Once you got your own place, you probably spent hours researching how you wanted everything to be decorated so that it looked just perfect for you. But then you had kids. And what you had planned and bought might not work as well when you’ve got sticky little hands and muddy little feet going everywhere. Luckily, you can still have your home look great while keeping this appropriate for your children. To show you how, here are three ways you can have your home look beautiful while also being kid-proof.

Go For Patterns

When deciding on colors for things, Ellen Sturm Niz, a contributor to Parenting.com, shares that you might want to go for patterns rather than just solid colors. When you choose a solid color, even if that color is darker, it’s much easier for things to be seen on it. Even if it’s just a small something that’s spilled, you’re going to find that it’s much easier for the spill or stain to blend in when there’s a pattern around it. So when you’re picking out area rugs, runners, couches, pillows, and more, try to go for patterns that you love but that will also help you hide any little mistakes your kids, or you, might make.

Create An Open Floor Plan

For the overall design and function of your home, you might want to find something that has a more open floor plan. According to Sarah Yang, a contributor to HouseBeautiful.com, many families find that having a more open concept for their floor plan makes it easier for them to mingle and work together. If you have too many rooms or areas that are sectioned off, it’s easy to lose track of your kids and not know what’s going on in one of the other rooms. But if you choose to have a home with an open floor plan, whether you bought it that way or you made some renovations on your own, you can essentially have one or two larger rooms to decorate in a cohesive way as opposed to five or six smaller rooms to have to manage.

Keep Things Simple

When decorating a house that’s going to be full of kids, one of the best things to keep in mind is to just keep things simple. According to Leah Hennen, this means that you should try to shoot for a no-fuss look for most of your belongings and decor. You might want to choose laminate over other types of flooring because it can stand up to whatever you kids can throw at it. Try picking furniture pieces that will look just as amazing if they have a dent or two in them. And try not to decorate with anything that will require too much fixing or fluffing throughout the day.

To have a home that you’ll love and won’t cause you too much stress with the kids, consider using the tips mentioned above when it comes to family-friendly home decor and design.