Children and pets can really give a home a run for its money, and many feel as though interior styling services or an overall interior design theme is more difficult when there are children or pets in the home. While some more delicate styles with fragile accent décor might not be best in a home with a lot of busyness, there are plenty of interior design styles that work beautifully with full family homes. The secret is all in the pieces you choose, and how those particular pieces work with your lifestyle while also communicating your design. A few tips for designing a family home space are:
• Consider stain resistance – Both children and pets can be messy, and this means these messes can travel to your furniture. Choosing furniture with stain resistant or easy to wipe down fabrics, like the Excel 2 Seater Sofa with easy to wipe down leather upholstery and sturdy zebra oak details, ensures that any messes that may travel to the sofa can be cleaned quickly and thoroughly.
• Use accent rugs over carpet – Wall to wall carpet can be a trap for messes and damage in family homes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the style and warmth carpet brings. Accent rugs can completely transform the look of a room while communicating the style of the space perfectly, and they’re far less likely to fall victim to staining. The Avoca Trible Rug is durable for high-traffic areas, may be cleaned by a simple hosing down, and is low-allergen to make a perfect healthy, sturdy, and easy to clean addition to the home.
• Set up a clean-off space near entryways – A clean-off space near entryways allows for paws to be cleaned and shoes to be left before entering any main parts of the home. These spaces are perfect for incorporating the indoor/outdoor or eco-inspired trend, and they provide a buffer for any dirt that may be tracked inside to make its way onto accent rugs or furniture.
• Consider colour – Colour is going to be either your best friend or worst enemy in family homes. Spaces where children and pets gather shouldn’t primarily utilize light and airy shades on floor coverings or furniture, as these are most likely to show staining, and darker or more neutral shades work best in these spaces instead. If a stain is unable to be extracted from a dark sofa it will remain less noticeable than if it were a white or light sofa.
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