Oliver Hill: Living With Kids

One of the reasons I decided to blog about interior decorating was that so many of the gorgeous homes in home magazines look as though a child has never set muddy foot in them (you can tell the immaculate toddlers looking at books on the pure white couches were deposited by helicopter into the scene moments before the flash went off). I prefer homes where you can tell that children dwell, and since the modern mentality sees children and house beauty as basically incompatible, these sort of photo stories are rare.

I also think the presence of children brings out creativity and beauty in homeowners. As one example, I love how Molly has made "valances" out of her children's artwork, a constantly-changing display that adds so much cheer to the sunroom.