A home with kids is it any different ?

Gone are the days of formal sitting where children were seen and not heard. In today’s homes families and work and play together in the same spaces, Children are the centre of the household and every inch of space should be designed to accommodate the wear and tear that goes along with the family living. Choosing kids furniture needs some extra attention but you cannot ignore any corner of the household.

But this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice beauty for comfort. Family oriented and still Chic?

You can raise your family in style- and its lot easier than you might think! The options and endless, it’s possible to create a home that is sturdy and safe as it is beautiful. You’ll learn to plan for both the short and long term, designing livable, efficient and yes timeless rooms that will expand and adopt to your family needs as they change over time. Most important is to learn to put aside the usual rules and regulations of decorating. Designing a home with children in mind should be fun, be practical, but a bit irrelevant.

Inspiration can come from anywhere-perhaps most notably form your children themselves. Their input is valuable, especially in places they call their own Approach the delicious task of creating a beautiful home as a fun-filled activity for the entire family. They will love you for it.

Choose furniture that you not only love but is also practical. Buy well-made furniture that will better stand up to the heavy use as your kids are growing.

If you buy things you really love, you’ll be more likely to want to use them again and again. Growing children have quickly changing needs which means frequent rearranging of furniture form room to room and not necessarily changing the furniture itself.

Designing kids friendly spaces dose not necessary mean shrinking away from placing delicate pieces but just reassign them in areas where they will out of their reach. It’s never too early to teach children to be respectable of the things at home.

Organizing and appropriate storage are key to clutter free homes. Any home will look better without clutter so figure the areas where clutter accumulates and design storage spaces to tackle it.

Remember that inspiration can come from anywhere it’s just that you need to be open to new ideas. Whether it’s a bedroom layout you spotted at your friend’s house or the lobby of a grand hotel, all is fodder for creative ideas.

Once you have decided to redo your home, the first step is outlining your goals. Whether you are planning complete renovation or just minor streamlining and beautifying, writing down your ideas will help you get organised. Write down everything you would like to d and then prioritize. Don’t forget to do your bit of research before you conclude on your list.

Discussing your list with your family members is very important. Everyone has a say. Once everyone in the family has approved the overall plan, the next step is creating a budget and an action plan.

These tips will get you started with the initial stages of redesigning your home to make it kid’s friendly and a safe environment. This article is an extract from the books Living with Kids.