Top Home Design Tips For Growing Families
Starting a family is one of the most exciting times of your life, but with it also comes a lot of change. If you are planning on growing your family or already have kids on the way, it is essential to design a family home that meets your needs both now and long into the future. How your home is designed can radically impact how it feels, and how you feel in it as a new parent — after all, your home is the launchpad for your life. Now is the perfect time to start planning so you can enjoy your humble abode as your growing family expands from two to three to many.
If you’re not entirely sure where to start, we’ve got you covered. Today, we share 7 expert home design tips for growing families with the future in mind. Read on to find out more.
1. Plan for Storage (As Much As Possible!)
It is no secret that a growing family means a lot more stuff in and around your home. With the arrival of your little one also comes a mountain of diapers, formula, toys, cots, changing tables and lots more. The last thing you want to do when you are sleep deprived is to trip over items in the middle of the night or have to deal with a cluttered home that makes you feel more miserable than it does motherly (or fatherly!). With this in mind, designing your home with storage in mind is crucial. If you plan ahead, your home won’t end up cluttered and messy.
Thankfully, there are numerous smart storage options that aim to reduce clutter available on the market today, including storage sofas, gas lift beds and ottomans from online retailers such as Temple and Webster (and you can earn Qantas Points as an added bonus). Aside from storage furniture, built-in storage is also another great way to provide organised space for prams, books, toys, sporting equipment and other household items that will inevitably grow in number as your family expands. Consider floating shelves, built-in bookcases, wardrobes, cupboards and more if you are looking to maximise on storage to keep items out of sight.
2. Choose Durable Fixtures and Fittings
One of the most important things to consider when designing a family home is the quality of your fixtures and fittings. The home is where the heart is, and it’s also where all the action is happening. From kids dragging in muddy shoes and spills galore, durable is the key word here! Be sure to select flooring and benchtops options that are hard wearing to keep up with the constant foot traffic and activity of a large family as well. For example, timber flooring may look amazing, but if not cared for properly, can become a maintenance nightmare that causes more stress than necessary. If you know something will be difficult and expensive to repair or change in years to come, invest in durability instead. It will give you bang for your buck every time (and save you a lot of headaches along the way).
3. Prioritise Natural Light
As a new parent, we may find ourselves constantly putting the needs of others first – whilst our own needs and priorities can fall all the way to the bottom of the list. With little sleep and a seemingly never-ending list of things to do, taking care of your health as a parent can be challenging at best. However, it is important to remember that your little ones need you to be healthy and happy in order to provide them with the best care possible. This is where prioritising natural light can really play a big role in your life. Research shows that our health and wellbeing improves with access to natural daylight on a regular basis. With this in mind, ensuring that your home is exposed to as much natural light throughout the day is paramount.
Thankfully, you can easily achieve this by rearranging your furniture in such a way that light is not blocked from entering your windows. Where possible, plan to have rooms that are used all day facing north to take advantage of sunlight from morning to late afternoon. Other options to look into include installing a skylight or switching up your window treatments to maximise the natural light potential in your home.
4. Safety is Paramount
With little ones running around all day, one of the most important things to consider is child safety in interior design. Childproofing your home gives your baby a safe place to play and explore, and helps prevent injuries. The last thing you want is your little one running into dangerous sharp corners or edges, especially as they get older and start to explore their environment. The good news is that you don’t have to sacrifice style when baby-proofing your home. Some simple tips include anchoring heavy furniture such as bookshelves against a wall, using outlet covers, covering sharp corners with silicone guards, using magnetic locks on cupboards and drawers, and going cordless with your window treatments. These simple changes don’t cost much, won’t impact on your home design and most importantly, will keep your little one safe at all times.
Learn more about the importance of child-proofing your home as a new parent here.
5. Convenience is King
Caring for a new baby is an important job, and it is one that requires a ton of time and energy. To help keep things as simple and stress-free as possible in your family home, look towards making design changes with convenience in mind. If you are dealing with a ton of laundry on a daily basis, consider moving your washing machine and dryer to a more convenient location that doesn’t require you to climb down a flight of stairs twenty times a day.
You could even consider putting a shoe rack, coat rack and your washer/dryer in the mudroom where kids can dump dirty jerseys, socks and scarves straight into the washer before they enter the main room. Of course, all of this will depend on your home layout and your individual needs as a family, so take some time to assess what could be done more efficiently and how you can go about making that change. At the end of the day, convenience is king.
6. Design For Some Alone Time
As a growing family, one of the most important design features is creating a separate living space for some rest, relaxation and alone time. This is especially important if you have older children who are entering their teenage years and will no doubt be in need of some privacy. Moreover, while quality time together is amazing, it is equally important for parents to relax together while kids have a space of their own to play, get messy and hang out with friends. If you have enough space in your home to create a second mini living room, this is your sign to start planning. This could be as simple as turning a spare bedroom into your own peaceful relaxation haven, or as complex as undergoing home renovations to build specific and intentional spaces in your home such as a reading nook or home office. Only you will know what works best for your own family, so don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.
Learn 5+ ways to create your own personal space at home as a parent here.
7. Don’t Neglect The Outdoors
Outdoor living is an essential factor for many Aussies, especially when you are sharing your home with active kids (and pets). With this in mind, our outdoor space design is a crucial element to consider as a growing family. After all, when the sun is out and shining, the last thing you want is to be cooped up with the kids indoors. Depending on the amount of space you have, you could consider setting up an outdoor dining space to enjoy some alfresco dining as a family when the weather permits. You could even consider investing in some fun additions such as a trampoline, swing, kiddy pool, or jungle gym to keep the little ones entertained all day long. If you plan on adopting pets, you’ll want to make sure that you allow for enough space in your backyard for your fur-babies to run free. Most importantly, you will want to design your outdoor space with safety in mind — this means installing adequate lighting to prevent falls or accidents, ensuring fencing and gates are secure, adding some paving for stability and removing poisonous plants from your yard.
Learn 7 ways to ensure your yard is safe for kids here.
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At the end of the day, so much of the success in designing a home for growing families comes with the small details and the order you make your choices in. We hope that this article has shone light on a few new ideas that you can take aboard when designing your dream family home, and we wish you and your family all the best!
