When designing the interior of a family home, there needs to be a balance between practicality, functionality and style. Add compact living and it requires another layer of planning. We have teamed up with family-friendly interior designers at The Living House, to hear their expert top tips on utilising space in small family living rooms.
Storage Is Everything
In a small family living space, storage really is everything, helping to keep you organised and tidy when you have a busy home.
There are lots of clever ways to incorporate storage into your room. If you have a chimney breast, consider built-in storage in the alcoves, such as closed cupboards with shelving above. The cupboards will be great to hide anything you don’t want on display, and the shelving will be perfect to style with your favourite accessories, making sure they are out of reach of your little ones to avoid any breakages.
Image credit: The Living House
A simple yet stylish and affordable storage option is baskets, which can add a natural texture to the room if you opt for a rattan finish. Go for a grouping of baskets in different sizes and fill them with toys, blankets, or anything else! If you prefer a minimal look, choose a basket with a lid to avoid it looking cluttered. They can be stacked or pushed under a sofa or side board.
Image credit: Artwork Canvas
For family homes where the main living space incorporates the kitchen, you can also utilise a kitchen cupboard to store necessities such as the nappy caddy within arms reach, but out of sight.
Versatile Spaces + Furniture
As your small living room is a space that the whole family use and enjoy, it should work for everyone. As much as you try to keep your children's toys within their bedroom or playroom, they will eventually sneak into the living room. This is where you can make the living space versatile by incorporating a dedicated play area. This will also help to keep things organised if your children's toys have their own place within the room. There are some great IKEA hacks, such as using a Kallax unit and transforming it into a bench seat with storage underneath.
Image credit: My precious Baby Shop
Multifunctional furniture is a must for small family homes. One piece of versatile furniture we love is a storage footstool. You can store toys, books, magazines, and blankets inside, but it’s also a comfy place to put your feet up and an extra seat when you have guests! Furniture on wheels or castors can really help in small spaces too, allowing you to divide up space you have if your children have play dates for example and bring things out when you need them but push into corners when you don't - such as storage carts with your children's arts and crafts.
Image credit: Swyft
Decor for everyone
When you have a busy family home, you want to please everyone and make it a place that reflects your personality as a family. Totter + Tumble playmats are a perfect addition to small living spaces and ideal for the whole family to use. When you think of playmats, you instantly think of bright and garish patterns, but with Totter + Tumble designs, you don’t need to compromise on style. If you have a scandi interior style, The Roamer is a geometric pattern that would look great, or if you have an eclectic traditional style, the Morris & Co. Blackthorn is a timeless option.
To make the decor work for everyone and to avoid any mucky handprints on the walls, go for scrubbable paint. You can still have a chalky and rich pigmented paint in your preferred colour scheme that is wipeable making it perfect for children. A few brands we recommend exploring for scrubbable and hard wearing paints are Farrow & Ball and Little Greene.
