Your home?s the one place in the world where you can completely relax, be yourself and know that you?re loved and accepted the way you are. This especially applies to your kids. They need to know that their home is their shelter and their family the strongest support they?ll ever have. One way to make them aware of this is through interior home design. By creating a family room where you can spend time together, building your relationship up, you?ll develop trust and understanding between you and your children. So, here are some tips on how to create exactly such a room.
Visualize your family there
No two families are the same, meaning that you can?t simply find a picture-perfect room layout online and copy it completely. You need to have your kids? preferences and habits in mind before you make any changes. It might help to make a list of your children?s favorite indoor activities, then add some of your own and start thinking about ways to adjust the space to allow all of you to do exactly what you like, but together. It will probably depend on the age of your little ones, so think about whether they?ll spend more time in the room playing, doing homework or chatting with you. By meeting as many of your family?s needs as you can in the same room, you?ll end up with a perfect space, comfortable and welcoming to each of your family members.
Make it functional
The way you furnish and decorate the room can play a huge part in how you?ll use it as a family. So, look for multifunctional furniture which will be perfect for your family time, but which will also function well when you have guests. For instance, a coffee table should be big enough for playing board games and solving puzzles, but also with some storage space underneath it, so that you can put all those things away when you want to. Furthermore, your sofa should be cozy and spacious, and a modular one would be an ideal solution. An excellent example are King Living sofas, which are the embodiment of flexibility, comfort and style. They can be reconfigured in moments, turning them from cozy daybeds into a formal-setting sofa for important guests. You can even use them as bed if somebody decides to stay over. They come with plenty of hidden storage, as well as integrated shelves for additional storage space, but also for charging your phones wirelessly. Investing in this type of premium furniture can give you some amazing options when it comes to rearranging the space for different types of activities.
Open floor plan for more space
One way to keep you family close together more often is by connecting your kitchen with your living room, dining room, or even both. Preparing meals takes time, meaning that one or both parents will have to spend a significant amount of time in the kitchen. By removing the wall between your kitchen and the other two rooms, you will gain more space, but also make it more convenient to spend quality family time even while you?re cooking. You can do this by adding a kitchen island where your wall used to be and even turning one corner of that island into kids? space. All you have to do is add a drawer with some coloring pencils and paper, maybe some cards or even toy dishes, and your children will be able to play right next to you while you prepare their favorite meals. Plus, if you let them assist you with the meal preparation, even better. Not only will you help them develop their kitchen skills and teach them about responsibility, but they?ll be more likely to eat the food they don?t normally like if they took part in preparing it.
Choose wall colors and furniture materials wisely
Those with toddlers and young children know how difficult it can be keeping their home clean and tidy. Once you let them play, they forget about the stickiness of their fingers before touching your new couch, or they?ll decide to express themselves artistically on your freshly painted wall. This isn?t something that should throw you off balance. It?s something you should expect and find a way to deal with. When choosing furniture, make sure the upholstery is either stain-resistant, or you get it pre-treated. In case you opt for more expensive options, like leather, consider putting some throws on the furniture, since those can be washed in the washing machine easily. As far as your walls are concerned, when painting them, look for some kid-friendly finishes, which will be no trouble to clean if somebody paints something on them, or simply transfers chocolate from their hands to the walls. And if you want wallpapers, get the more durable ones, which can be scrubbed efficiently in case of a stain.
Whatever you invest into your family room will be paid back to you in strong family bonds and love, which are more valuable than anything in the world. So, start decorating the perfect space for your family today.
Tracey Clayton is a working mom of three girls. She?s passionate about fashion, home d?cor and healthy living. Her motto is: ?Live the life you love, love the life you live.?