Thank You for Sharing: The Family Living Room
Learning how to share your space with your kids is easy with these family-focused ideas, furnishings and accessories
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel... More »
In a perfect world we'd all have our own space for our own stuff. The kids would leave their big chunks of colorful, noisy plastic in the playroom. The adults would fill the living room with books, breakable trinkets and white furniture.
Alas, most of us do not have the luxury of a playroom. Or even if we do, the big chunks of colorful, loud plastic manage to find their way in among the books, trinkets and (nonwhite) furniture.
There are ways to have both — a living room where adults and kids can hang out together, where good design and Tinker Toys can coexist.
Alas, most of us do not have the luxury of a playroom. Or even if we do, the big chunks of colorful, loud plastic manage to find their way in among the books, trinkets and (nonwhite) furniture.
There are ways to have both — a living room where adults and kids can hang out together, where good design and Tinker Toys can coexist.
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| The Playful Space Design a pattern- and color-filled living room that truly suits everyone. If you have a green couch, a blue rug and a bright-tile fireplace, the blue kiddie table doesn't look like such an intruder. |
by Magic Cabin
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Playful pieces of furniture like this can live in perfect harmony in a living room that's fun but not childish.
by softline.dk
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Call me crazy, but I think this could work in the corner of a playful living room. Its simple, clean lines make it unobtrusive, especially in black.
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| The Case for Baskets Because the toys are going to find their way in, have a nice place waiting for them when they get there. Baskets look good and make cleanup pretty painless. |
Even child-free living rooms could benefit from these beauties; they're simple, elegant and unobtrusive.
Better yet, put a lid on it. No one has to know this basket contains a broken Buzz Lightyear.
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by Ninainvorm
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| The Eclectic Room It's intentional but not at all stuffy. Colorful but not over the top. Modern eclectic works for kids and adults alike because it looks like you can live in it. An artfully placed stack of books might contain something by Annie Leibovitz and Dr. Seuss. |
Simple, modern pieces like this fit right in. You can rock your baby without giving up good design.
by The Conran Shop
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A mini ghost chair is design savvy, kid friendly and kind of funny.
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| Double-Duty Furniture Let's face it: To a child, that upholstered ottoman is a launching area, and those round poufs are landing pads. Furniture that can take a beating and still look decent is a great way to design for kids and grownups. Basically anything you can flop onto will work. |
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| The perfect, floppable, comfy, good-looking piece. |
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| The Out-of-Sight Solution A more formal living room (or a really small one) just isn't going to work if you try to incorporate the toys. So hide them. Here there are perfect built-ins for storing Lego pieces and jigsaw puzzles. |
No built-ins? A modern toy chest does the trick. You can use it as a bar once the kids are asleep.
Take the Separate Route
If you can swing it, go separate but equal. Behind that sofa and through that threshold is a kids' playroom — close but not too close, and the living room is all adult.
If you can swing it, go separate but equal. Behind that sofa and through that threshold is a kids' playroom — close but not too close, and the living room is all adult.
The adjacent playroom is fun but still sophisticated.
by Ninetonine
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A muted, unobtrusive plaything like this would fit right in either space.
More:
The Family Home: Living Rooms You Can Live In
Play-Space Secrets for All-Ages Homes
The Family Home: Creative Multi-Use Workspaces
More:
The Family Home: Living Rooms You Can Live In
Play-Space Secrets for All-Ages Homes
The Family Home: Creative Multi-Use Workspaces
Comments
tcufrog We have a playroom adjacent to the living room/kitchen with the doorway and a pass through fireplace in between. It's great because I can easily see if the kids are getting into trouble. The only problem is that toys still end up in the living room and kitchen.
15 months ago · Like
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anamarhaba The rooms are beautiful. But I'm fascinated with the lack of adequate lighting.
15 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on March 22, 2012.
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