The living room is usually the most used room in a home, and is also the room that is most likely to be on show to visitors. When the home contains children, so often the living room becomes more like a playroom and it is a challenge to preserve the adult feel while still making it a fun, and safe place, for kids.
The basics
A comfortable family living room needs plenty of seating, so that the floor remains as uncluttered as possible. An L-shaped sofa, also known as a corner sofa, is perfect for a living room, as it makes the best use of available space, and also manages to create a focal point. If the room still has space for more seating, consider single chairs or tables that have a solid, and therefore sturdy, construction, well-suited to stand up to the rigours of child usage.
Kids seem to take toys wherever they go, so to stop them littering the floor with breakable and hazardous toys, make sure the living room has plenty of storage space. An essential item for the living room should be a footstool that opens up to reveal useful storage. Bookcases are also useful, not just for books, but for storage boxes of varying sizes. Even some sofas are being designed to have storage spaces within their frames.
A modern living room almost certainly means there will be a media centre, which in turns means lots of straggly cables; a definite no-no where children are concerned. This is a good enough excuse to tidy up all those satellite boxes and DVD players by putting them inside a TV unit. This piece of furniture will not only improve the look of the living room, but will also provide extra surfaces for ornamental items, such as photograph frames. Talking of ornaments – put these as high up as possible, out of the reach of little hands.
The style choices
When it comes to flooring, laminate or wooden floors are best where children are concerned, which is quite handy because they are also the most stylish option. Carpets can be stained no matter how well they are cleaned, while spills on hard floors can just be wiped up. Carpets can also harbour nasty ticks and dust mites, so there is also a good health reason for ditching the carpets and going for wood.
Regarding textures – anything that can be wiped clean is a good idea. Basically, this means leather, which is relatively easy to clean, is hardwearing, and the best reason yet, looks smart and sophisticated.
What goes on the walls can be a difficult choice to get right. To children, walls can hold all the appeal of a large blackboard, so a wipe-able paint is a perfect choice, and thankfully, to avoid making the living room look like a hospital or prison, new matt paints have been developed which have an easy to clean surface.
All these décor choices will make it easy to keep a living room looking stylish and fit for adult use, while at the same time ensuring that it is safe and suitable for kids.
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