When I was growing up – a little while ago now – nearly everyone in the family still had what can best be described as a ‘parlour’. Sometimes known as the best room or, inaccurately, the living room, the last thing these rooms were designed for was ‘living’ in. As young kids my cousins and I were shocked to discover that our grandmothers actually had these rooms, they were sealed off areas where children dared not tread.
Mostly we were confined to back kitchens and better still yards. How things change. Perhaps more than any other aspect of family life the way we live in our homes has changed, mostly for the better. Perhaps we have less room than in the past or perhaps our attitude to family life has changed. The idea of spending time with the family doesn’t fill us all with the terror that it obviously inspired in generations past. However, Gran had one thing right, kids and tidy just don’t mix. So how do you create a flexible, robust and family friendly design scheme?
Simple, robust and safe rooms
Don’t be afraid to decorate; some families wait until the kids are a bit older to create their design masterpieces. However old the kids are, they will always pose a ‘risk’ to well-thought out and stylish design, be that with finger paints or secret smoking habits. Turning a house into a home means designing what you want and designing around the way your family live. If you have kids who are a little ‘crayon-happy’ then get them to join in with the process and do some of the painting, along with choosing the colours and the look of the room. It won’t stop the crayon risk but it’s free labour.