How To Create A Family Friendly Living Room Design

Creating spaces for families is often challenging due to the diverse interests and needs that need to be addressed. However, with the right guide, you can create a family friendly living room design that is functional, interesting, and cosy for all family members.

Involve Your Children

Many parents believe that children ruin things and prefer to survive old furniture. However, while kids may create messes, sometimes, they can also learn to adapt to their environment. They learn to share the same appreciation you have for space. When creating a family friendly living room design, remember to involve your children. Ask them to select your furniture, the rugs and some of the fabrics with you. When all the family members are engaged in designing, the result is a space that everyone loves.

Reserve Spaces for Kids

Create spaces for your kids to enjoy their activities as you also relax. Kid spaces also help reduce tension and crowding in living rooms. If you have limited space, add a desk and wall storage for kids to enjoy their crafts and store their items. If you have an athletic child, keep your area open for easy movement. For family time, purchase several board games and add a coffee table with storage for easy reach. Lastly, remember to add small chairs in the dining area and floor poufs in your living room for children to sit on.

Use Easy-To-Clean and Stain Free Materials

When raising a family, a few spills and tears are almost impossible to avoid. Your selection of furniture should, therefore, centre around durability and stain-resistance. Leather sofas from American Leather resist stains and pet fur, not to mention how easy cleaning is.

Synthetic microfiber is also excellent with upholstery for families with kids and pets. When woven tightly, the material almost feels like suede and is easy to clean. The Flamenco Double Chaise Sectional sofa, for example, made from microfiber-polyester, is durable and stain-resistant.

When selecting a sofa, remember to go for darker colours that conceal stains. Greys, blacks, and dark browns that match your pet’s fur are the best additions to your living space. You should also pick sofas that are large enough for the entire family to fit in, especially during movie nights. Remember to select sofas that are comfortable for relaxation and to support kids that want to jump around.  Lastly, remember to choose sofas with removable covers for better cleaning.

Use Durable Finishes

Extend durability to your walls and floors too. For flooring, consider materials that are easy to clean such as rustic wood or tile finishes. If you want to install a carpet, pick one that resists stains and water spills. Tigressá H2O from Carpet One is durable, easy to clean, and prevents water from leaking into your floor. With this type of carpet, you can clean out any water spills or pet pee. The rug also comes in dark tones that conceal stains but aren’t light enough to show lint.

For the walls, use eggshell, gloss and satin paints which are smooth and wipeable. To give your kids spaces to write and draw on, consider using chalkboard paint. The paint applies just like any other but creates a surface to use chalk on. You can apply the paint on your kids’ section, or in their rooms to encourage creativity.

For the windows, it is best to put away drapery panels and any corded blinds, which pose a safety risk for young children. Instead, use cordless or motorised blinds to provide sufficient light, but also block out light when necessary. Vignette Duolite from HunterDouglas combine a light filtering and opaque fabrics into one shade, which ensures privacy and light provision at the same time.

Integrate Storage Spaces

You can never have enough storage when you have toys, dolls, drawings, books, and pillows thrown on the floor. Incorporating storage in different areas of your house will eliminate clutter and prevent accidents in shared spaces. First, introduce a bookcase and shelves on your walls for display and storage. The Tylko’s bookcase provides adjustable features with open shelves on the top and drawers at the bottom, which kids can access easily.

Coffee tables with storage are also excellent for keeping board games and books. VonHaus Seagrass storage baskets hold steady when empty and are excellent for storing toys and adding textures to your living room design. You can also use Otto & Ben Ottomans as a footrest and toy storage box.

Conclusion

When designing a family friendly living room, remember to keep everyone’s needs in mind. Use durable upholstery and wall and floor finishes, incorporate storage, and remember to reserve space for the kids.