Living Room Design With Children

We faced a big challenge when we moved into a new house with our 7 month old son, Jack. How could we create an appealing living room that our little boy could play in, but didn't look a wasteland of toys, games and books?

We were a bit stuck at first, I must admit. For several months it was just our new sofa and loveseat with a wicker chair, and an ottoman my sister-in-law gave us. We didn't even have a TV in there! Long story short...it was a great place for little Jack to play in but it wasn't very nice room for Mom and Dad to enjoy.

The Dust Settled, Time to Decorate

I guess we just hit the wall one day and decided that we were going to make our living room a great place for adults and kids. Down to the basement we went, dragging our armoire out of the guest room and up a flight of stairs. So much fun!  (Maybe that's why my back hurts all the time now.)

We bought a leather ottoman on clearance (a true steal) and moved the hand-me-down one into the hearth room. Next was a rearrangement of the furniture. The sofa and our favorite sofa table divided the living room from the dining room perfectly. The rest came together rather easily.

Challenges

Since this room is designed for big ones and little ones, storage is key. The bottom drawers of the armoire hold all Jackie's books, little toys and medium sized toys, like his tractors.

Our huge leather ottoman has 4 drawers, perfect for our massive kid video library and puzzles. Faux leather baskets are strategically placed to hold items that the armoire and ottoman can't.

The Finished Product

We left our wall art the same, kept the colors just like they were and even added a couple of inexpensive accents on higher shelves that the boy can't reach.

The armoire is packed up at bedtime so Mom and Dad can enjoy the TV and DVD player without looking at a sea of toys all around. During the day, it's a free-for-all with Jack's "stuff" usually ending up everywhere. We've developed a pretty good routine of cleaning up and getting Jack off to bed. He's not always cooperative but he seems to do pretty well.

In The End

You don't have to give up your space in order to have a great play space for your kids. Get creative, maximum your use of storage furniture, and develop a clean-up routine so you can share your living room with your children in  peace.