Interior Design For Busy Families: Tips For Creating A Calm And Organised Space

Designing a home for busy family life and creating spaces that balance both functionality and beauty can be tricky, but today I am sharing my tops tips on how to achieve this. I work with countless clients who have young children and require organisational solutions within their home design to ensure the space feels calm. With a few simple tricks and things to consider when designing and purchasing furniture, you can create a home that does not feel overwhelming, and you enjoy spending time in each day. Read on for my top tips for creating a calm and organised space within your home.

Use Closed-In Storage

Choosing furniture that has closed in storage such as cupboards and drawers is a game changer when it comes to reducing the visual appearance of clutter within a space. Open shelves can result in a space looking more cluttered than it actually is as each item is on display and exposed. This is why I recommend selecting closed in storage when choosing items such as entertainment units, bookcases and console tables. This is especially important for busy family life as you can store items such as kid’s toys, stationery and games out of a visual site line.

Create Drop Zones

It is inevitable that a barrage of items comes through the door whenever you leave the house with a young family. From school backpacks to sports equipment, mail, packages and everything in between, without a designated drop zone things can get out of hand. I recommend creating a drop zone for items such as bags and backpacks in a location that is as close to the point of entry as possible (garage or entryway). This allows items to be placed in their designated home and avoids things being spread throughout the house. This can be as simple as adding a few hooks to the walls, a shoe rack and some baskets. I also love a tray on an entryway table to drop items such as mail, letters and incoming/outgoing documents.

Baskets Galore

Baskets are one of my favourite tools to use when designing a home to create both a functional and aesthetically pleasing space. I will always add a few beautiful, large baskets to a living room when designing for a family as they are a great place to store kid’s toys and blankets. They are also perfect for bedrooms and playrooms to store a variety of items. Baskets make cleaning up a breeze as you can simply throw all the items back in the basket once you’re done using them. My biggest tip is to ensure you categorise your baskets and place each item back in its designated home to avoid clutter build up.

Practical Fabrics

It is inevitable that spills, scratches and mishaps happen during busy family life, and this is why I choose smart fabrics and finishes when designing my client’s homes. Selecting lighter fabrics for sofas and occasional chairs can be done as long as the fabric is sealed with a protection, or the covers are machine washable. There are some great options on the market these days which mean you don’t have to compromise by choosing a boring dark shade for every furniture item in your home while your kiddies are young. When selecting rugs, I recommend choosing a style that has a lot of pattern. This way it is a little bit more forgiving if spills occur and they appear cleaner for longer. Making smart choices from the beginning and investing in a fabric protection is the best way to allow yourself to have a beautifully designed home without compromising on style.

Embracing Your Stage Of Life

Lastly, I wanted to touch on the fact that your home does not have to look perfect at all times and at the end of the day a home is made to be lived in. I believe it is much more important to design a space that is practical and functional rather than adding more stress to our busy lives as we are constantly worried about ‘ruining’ our perfect home. Another reminder is to embrace the stage of life that you are in. With young kids comes a lot of toys and more ‘things’ within a home, but it is a fact of life and should be embraced as the time will come when they grow up and this stage of life is a memory.

If you are looking for an interior design firm in Brisbane to help you organise and design a home that is suitable for busy family life, then get in touch with Eliza Grace Interiors today. I take into consideration your lifestyle and design a functional home that works for you and your family.