How To Make Your Living Space Work For The Whole Family

The living room is any family home’s heart. It’s the place everyone hangs out in a group, catching up on the events of the week and laughing over movies. It’s also probably the place pizza treat night happens, putting a smile on everyone’s face. If your living room isn’t quite there yet, then it can be with a little planning and maybe some rearrangements. It’s important to consider the needs of the whole family when creating a functional, fun, and inviting space for everyone. Is it possible to please everyone when they’re almost guaranteed to have conflicting ideas regarding how best to arrange things? It’s certainly not impossible! Below are a few ideas on how to make it work for the whole family.

Supersized Seating

Everyone has a favourite spot on the sofa and there’s nothing quite like having to fight for it on a Saturday night. It’s also not exactly fair when someone ends up having to abandon their cushioned seat for another, due to a family member sprawling out horizontally over the duration of an evening. Should all these scenarios sound very familiar then it might be time to upgrade your seating. A great sofa, whilst a potentially pricey investment, is the guaranteed solution. If the space in your living room permits it, then a corner sofa is a fantastic investment that will maximise the availability of cosy seating for everyone. No need to compromise on design as it’s easy to style the sofa with attractive cushions and throws that can be rotated out seasonally, if you wish. You may find that spending a little extra on a high-quality sofa will pay off in the long run, with the cushions staying firmer and more comfortable to sit on for longer.

Creating Small Spaces

Depending on the size of your room you may be able to carve out separate ‘spaces’ for different activities. A bookshelf can be used as a stylish room divider, concealing the slightly messier play area for the kids whilst working as a focal design point of the room. Alternatively, a corner can be dedicated to games and entertainment – the trick is to have a chest of drawers or even a large ottoman that can hide all evidence of toys at a moment’s notice. It’s important to balance the need for play and toys with aesthetic appeal since it’s a shared space that’s also used for hosting.

Storage and Clutter

Most households struggle with storage solutions that are functional and attractive. No one wants to see endless stacks of unread magazines, piles of toys, and strewn about tangled wires. Attending to these small details can completely transform the feel on a room from messy to chic, with little effort on your part too. First order of business is a through declutter. We all accumulate useless bits and pieces almost unconsciously so a proper annual clear-out can reveal some much-needed space. Look at your current furniture and evaluate if any of it can be upgraded to include extra storage; a coffee table will typically occupy a large chunk of space with little by way of storage – look for one with inbuilt storage capability instead.

The perfect living room that pleases everyone doesn’t really exist but a compromise that works for kids and adults does. Don’t let the space get overrun with toys as the space has to balance adult and children’s needs equally.

- This is a collaborative post.