The Family Home: Living Rooms You Can Live In

Designing a home with children in your mind is a balancing act. How can you make a space that inspires you while making sure the smallest of family members is comfortable? Within this series, The Family Home, I’ll be exploring tips and techniques to satisfy your desire for design while still keeping your children comfortable, too.

Enviable Designs Inc..

Most parents will agree that storage is essential. It is important to keep things your children enjoy playing in convenient places throughout the home, especially when they are extremely young. I adore the notion of putting these soft woven baskets strategically throughout the living room. Bonus: The baskets can add colour and texture to your space.

Michelle Hinckley

It is not necessary to only buy dark upholstery things while raising children. You can have white furniture if that is exactly what you desire. Just think slipcovers for the couch and easily washable fabrics like vinyl for heavily used things like ottomans.

Jan Skacelik

Go adventuresome! Living in a home with children provides you a perfect excuse to select colour. In studies, yellow has been shown to make both children and adults feel happier.

Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs

Open-concept floor programs are popular with families but this isn’t the sole reason I chose to include this picture. Can you find that beautiful silver light arcing over the couch? What a genius way to bring a little sparkle to a really kid friendly space! Parents get their glitz without the risk of small fingerprints smudging this up.

Adding floor cushions to your living room won’t only give little ones a soft spot to land, but they could pack a punch. Choose cushions in bright colors and graphic designs and instantly inject fun into an otherwise neutral space.

John Lum Architecture, Inc.. AIA

Those with a modern aesthetic frequently complain about the visual appeal of the modern toys. The drawers which flank the fireplace in this picture are a terrific solution. They are just the right height for children and are heavy enough for even the bulkiest of plastic toys.

Ninainvorm

Including some of your kids’ artwork with some of your favourite art pieces with give your home lifestyle and character. Plus, it is going to bring a bright smile to the face of anybody who visits.

An easy tip: Choose similar frames to give the arrangement cohesion.

Kim Woods

Choose occasional furniture attentively. The curved corners on the coffee table tend to be more child friendly than a sharp border would be. Or perhaps nix the conventional coffee table and pick a set of cushioned ottomans to tie your space together.

More: 20 Great Ways to Display Family Photos

Inspiring Ideas for Kids’ Spaces

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