Designing and decorating your home when you have a family with small children can feel a bit like you're fighting a losing battle. Just keeping on top of the day to day tasks can be far more than enough to cope with, without trying to add some sparkle to your home too.
When it comes to interior design in the family home, there's no reason at all that we can't embrace a new style element. This can take a bit of planning and work, usually a heap of decluttering too, but it is possible. You have to find something that suits everyone, looks how you'd like it to, whilst also being practical and durable for every day use.
So, can we create a home design that can cover all angles when you have a family to think about? The answer is yes and here are just a few simple tips to get started.
Establish a Theme
Just because you have a large family and everyone has different styles and tastes, it doesn’t mean you can’t settle on a theme. Settling on a theme will mean you have a focus point to return to when the disagreements about décor start. Don’t try and rush the process, take your time and really think about what you want to centre your choices on. This is especially important when it comes to communal spaces such as the kitchen, living and dining rooms. Having a theme also means you can easily pick things up as you go along, perfect for small budgets and little spare time.
Separate Your Spaces
If you’ve only got one family room to play with, you may need to section off some spaces to cater for everyones needs. A living room is easily capable of becoming many things, you just have to snap up some creativity and hit up Pinterest for some space saving tips. Perhaps you’ll have an office in one corner, a play area in another and use the rest of the room for family relaxation time? To section off different spaces, you could go as far as creating a new wall with a cheap effective stud wall or even more temporary solutions like room dividers or screens.
If you're lacking on space, this is really where you need to get creative, making the most of every inch of space as much as possible. You could have something like a computer desk with the desk area concealed in the day time, with the lower shelves converted to a dolls house for day time kids play, the possibilities are literally endless!
If you're lacking on space, this is really where you need to get creative, making the most of every inch of space as much as possible. You could have something like a computer desk with the desk area concealed in the day time, with the lower shelves converted to a dolls house for day time kids play, the possibilities are literally endless!
Durable Furniture
When you buy furniture for your family home, you buy it with the hope that it will last a good few years and be a sound investment. If you’re living with youngsters and you want this to be the case, it's vital to think about options for more durable materials. For example, buy a sofa with removable or wipe clean covers so you can easily remove stains and spillages, or invest in something like a wooden TV unit that will withstand any scratches or dents or if anything look better with age. It’s worth paying that little bit extra for something you will be sure will last, withstand heavy little hands and look good too.
Multi-Purpose Furniture
When you have lots of people in the home, you’ll need plenty of seating and storage on offer. To save space, why not look for multi functional furniture that does both? For example, an ottoman or footstool that doubles up as handy storage can be just the thing. Perhaps you could find an entertainment unit with a slide down desk that doubles as a work desk for the kid’s homework. Try to find pieces that are multi-functional instead of just pretty, you may even be able to adapt things yourself by adding extra shelves and doors, without too much outlay.
Find a solution
For all the issues you have with your home not looking quite the way you'd like, start by making a list and look to finding the perfect solution that works for you. A good example of this in a busy family home would be having the kids toys everywhere. During the day it's no problem, it's a home after all. In the evening though, I have to admit it is nice to pop them away out of sight and relax in a slightly more adult environment. Finding the perfect storage for your needs such as an antique trunk or Ikea unit can be a great place to start. If you work from home, look at ways you can separate your work space too, to make that clear division of work/life clear, it can make a huge difference.
Don't be too precious
As much as we want our homes to look gorgeous, they need to be enjoyed by all and there would be nothing worse than your own family not feeling relaxed or free to play in their very own home. Make sure your more treasured items are out of reach and that any easily accessible accessories are either easy to replace or likely to withstand little explorers. The most important thing is that everyone feels relaxed and happy while they are there, so consider the points above and things will become easier, making your family home both stylish and functional.
Interior design can still be lots of fun when you have a big family, it's all about finding solutions, creating a space everyone will love and capturing the look that you set out for using creative techniques whilst making the most of the space you have available.
Do you have any more tips and tricks to help in the family home?
* Collaborative post
