Safety Over Beauty In Design

I had second thoughts about posting this, but what good is my blog if I don't speak my mind! So here goes. I see a lot of bedroom and nursery designs in which objects hung above beds and cribs cause me to pause and think about safety. Did the person hanging the heavy mirror, frames with glass or ledges filled with items know what they were doing?

And I'm not saying I haven't done it myself. In the first bedroom below, the last item brought in to finish the design was a fairly heavy round mirror from Pottery Barn. I went all out, way beyond requirements, using 80 lb toggle bolts on which to slip the triangular hooks secured to the back of the mirror over. Still, wanting to be 100% safe I actually added a second hanging system, wall hooks designed to hold nearly an equal amount of weight, hanging the mirror on these with heavy duty hanging wire.  

But even that wasn't enough. After attempting to sleep with that mirror looming above my head, knowing it could easily cause serious harm if it fell, I got up in the middle of the night and took it down! The lesson of safety over beauty was reinforced and now when I see similar items hanging over sleeping areas I cringe with concern.

All gorgeous rooms, absolutely, but I hope the mirrors were hung properly!

And when designing rooms for children, safety just has to be the top priority. Any frames with glass are to be avoided over cribs. In addition to the risk of falling due to a number of factors, as the child grows they will certainly be reaching up, grabbing at anything within proximity of their curious hands.

And while these rooms are beautifully and creativity decorated, ledges with items placed on them and heavy mirrors should be hung on another wall rather than the one where a crib is placed.

And finally, regarding tall bookcases and dressers, whether children live in a house or not, it's always best to secure them to the wall. Even if there is not a little one around who might be tempted to use them as structures to climb up, they can easily tip over during a tremor or earthquake. 

So, my little reminder on a Monday morning...

when decorating don't forget the importance of considering safety issues when making design choices.