Updating the family living room

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Updating the family living room

When it comes to decorating a home, it’s fair to say that the task becomes a lot more challenging when children are involved. Kids and clutter go together like peanut butter and jelly, which means that maintaining a beautiful family room becomes a lot tougher. However, that doesn’t mean that families with young children have to give up on having the living room they’ve always wanted.

Updating your family living room so that it’s attractive, and also ideal for the kids, is all about making sure that you follow a few basic decorating rules in terms of materials, colors, and other essential concerns. Here, we’ll cover just a few tips for getting that perfect family living space.

Looking at colors

Whether you’re thinking of investing in a new set of carpets for your living room, or you’re investing in some new furniture, you’re going to have to think carefully about color. When you have small children and pets, darker colors that are less likely to show up stains are generally the best option, unless you choose a material that’s easy to clean. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that every feature of your living room should be black, sticking to deeper colors for the sofas and chairs, as well as rugs that small children can get their hands on, might be a good idea.

Kid-friendly walls and surfaces

Keeping kids busy can be tough; if you’re not constantly creating new ways to keep them entertained, you could end up finding your walls and floors covered in paint and marker stains as your children find ways to amuse themselves. With that in mind, choosing a paint that you can wash easily from your walls is a great way to make your living room child-proof. A color such as eggshell in semi-gloss or satin will clean up well with damp rags and soap. If you prefer matte finishes, flat paints can be touched up without too much disruption from brush marks. Alternatively, if you feel like encouraging your child’s artistic streak, magnetic or chalkboard walls could be a great way to have a little fun in your living room space.

Choosing window coverings

Windows are an important part of any room in the home. Blinds and curtains might be some of the most common coverings available, but when it comes to children, they’re really not the most durable option. Small children can pull on curtains and rip the fabric, and they can get their hands caught up in blinds, which can leading to tearing and damage. The same problem applies with pets, who often get caught up chasing cords. A better solution could be to measure for window shutters that are designed to fit perfectly in your room. Charming and sophisticated, these simple window solutions are far more durable, and less prone to damage.

Picking furniture

When it comes to furniture such as chairs and sofas, anything that’s covered with a material that’s easy to clean is a great solution. Leather couches that can be wiped clean in the case of spills, or fabrics that are naturally stain resistant are the perfect solution to protect your family room furniture. Of course, if you can’t afford expensive materials such as leather, you can always go for faux options to achieve a similar effect, or simply pick darker-colored fabrics to help hide the stains. Throw blankets and pillows can disguise a multitude of sins when marks can’t be washed away.

Child-proof accessories

Finally, it can be tough to choose accessories for your home when you’ve got children running around that could potentially destroy picture frames and vases. However, the best solution is simply to opt for materials that are less prone to breakage. For instance, opt for plastics and woods over glass and ceramic. Alternatively, why not make your home a personalized space, celebrating your family life, by decorating with pictures that your children made themselves, or creating your own hand-made frames and crafts? Remember to keep fragile and cherished possessions high up on bookshelves and mantels, out of reach of curious hands.

Designing the perfect family living room

Designing a beautiful living room around the chaos of family life can seem tough, but with a little care and guidance, it’s still possible to have the home of your dreams that not only speaks to your inner interior designer but also keeps the whole family happy! Your family living room can be the comfortable sanctuary that acts as the setting for your most important bonding moments – don’t underestimate it!