Image Credit: Unsplash
When you have kids, it can feel like they have taken over the whole house. With toys scattered everywhere and them running everywhere else, finding one room you can all enjoy as a family is a challenge most parents face.
Finding the balance between adult sophistication and childish fun might sound impossible but with a few clever solutions, there is a way to transform your living room. All it takes a few neat tricks and some smart furniture…
Choosing Your Sofa Wisely
A family sofa means different things to different people. If you all like snuggling up together, choosing from a selection of cheap corner sofas is probably the best option for you. You might have to set up a rota for the corner seat, but it is the best way to create a feature in the room without giving up a lot of space to the sofa arms.
But the sofa shouldn’t just be about sitting comfortably. You should also look for storage options too. A pull out bed is ideal for sleepovers or inviting people to stay over for the weekend too. But, a sofa that has storage underneath the cushions is also great for hiding away toys – especially soft ones.
Picking Out a Rug
Even if you have a carpet, you should probably expect some spills. In fact, let’s be honest – your adult friends are just as bad for spilling wine as your kids are for spilling juice! Putting down a cheaper rug is a good way to avoid spillages on the lovely carpet underneath as well as adding another layer of comfort to the room.
If you aren’t so fond of the idea of having a rug all the time, you can get mats for kids that have all kinds of scenes like roads or farms for them to play with. This is great for you because you can roll the rug up once they have gone to bed and restore your adult space.
Storage for Absolutely Everything
Unless you have a rare breed of children who just magically tidy everything up as soon as they are done (lucky you!), you will need lots of storage so that you can hide things away yourself. Using low-level storage is a good way to keep the room feeling open and light but will also mean that your children can’t use ‘I can’t reach’ as an excuse for not tidying up.
Wicker baskets are ideal for tidying things like remotes away and also come in handy for small toys. Use various sizes to mix things up and try different weaves to create interesting textures around the room. Ikea is great for this kind of thing but you can shop more widely for different designs if you want something more unique.
There will always be times when your living room is a chaotic mess of cushions and toys but, with these simple solutions, you can restore calm without too much effort. Now all you need to do is train your kids up to tidy up by themselves!
Collaborative post