A home for the kids, by the kids

BH: What is your approach to maintaining cleanliness, especially on the walls, as smaller kids are tempted to scribble?

TJ: My kids started doing graffiti on my walls a long time ago. And every parent’s first instinct is to take an eraser or sponge and wipe it off. But you’ll realise it’s not something you can keep doing! I’m a graphic designer, so doodling and sketching is part of my job. And I do a lot of painting and free-form art with the kids. So, when they started drawing and writing on the walls, I just let it flow. The walls are their canvas, a place where they can express themselves. Instead of wallpaper, I have their graffiti and drawings taped to my walls.

BH: How can you make the kitchen a kid-friendly space, especially with growing kids who may be constantly hungry? In terms of minimising your involvement in getting them stuff. 

TJ: I try to keep the kitchen a happy and healthy zone. We actually eat in the kitchen and have a counter with seating. We talk about what we are eating and how each food impacts our health. To make sure they can eat when they want, cutlery and crockery are in lower drawers. I’ve ensured all the cupboards are accessible and stocked with healthy things like nuts and fruit. Not to say I don’t keep sweets or junk in the house. I do, but I keep it in steel dabbas that are used for grains and sabzi, so I know they’ll never look there!

Designing Functional Furniture and Spaces for Kids: Gayatri Vijayan and Karthik Srinivasan parents of two in Bengaluru

Beautiful Homes: Architects, designers, and parents; you also have a children’s furniture line inspired by your daughter Akira. How did it start?

Gayatri Vijayan: At our brand gosh! we craft furniture that is designed for kids and evolves with them. It started during the COVID lockdown. Karthik has always been interested in woodwork and decided to make a bookshelf for Akira. Kids’ books can be large and unwieldy and regular bookshelves don’t cater to that. So, we started with a bookshelf and built more pieces, all of which hinged on the idea of kids and play. After the bookshelf, we built the Cocoon art desk, the Gridly play desk, the Wheelie art stool and started posting the images to our Instagram account. One thing led to another, we were featured in a magazine, and then things really picked up!
 

BH: What is your top tip to create a kid-friendly space that works for both you and your child?

GV: We feel that once you become parents the idea of an exclusive kids space doesn’t really exist. We all inhabit the same home; it’s nice to have spaces that flow into each other for unstructured play, reading, and work/study. Don’t design a space thinking that it will only serve one purpose. It needs to be flexible. Let your home and space evolve with your child and based on how it’s used.