When you have kids, your dream home might look a little different than it did before. After all, your family home needs to work for all of you. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t create a stunningly designed home that you love as much as the kids. With that in mind, here are some child-friendly home design tips you might be interested in…
Safety first
When you have kids, you can have all of that beautiful solid wood furniture you’ve always lusted over. Just make sure that it is properly secured to the wall, so that it doesn’t pose a risk to the little ones in your life.
You can also have beautiful blinds and swishy curtains, but make sure that any cords are safely out of reach of little hands. Basically, if something heavy can fall on your child, or poses a strangulation risk, you need to take a few extra measures to make it safe.
Go for an open style
Open plan living may not be for everyone, but keeping your space as open as possible can be great for some families because it means that even if you are doing different things – maybe one of you is watching TV, the kids are playing, and the other adult is making dinner – you can still share the same space and interact with each other with ease. However, open plan isn’t always an optimal child-friendly home design. If one or more of you struggle with sensory issues, for example, having your own spaces is essential for some quiet time.
Invest in a big table
When you have kids, investing in a big table and comfy dining chairs is a really good idea because it can provide a meeting point of sorts within the home. You can use it for eating together, working on arts and crafts, playing board games and so on. Also, don’t be afraid to go for an expensive table – you can use tablecloths to keep it free from spills and stains until the kids get a bit older, upon which you can uncover it and have an amazing design feature in your home.
Mix practical with stylish
When you have children, a lot of the stuff you have in your home needs to be practical, but it is possible to combine practical necessities like bookshelves and changing mats with good design. You don’t have to settle for uninspiring flat-pack furniture when there are tons of bespoke pieces out there that look great as well as doing the job they were intended for.
Invest in storage furniture
Multi-functional pieces like storage ottomans and beds are ideal for family homes because not only do they provide you all with a comfy place to sit or sleep, as well as adding a nice design touch to the room, but they also enable you to very quickly hide away all of your excess clutter. You get to have a clean, tidy house and the kids have a place to store their toys and games discreetly – it’s a win-win.
Have fun decorating your home as a family and don’t be afraid to get the kids involved – they’ll love having some input into their home!
*This is a collaborative post