I love the images of organization in house one- would like to see more photos of that house!

Maybe hanging 3 different hacksaws off the side of the staircase isn't such a great kid-friendly idea.

Love them both. (Have to agree about the handsaw, however.) Although I'd probably put the fooddstuffs in a critterproof cabinet, I have to admire the strong organizational skills of the homeowner.

And the second home was, well, to put it mildly... fantastic! Although I'd probably add a touch more color. But, I can suddenly imagine the possibility of actually having children myself... someday... when I can afford a 2000 sq ft apartment.... I really did love it.

I like the bookcase in the girls' bedroom. Any idea where they got it?

The saws are in the basement, and, since the children don't spend much time down there, they aren't at much risk. I, on the other hand, have walked into them a few times. So far, however, I haven't drawn blood.

The furniture is painted maple. It is made by a furniture maker in Maine. Their web site it www.mainecottage.com.

The second house is definitely cool (the play area esp.), but all that STUFF in both houses gives me the heeby jeebies. I read an article recently about whether or not kids need the sheer multitude of toys that we give them in this country. I'm thinking that the answer is no, but I don't have kids yet, so what do I know!

How could this have been originally posted March 23, 2006?

Wasn't the school/house on HGTV a while back? I SWEAR I have seen this space before. Anybody? Anybody?

Sarajane, I think (as it mentions up top) that this was originalyl posted 3.23.05, not .06

I don't think reposting these is redundant--even if we've seen them before, the good ones are worth seeing again. Many of them are new to me (I can't remember when I started on the site). I know I leaf through my old fave shelter mags and am also now collecting HGTV's SSBS on tape for repeat viewings.

Makes my head spin a bit. I am The Worst Mother Ever, but I need to have kids' stuff in kids' areas, not over the whole place.

And I'd be afraid of those drops out the guest room windows, etc.

ridiculously great! i love seeing a rough n tumble kind of existence for kids (like the shot that says "screw the stair gate, i'm sliding down on my pillow"). obviously safety is always a concern, but if kids can grow up safely on farms and around heavy machinery, then they'll surely be fine in these homes.

It said "06" this morning. I checked twice before asking my question.

So I guess saying "There is a typo in the date" would have prevented confusion.
I was not sure if you were confused or pointing out an error.

Sorry to have created confusion.

Very cool -please repost some of the highlights!

Everytime I'm ready to purge my design mags, I get fresh inspiration (because I figure out my budget has fallen/risen) and a whole new world of opportunity rises up again -hence the need to re-visit the gems.

OK -here's one of those mystical timeless questions:

How much extra (read empty) shelving space should you clear when planning for having kids?

Would 1/4 extra space cut it? (I'm talking clothes and toys (strollers and highchairs/cribs/playpens are extra)

Thanks - please share from your experience before I shelve the entire length of my apartment ;-)

P.S. I have already checked the archive on childrens posts - I too am interested in shedding the concept that kids need every toy on earth But my sister (who actually has children -just laughs at me and says in an evil voice- "you'll see...")

sarajane, no problem. I realize I sounded rude. Did not mean to be.

tanya, as the father of twin 3 year olds who do not have as much stuff as their friends, I can vouch for the fact that you can indeed resist the temptation to buy every toy that takes their fancy and you don't need to keep buying to retain/maintain any kind of sanity for yourself. What I have found is that both children will pick up an old toy that they have not shown interest in for months and start playing with it again like it's new. This does not mean you should hoard everything; rather it means that you can get away with less and not have to buy new toys all the time because old toys become new again.

Apart from oneses when your kids are babies (which you will need a lot of) once they get to toddler stage, you don't need a lot of clothes either. At any given stage that is. Obviously you will be buying or acquiring many clothes are you kids grow.

You will need more shelves and drawers for kids clothes rather than hanging space and you should be able to get away with one armoir's worth of storage for one child and maybe even two.

For toy storage let me give you an example from friends we have in England. Their 2 year old has one shelving unit with the brightly colored storage bins to store all their little toys. In their bedroom they have soft toys and not much else. This child is perfectly happy to play with what fits in that 8 bin storage system.

Hey jamie pup -
Thanks - experience trumps guessing every time. Maybe I can make do with what wardrobes I've got. Now I've just got to get the baby!
Glad to see others living (and thriving) in apartments with babes in arms - that's my plan, and I'm stickin' to it!
tanya

I just really LOVE everyhting about AT! Loving it all.

Where did you find the ladder that leads to the 'box' (photo #19/30)? I've been searching the web and can't find one that has split-steps.

The renovated school is a cool space, but the inhabitants seem to lack any personal style aside from the architecture of the place. Belongings and furniture and accessories are not put together in an attractive or cohesive fashion (or are non-existent) ... so how are these people an example of living well with kids? They have a cool house and dorm room belongings. There's no style.

This post is new to me. And I've seen plenty of recycled posts.

But you're still funny, snot.

Okay, I just have to ask it - organized parent or homicidal maniac? Are the little darlings trained to walk around the saws hanging in picture 2 or 3?

Yep. Great space and great ideas, but just feels depressing and gray. Maybe they need fun furniture and colors, something to make it great family home.

did they ever build the suspended plexiglass playhouse?

I have a six year old and we live in a medium size rowhouse in downtown DC. Huge by NY standards but on the smallish size for DC (2 floors, not 3, and rented out b'ment). I am of the "less is more" philosophy on toys. I feel we are DELUGED with toys from others, between birthdays and winter holidays, so we rarely buy any toys for her. We don't have toys everywhere, and my best best best purchase was two blu dot Modulicious cabinets http://www.bludot.com/Browse_Products/Storage/product/Modu-licious_3 . We splurged and got a 3 and a 6 in coordinating grays and it serves as our TV stand/toy storage in the LR. It fits ALL her toys that are downstairs, except for her little table and art drawers. The rest of her toys are in her room.

I have to say that most of our friends have entire basements filled with toys as playrooms and it kind of freaks me out. Massive amounts of crap that their kids play with a couple of days and then disregard. Yes, I admit to being a bit judgmental but I think its overwhelming to the kids AND the parents, and not necessarily teaching them any good lessons about how much stuff you do or don't need to have fun. And I know it's different with lots of kids, but i have also seen it with lots of friends who have only one kid.

But if I could fit a swing in our house i would do it in a second! Whee!

Kids will play with and enjoy as much as you give them - give them loads and they'll expect loads - give them little and they'll expect little - after all they are brand new people and don't have pre-conceived notions - how many times have you seena child playing more happily with the cardboard box the toy came in than with the toy itself

My 6 year old girl fits in a 6' x 12' size room with all her toys, books etc. I custom made an armoire, a small desk, and built-in bed with drawers. If it does not fit in the room, it will stay in the store. Her clothes fit in a two small Ikea cabinets that are in my bedroom. Small NYC apartments teach you compacting and leaving the store without buying.

I totally agree with Krisse. A sea of gray is institutional, no matter how many zippy toys the parents allow. It reminds me of a school gym.

Can anyone point out a good example of an AT tour of a family home that is warm, cozy, and traditional?

Agreed on the comments about too many toys. I have two pre-school children and a moderate expectation that kids' stuff should not fully take over the house. You don't see my shoes, jewelry, books and CDs (my "toys") lying around on the living room floor; why should I have to step over kid toys all day? Both my kids fit -- along with all their stuff (except bikes) -- into their two small, colorful bedrooms. We don't have a playroom, which is unfortunate, because there are some larger toys I'd love to buy for them such as a train table and a play kitchen. But we've outfitted both their rooms with wall units for books and toys, and also they have good-sized closets that are organized from floor to ceiling in order to stow it all. They're allowed to bring their toys into the living room for play, just as long as they clean up at the end of the day or before company comes. To keep the toy volume in check, each fall we clean out their closets and make a big deal of donating forgotten toys and old coats and clothes to Goodwill. It teaches them giving, prevents spill-over from their rooms and keeps me sane!