The New Norm: Reworking Your Home using Montessori Inspiration

Originally posted by McQueen Building Co. on April 20, 2020.

Including your children and their needs into the design of your home is something we think about a lot, but even more so now. We are starting to feel the toll our home takes from having all its humans living in it 24/7. We all see the beauty that comes with it, of course. We just realize that our home might just need to function a bit differently now. Fall points are starting to reveal themselves and we are coming up with creative solutions to solve them.

First, in case you’ve never heard of Montessori let me start with a little overview. An easy way to understand Montessori is to think of it as a way of thinking that keeps a child’s needs in mind. It focuses on connecting children to the world around them and teaching them through real life scenarios and tasks. Once it is established, it allows them to be more self-sufficient and gives them a real sense of pride in doing so.

That applies to a Montessori home as well. A child’s needs are considered in order to allow them to explore and learn in a safe and accessible space made just for them. The part we love about this as designers is that it helps keep things streamlined and organized. “A place for everything, and everything in its place” is the motto.

So how do you pull it off? Here are a few tips.

Keep similar items together and within reach

You will see lots of baskets and trays in a Montesorri setting. We know it might seem too good to be true but children start to recognize that those objects live there and need to go back home when they are done. Another key component of Montessori is that children participate in “purposeful work” and use a work mat for their activities. They work on one “job” at a time and clean up before moving on. This is not directly design related, but helps with keeping things organized, structured and neat. Along with this, place items low and in reach. This allows kids to be able to access what they need, when they need it. Self-sufficient and free to explore, but with a level of structure.

There are TONS of examples of “purposeful work” activities or "montessori playrooms" on the internet and in particular Pinterest. We created a board of our favorites here.

Make it simple and useful

We absolutely love the minimalist style that comes out of this way of thinking. It is simple and beautiful because it’s often inspired by nature. You don’t see a lot of battery operated toys – not that we don’t have them. They just aren’t a focus. Beautiful wooden toys and puzzles, fun baskets for organization and real life objects (including plants) add to the beautiful design of a Montesorri space almost effortlessly.

Change it up with their needs

Just like with anything interior design related, when it doesn’t suit your needs anymore, it’s time to readjust! Jobs can be added in by whatever interests your child at the time, what will challenge them or can be inspired by season/current events. This helps keep their space fun and exciting while also helping them stay inspired which in turn can make your new role as a school teacher a little easier. Another point to make here is that the toys presented to them are limited. You can rotate items in and out but you should keep only a handful of activities out for them at a time. This helps declutter and make clean up go smoother. We are feeeeeeling this. Big time!

We wanted to share this inspiration with you because we hope it can help give purpose to your home during this time. Your home doesn’t have to be 100% Montessori and there’s likely still going to be chaos but we felt it was a great place to get inspiration from. Design wise and with your day to day. With all of that said, we know it’s not simple just because it’s simple. Doesn’t it seem like the more simplistic a design or way of thinking is the harder it can be to actually pull off? We get it. Starting with one area at a time might be a good tactic to make a change without getting overwhelmed. Consider starting with one bookcase or section of cubbies and go from there. Start small and keep it simple! We hope this was helpful and as always, we would love to see your home projects. Share photos of how you include kiddos in your interior design with us on Instagram!

Here’s how these activities can look in your home: