My decorating aesthetic is 'I have kids.' We keep toys, art supplies, and stuffed animals in our shared space so we have easy access to them and to each other.

Cavan Images/Getty Images

Some might say our house is cluttered — and I might even agree with them on certain days. Once we had a contractor in our home jokingly ask if we were running a daycare. My kids were playing in the living room; we had the giant plastic roller coaster out, and I wasn't trying to hide the fact that we have kids. The effort of cleaning up a pile of Lincoln Logs that would only appear back on the floor again repeatedly wasn't worth it to me.