A Chic Living Room That's Also Kid-Friendly!
Oh Joy! and Clever are teaming up to show you what it's really like to build a house from the ground up.
I'm back with another house update! I'm excited to show you a peek at what we're working on for our living room. It's been so fun collaborating with Cleo and her team at Project M+ on our interiors. Together, we've created some really beautiful rooms that I can't wait to watch come to life!
Our living room mixes rich and bright tones with wood, white, black, and brass. I'm calling the current inspiration "a peacock at sunset" with the bluish-green velvet couch and accents of color in coral, mustard, and pale pink. It's meant to be cozy yet chic.
We have a few fun details that are coming to life that I can share progress with you on....
When designing a chic living room that's also kid-friendly, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Rounded edges are your friend. Kids inevitably fall, trip, and bump their little bodies on anything and everything! My kids somehow manage to always climb into chairs in the weirdest way, or never pay attention when they're running into a room. So anytime you can choose items with soft and rounded edges, you're helping to make it safer for kids. We chose rounded items in the coffee table, side table, and chairs you'll see here.
2. Decorative objects on higher shelves and surfaces. Just because you have kids doesn't mean you can't decorate with the things you really want. You just need to balance it with mindfulness of where you place objects like vases, sculptures, or artwork and place them out of reach of small children. We have a built-in bookshelf that will go into this living room, so most of the items that are decorative will be placed on the higher shelves so that we can still bring our style into the space without putting them right at kid level.
3. Food rules. The only foods we allow our kids to eat in the living room are snacks and water. So basically, nothing they would need to eat with a utensil (e.g., spaghetti), as we want them sitting in the dining room or kitchen eating those messier foods. Every household has rules about what can or can't be eaten in a living room. You may have NO rules, and that's totally okay. It's whatever makes sense for you. BUT if you do apply rules (like no food in the living room), then make sure YOU also follow those rules yourself. Lead by example and your kids will be more likely to follow.
4. Fabrics. Darker and more durable fabrics are always recommended with kids (especially if you are okay with food in the living room). I also like to choose items with pattern (rugs, pillows, et cetera) so that any stains that inevitably get on there get masked with a fabric's pattern. When choosing fabrics for a couch or chair, there are often stain-resistant or pet- and kid-friendly options these days that come in a ton of colors and fabrics. And, speaking of patterns, check out my post on Oh Joy! to see some of the fabrics we're looking at to cover up those white chair cushions!
Construction by Boswell Construction. Architecture by Project M+. Interiors in collaboration with Cleo Murnane at Project M+.
Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
