Raising children comes with sacrifices. One thing you may have overlooked is how you’re going to find home decor that will brighten up your living room but still be appropriate with a school-age kid running in your home. By now you’ve probably realized that clutter is an uncontainable force and mess a constant threat. Despite your best efforts to contain the chaos to the kitchen or the den, your living room, where you’ve painstakingly selected the home decor, is a constant mess of toys, crayons, school supplies, and glitter.
You don’t have to give up your fashion-forward home decor ambitions just because you’re raising children. There are plenty of family-friendly ways to create a chic living room that doesn’t just look like it’s been taken over as a playroom.
Round Coffee Tables – A must-have in any home with young kids, rounded corners on your wood coffee table will help you sleep easy. Sharp corners, glass coffee tables, or metal edges are all things you want to avoid when you’ve got kids. They’re going to get rambunctious. They’re going to try jumping off the couch when you’re not looking. Fortunately, a rounded, solid wood coffee table can help elevate your living room.
Neutral Tones – Gray, greige, and charcoal furniture are very much in style right now. Gray upholstering also has the added advantage of disguising wear and tear. Advances in technology mean engineered textiles look more and more like natural textiles but are considerably more durable.
Movable Seating – Light, portable ottomans and plush poufs that you can rearrange are great for living rooms with kids. You can also create more storage space with an ottoman to cut down on clutter.
Toy Storage Window Seat – Not only are window seats the perfect nook to curl up with a book, they can also double as storage space. Open up the window seat storage to toys and kid stuff to keep it out of the way. You’ll make cleaning up the living room easy with nearby storage.
Sofa Storage – An ideal solution for homes that are tight on space, you can find chic leather sofas with storage space underneath. You know that raising kids requires a lot of stuff and a lot of storage.
Embrace Casual – If you keep losing your battle against chaos, you might try embracing it with a casual, thrown-together look. A light-wood coffee table decorated with coffee table books and plants can help absorb the chaos of toys and school supplies. Add some throw pillows that can be used on multiple pieces of furniture and easily movable chairs, and you’ve embraced the stylish but casual living room.
Don’t forget that besides home decor it’s also up to you to establish boundaries as your kids get older. Establish rules like “no drinks in the living room” or “no coloring on the coffee table.” As long as there’s a space where they can play and create without having to worry about making a mess, you can feel free to make some space of your own. Keep the rules clear and consistent and you can enjoy a stylish living room even with kids around.