When I’m considering furniture, the primary decision is always how family-friendly it is. Our children are little whirlwinds, so anything that doesn’t seem child-friendly doesn’t get a look in normally.
Considerations
There is so much to think about when deciding if a piece of furniture is family-friendly. Does it have sharp corners? Is it the sort of height that’s going to clash with a toddlers head as they are finding their feet and learning to walk? Is it the type of fabric that is going to stain or show up little people’s hand prints? Is it safe? Is it stable? Is it comfy and cosy? The list goes on. What things do you consider when choosing an item of furniture?
Dreaming
Of course, the quest for family-friendly furniture doesn’t stop us dreaming about stunning pieces from the likes of Cox & Cox and all the lush things we might want to furnish our homes with in the future. I love their cosy love seat and their custom made button ottoman.
What are your dream pieces of furniture? The ones you are avoiding now as they aren’t practical with children around?
Being practical
I find with the children, that leather is a really great option when it comes to furniture. It wipes and cleans up really easily, it’s soft and absorbs the fast pace of the little people in our house, and it wears really well.
We have leather pieces in the lounge, kitchen and bedrooms and they really do stand up to the test of time, and the test of a large family.
Storage is also a big factor and a practical consideration with the children. Blanket chests are a feature in our house, as they hold a lot and can double as a seat for reading.
I find big deep draws useful as well, rather than lots of wardrobe space. With the younger children I find wardrobes totally pointless, and more draws always works much better.
Storage under the beds is great as well. We have a couple of gas-lift beds which creates a huge amount of extra storage – oh and of course these make great gift hiding places too!
Finding items of furniture that are safe, durable and practical can sometimes be a challenge, but there are items out there that tick all the boxes. What have your best buys been over the years? What do you recommend?
