Fabulous And Family-Friendly: How To Enjoy The Best Of Both Worlds In Your Home
There’s no doubt that having children makes it harder to keep the house tidy and clutter-free, and being a parent may also have an impact on the interior trends you embrace and the furniture and accessories you buy. When you have children, safety is a priority, and you also have to consider practicality as well as aesthetic appeal, but this doesn’t mean that your home can’t look fabulous. If you’re looking for some child-friendly styling tips, you’ve come to the right place.
Choosing the right colorways
Color is a really important consideration when it comes to decorating your home. Not only does color have an impact on the way we feel, but there are also practical considerations to bear in mind. If you’ve got kids who love nothing more than rolling around in the garden, playing soccer or getting involved in arts and crafts, it’s probably not wise to opt for beige carpets and white couches. Think about how you want to use color in your home, and use your head as well as your heart. You may dream of having fluffy cream carpets, but if you’ve got babies or toddlers, it may be best to wait until your children are a little older. When decorating different rooms, use colors to set the tone and create ambiance. You may want bright colors in the playroom or the living room, but keep things subtle and muted in the bedrooms. When you’re choosing shades for bedrooms, you want to design relaxing spaces that prepare you for bed and make you feel calm.
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Saving yourself time and effort
When you’re a parent, it’s all too common to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. If you’ve been working all day or you’ve had the kids at home, the last thing you want to be doing when they go to bed is trying to get stains out of carpets or sofa cushions. When you’re decorating or buying new furniture, try and look for options and pieces that will save you time and effort. If you are desperate to carpet some rooms, it’s best to go for darker shades that won’t show dirt. Wooden floorboards and vinyl are fantastic alternatives because they’re very easy to clean and they’re also more durable and hard-wearing than carpet. When it comes to seating, take a look at sites like https://www.comfysacks.com/ and consider investing in child-friendly bean bags and floor cushions. This will give your kids a fun, comfortable spot to chill out and watch TV and it may also save your sofa from spillages and splashes. If you’ve got artistic children, it’s also worth thinking about your walls. We’ve all been there. Your child comes to you covered in paint or felt tip pen, and they’ve kindly left you a masterpiece on the kitchen wall. We all want to encourage our children to be creative, but not necessarily on freshly painted walls. If you’ve got young kids, why not look at fun options like creating a chalkboard wall in the kitchen or the playroom?
Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/10108270356
Adults-only areas and play zones
If you have children, you’ve probably noticed that your kids’ stuff ends up everywhere. If you don’t have a room in the house that isn’t adorned with puzzle pieces, books, trains or dolls, it’s time to distinguish between children’s areas, adults-only zones, and areas that are geared towards family time. As a parent, it’s really important that your home continues to be a sanctuary even when life is hectic, and you’ve got little ones tearing around. Parenting is a full-time job, but everyone needs a sacred space where they can grab a few minutes of peace and quiet from time to time. Use a guest room to put your feet up and chill out with a good book or turn part of the garage into a studio, a reading room or a place you can indulge hobbies like sewing, painting or writing. If you don’t have a separate playroom, it’s a good idea to create a designated play zone in a corner of the kitchen or living room. This will enable your children to play to their heart’s content without you having to worry about their toys taking over the entire house. You can use different colors, prints or themes to section off areas. If you’re searching for ideas for a play area, take a look at this page https://www.pinterest.com/andrika_king/playrooms/.
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottvanderchijs/5335740057
Savvy storage
A lack of storage is a bugbear for most parents. Children have a lot of stuff, and it seems to get everywhere. Even if you tidy on a daily basis, it’s very easy to get to a point where cluttered spaces are the norm. Storage provides a solution for clutter issues. If you haven’t got enough storage, it’s worth looking into savvy options that will make life easier and enhance the look of your home. If you’re short on space in the kitchen, take advantage of every cupboard and drawer and make the most of laundry areas and pantries. If you don’t have enough space in the living room, look for versatile pieces of furniture, such as tables that have built-in storage, and swap shelving units and dressers for wall-mounted units to free up floor space. In the bedroom, fit wall-mounted racks, rails, and shelves to house clothes, shoes and accessories, and look for wardrobes and beds that have pull-out drawers.
Picture credit https://kaboompics.com/photo/2059/white-storage-box
If you’re a parent, having a pristine home worthy of a glossy magazine feature may be an unrealistic dream. It can be difficult to find a balance that suits every member of the family, but it is possible to design a home that looks fabulous but also delivers on a practical level. Think carefully about choosing colors and invest in furniture and flooring that is easy to keep clean. Designate play zones and adults-only areas and use savvy storage solutions to keep clutter at bay. Have a look online for ideas and inspiration and try and inject a little fun into your interior design plans. Your home should be a place where everyone feels comfortable, safe and content.