. Further, he recommends choosing paint colors that don't appear too young, so they'll last for a long time: "Just don't pick a color that's too powdery or it will go babyish fast. The bluish-gray I used in the playroom is like a clear sky." This will keep you from having to frequently repaint the walls.