Flower Love
The adorable yet destructive charm a child or pet might have in our home gives us the need to carefully choose family-friendly furniture.
This is not an easy task as there are many factors to consider. What is your family’s lifestyle? How active are your child and pet? What is your main idea for the design?
Practical furniture doesn’t mean it won’t look good, and these tips will show you how.
Image source: Vicki Blakeman interior design
The mesh
In a family home environment, the most important thing is to keep it clean and tidy. Therefore, stain resistance is the most important thing to look for in a fabric. Microfiber, ultrasuede (an alternative microfiber suede with no cruelty couches), and Crypton couches, sofas, or chairs are ideal for meeting these requirements.
Image source: Carol Sarason Design
Leather is also chic because it lasts a long time and is easy to care for. Probably the only problem with leather is the scratches on your pet’s claws which aren’t that bad considering they give your furniture a unique look.
If you are not satisfied with purchasing a material made from animals, leather is for you. It looks like leather with the difference that it is cruelty free and does not cost too much.
Colors and patterns are practical
When dealing with children and pets, it is beneficial to make the stains on your furniture less noticeable. Hiding the stains is not an option, of course, but if you are dealing with such an environment and a busy schedule, hiding the bugs in the room until you have time to clean them up is very helpful.
Dark and patterned materials do an excellent job of doing this, as they soften the look of dropped food, peat mess, and anything else on the furniture. When choosing furniture, consider the age of your child, your pet’s manners, and the general fashion of the interior.
Image source: Nancy Van Natta Associates
While tweed is tempting as it easily hides most of your troubles, don’t be fooled – the cleaning process is arduous as hair is often cooped up there. When purchasing, carefully examine the sofa material. Use your fingernail or the tip of a pen to determine the looseness of the fibers. Child-friendly furniture shouldn’t be furniture that can be easily pulled and destroyed.
Be careful when choosing the decor
Think about efficiency. The decor you plan to use should be easy to clean. So make sure your sheets, pillow cases, and blankets are machine washable. Otherwise, the entire cleaning process may run out and waste time. Finding materials that are stain resistant is effortless as they are very common. However, choosing the right material is also a derivative that can better withstand wear and tear. Investigate which stains damage your furniture.
Image source: Passionate Palette Staging & Design
Velvet, velor and linen are porous and so practical, in contrast to microfiber, woven tweed and protective covers made of durable cotton or khaki. A great way to protect your furniture is by using spray chemicals that repel stains and hairs. While they are effective, they are not long term.
Rounded furniture for an edgeless environment
It has been proven that 80% of fall-related injuries in children under the age of 4 actually occur at home. Falls are common, but furniture gets in the way. To make it easier for your child to fall, you can choose a round table instead of a square table. four corners less worries!
Image source: Campion Platt Interiors
You can do this with all of your furniture too – this will minimize the risk of your child being seriously injured. A good alternative are rubber corner cushions, which do not damage or change your furniture too much when applied. They are a cheap and practical solution.
Carpet options
Be aware that your carpets get messy a lot. So choose machine washable or easily replaceable carpets. Carpets are good even if you have carpeted floors. Hardwood or tile floors are ideal for carpets, especially where your pet will be. Carpets take in all of the bad smells and feces and that smell easily spreads throughout the house. It is better to put a rug over your rug as you can replace it if the smells get too strong.
Image source: Maison Inc.
Get rid of the trash
Clutter comes in many shapes and sizes – yes, it’s collections, flea market finds, and all the other knickknacks and gadgets that litter your living room. It is true that these small details give a room a unique and personal feel, but when the treasures get excessively large, it would be the right thing to clean up and reduce.
Image source: Maison Inc.
Hard surface floors
Wood floors are easy to mop or vacuum and are clean, neat and warm. Keep in mind, however, that a large dog could scratch them. While bare floors are the perfect pet-friendly furniture, painting can also decorate them. You can paint concrete, terrazzo, and brick. With the right dose of creativity and organization, the results could be stunning.
Image source: ispaci
Ceramic tile floors are stain resistant and convenient for animals as they are toenail proof and have a very sleek look too. It has a cool vibe in the summer and could be a nice place for your pets to relax.
Natural stones like marble are porous materials and are not completely protected from pets as the acids in their spit can stain them no matter how safe they seem.
Designate an area that is just for them
While keeping your child and pet in one place for long periods of time is relatively difficult, this concept encourages the idea of having your own child-friendly furniture that may be even more attractive than the adult’s. An interesting detail is the pet bed, which has recently become its own form of designer furniture, as well as sofas and chairs.
Image source: Passionate Palette Staging & Design
Loungers are also found in the stores that are filled with furniture for children, as well as cute little table and chair sets that are a lot more fun for them than the adult chairs you use. Give your pet their own space with one comfortable pet bed What you combine with the rest of the interior design will help your pet feel safe and warm along with the rest of the family.
Image source: Passionate Palette Staging & Design
Use caution when placing the pet bed in the bedroom as your pet may climb up on your bed to be closer to you. For cats, scratching posts with a small catnip will distract them from scratching your furniture. Pet furniture is designed to make your pets relax, rewind, and feel right at home.