With four children under the age of seven, jenny

an d W ill S te g a ll m ig h t be te m p te d to p a ck aw ay th e ir p re cio u s th in g s u n til th e k id s are older.

“ T h e re a lity is I sh o u ld have an e m p ty h o u se w here th e k id s ca n ju s t race a ro u n d ,” Je n n y jo k e s.

B u t ra th e r th a n s a c rific e th e ir so p h istic a te d s ty le — o r d e cla re a d u lt sp aces o ff-lim its — th e S a n

F ra n c is c o co u p le reach ed a h a p p y co m p ro m ise .

T h e fa m ily sits d o w n to d in n e r each n ig h t o n C h ip p e n d a le c h a irs th a t b e lo n ge d to W ill’s

g ra n d m o th e r. B u t th e s tu rd y m o d e rn tab le is to p p e d w ith k id -p r o o f co n cre te . S ix -y e a r-o ld

A n n ie lo ve s h a v in g tea p a rtie s in th e liv in g ro o m , w h e re a p a ir o f F re n c h C o lo n ia l c h a irs lo o k fit

fo r a p rin c e ss; p ra c tic a l s ta in -re s is ta n t u p h o lste ry ca n h a n d le a n y le s s -th a n -ro y a l s p ills . A n d an

e x tra slip c o v e r is Je n n y ’s b a ck u p p la n fo r k e e p in g th e fa m ily ro o m lo o k in g g o o d ; w h e n one g e ts

d irty , she slip s th e cle a n one on th e so fa in ste a d o f h a v in g to ru sh to th e w a s h in g m a ch in e .

T o ad ap t th e n o t-so -b ig V ic to r ia n E ra h o u se to m o d e rn fa m ily life , Je n n y had to g e t cre a tiv e

w ith space. Sh e tu rn e d a b u tle r’s p a n try in to a p in t-s iz e n u rs e ry fo r b a b y H e n ry , an d a s ittin g

ro o m o ff th e fro n t h a llw a y in to an a r ts -a n d -c r a fts area an d m u d ro o m . T h e k id s lo ve h a v in g a

p lace to be as m e ssy as th e y w a n t, an d Je n n y lo ve s th a t at th e end o f th e day, a ll th e a rt su p p lie s

get p u t aw ay in b r ig h tly co lo re d b in s th a t f ill a sh e lv in g u n it. “ T h e re is ju s t no space fo r th in g s

w e e ith e r d o n ’t lo ve o r n eed ,” Je n n y says. “ O u r h o u se is v e r y m u ch a b o u t fu n c tio n .”

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