Creating a Child-Friendly Living Room
By Kath / August 23, 2013 / No Comments / Uncategorized
Living rooms are, as the name suggests, places for living in. Yet when there are children in the family, a living room can quickly resemble a playroom, somewhere that is not fit to be seen by visitors. The key is to make the living room child-friendly, whilst remaining a decidedly adult space.
Getting the basics right
When crafting a child-friendly living room, it’s crucial to establish a solid foundation. This involves selecting engaging wall paints that ignite kids’ excitement, incorporating large-sized windows (with the aid of reputable Window Companies) to connect them with the outdoors, and placing a soft, comfortable rug on the floor to mitigate the risk of injury in case of falls. Furthermore, integrating child-safe lighting fixtures can contribute to a well-lit and inviting ambiance.
Beyond aesthetics, a family-friendly living room must offer ample seating for conversations and gatherings. L-shaped sofas prove ideal, optimizing space usage by fitting against walls or serving as a central element to define a partially enclosed focal area. Turning attention to furniture, opt for solid, robust chairs and tables that can withstand the wear and tear that children might subject them to. To cater specifically to the young ones, consider incorporating some bean bags for added comfort and playfulness.
Children mean toys and games and rather than have them littering the floor, presenting safety hazards and just begging to be broken, be sure to provide the living room with plenty of storage areas. This could be in the form of bookcases, which obviously not only take books, but can be home to several sizes of storage boxes for smaller items. A large footstool with storage doubles as somewhere to put the feet up, whilst also holding a multitude of bits and pieces. Some sofas from here even come with inbuilt storage.
No living room is complete without its media centre, but straggly cables can endanger children and adults too. Tidy cables away by housing the television, satellite box, DVD player, et al, in a unit designed for them. If you’ve got any broken switches, live wires, or other electrical hazards in the room, then call in a professional similar to this Electrician in Mill Creek, WA to fix the problems and child-proof the room. Besides, an enclosed TV unit not only improves the look of all that technology but also provides extra surfaces for family photos. Put all ornaments and accessories up high, out of the children’s reach.
In regards to furniture in general, choose items that have rounded, rather than sharp edges, so that if children do fall against them or knock their heads, the blow will be blunted.
Textures and textiles
Children often have sticky and dirty fingers, so a sofa that can be wiped clean is the best choice for a family living room. Leather is ideal; not only does it look good, it ages better than fabric. The same goes for curtains; long curtains that trail on the floor can be a hazard when children are around, but also become stained and dirtied from their activities. Blinds or shutters are a far better choice.
Carpets, while they feel good under the feet, are prone to stains and dirt. They also tend to trap a lot of dust, which could lead to allergic reactions in those around it. So, from time to time, it would be advisable to have them cleaned by a company that offers services for carpet cleaning basingstoke, or one closer to you.
Walls can be tricky too; to kids, they look like one big drawing board, which is precisely why it is a good idea to use wipeable paint on them. Eggshell, satin or gloss paint can all be cleaned with a damp sponge but can look a little institutional. Fortunately, newer matte paints have become available that have an easy-to-wipe surface.