Welcome to our redesigned, family-friendly living room. I had a lot of boxes to check when designing this space. I wanted one of our most-used spaces to accommodate our littles in the best way possible while also being comfy and beautiful!
I currently have a six-year-old and a one-year-old, so there’s a lot to consider when designing a space that accommodates both these ages. Some of the main factors for consideration were toy storage, baby proofing, a kid table, and game storage.
I also wanted this space to feel sophisticated with my own decor but not so sophisticated that it feels like it can’t get messed up. It’s a tricky task to pull off, but I’m pretty happy with how it has come together.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure.
HERE ARE 8 FAMILY-FRIENDLY LIVING ROOM IDEAS:
Family-friendly sofas
One of our first changes in this space was swapping out our old sofas. I did quite a bit of research before choosing our sectional and loveseat for our living room.
Get the look:
I wanted to make sure the sofas felt comfortable but also felt firm. We had softer couches before and we sunk down in them; that’s why we opted for firmer sofas this time. Our new sofas are just the right firmness. We’ve had them for several months now and they’re just slightly softer than when we first got them. My whole family agrees that they’re wonderful.
I also love the pearl beige color of the sofa paired with the black legs. We try not to eat on our sofas but sometimes we still do. We’ve spilt a couple items and the sofas have cleaned up well just with a little water and a cloth.
I haven’t had any issue with the fabric pilling. That was one issue I had with my last sofas, but these are holding up extremely well. If you look extremely close, there may be slight pilling but I really don’t notice any at all. The fabric is so great!
I HIGHLY recommend our sectional and loveseat. The whole Castlery Adams collection sofas are beautiful and perfect for daily, family use. We adore our sofas!
I also like this similar sectional and this similar sectional. This sectional is also beautiful!
Esthetically Pleasing Kids Table
I really wanted a kids table with four chairs to stay in our living room. I had a hard time finding a kids table that accommodated a growing six year old. Often times, kids tables are for toddlers and they’re very small. I researched for awhile and came across this kid-sized white table. It’s a little taller than toddler tables, perfect for a six-year-old. It only had two chairs so I decided to get a second table to have more space for crafts and to have four kids chairs, total.
It ended up working out perfectly! My daughter sits here all the time and does artwork. We store her art supplies in the black cabinet beside the table. We also store diapers, baby clothes, and books in the cabinet.
The black cane cabinet is actually a DIY project. It was once a bookcase and we added doors to it to make it an enclosed cabinet.
I found a couple similar cane cabinets online. This cabinet is the most affordable, similar option I have found.
Low Pile Rug
Low pile rugs are perfect for kids because they’re so easy to clean. My favorite rugs are Loloi rugs so I had to check those out first. I loved this one immediately because of the color tones in it. It hides dirt incredibly well too!
I have the 9×12 in our living room. It’s a great size for most living rooms. The key here is to at least have the front legs of your sofas on the rug. This simple trick will make your living area look defined.
Game storage
We have a ton of games and we love to play family games in our living room. It only made sense to incorporate storage for the games in this space. I wanted to find a budget-friendly option that looked beautiful too. I did some research and found a natural rattan cabinet.
I ended up ordering two cabinets and pushing them together to make a large cabinet. I’m pleased with how they look when they’re pushed together. Plus, they are the perfect size for game storage!
Baby toy storage
We keep the majority of baby toys in our basement playroom. However, we like to have some toys in our living room, so I grabbed this braided seagrass basket for our one-year-old’s toys. I tossed a blanket over the toys for this photoshoot but usually they’re peeking out the top of the basket.
Classy family photos
I love decorating our living room with photos of our family. Two easy ways to give the photos a cohesive look is to opt for the same frame for each photo and print the photos out in black and white. You could also print them in a sepia tone or using a muted color preset. By alleviating the loud colors, you’ll bring in a more sophisticated vibe.
I found frames at my local At Home store, but these frames are very similar.
I also added affordable picture frame lights above the photos. These lights are rechargeable and don’t require any hardwiring.
Breakable decor
There’s still a way to add breakable decor to your home with kids. You’ll need to utilize height for this. I have two tall bookcases in my living room so I put my decor on those. This helps create the aesthetic I want in our living room and I don’t have to sacrifice any decor. When my baby gets a little taller, I may need to switch around some of the decor and move all the breakable decor to higher shelves. For now, this works because she can only reach the first shelf with the basket.
Get the look (bookcase decor):
Related: DIY Fireplace Makeover Tutorial
Camouflaged baby proofing
Baby-proofing a house can easily disrupt the vibe in your house. There are a couple ways to blend in the baby proofing with your home. You can either buy the edging in the same color as the edge you’re covering or you could use clear edging. I’ve used both in my home. Below, you’ll see I added a white foam edging along the edge of our fireplace. It blends right into the brick.
I also have clear corner guards on my coffee table. I was unable to find an exact color match for my coffee table so using clear pads is a great option for this case. Our coffee table is no longer sold, but I love this similar coffee table option.
Sources:
The below may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure.
Chaise sectional sofa (color is pearl beige with black legs)
Loveseat sofa (color is pearl beige with black legs)
Area rug
Sconce lights near TV
Firewood log rack
Black cane cabinet (similar) – mine is a DIY. Read this post.
Velvet curtains (color is Denver taupe)
Black picture frames (similar) – mine are from At Home
Gold picture frame lights
Natural rattan sideboard cabinet (I bought two and pushed them together)
White texture art (similar) – mine is a DIY
Kids table (I bought two and pushed them together)
Braided seagrass basket
Coffee table (similar) – mine is from West Elm but no longer sold
Coffee table (similar)
Bookcase decor:
This is Home book
Small photo frame brass
Large photo frame brass
Ceramic vase with handles
Rustic brown vase
Teak wood chain
White planter
Stoneware bowl black
Weathered planter white (handles)
Weathered planter white
Large water hyacinth bin mocha
