Written by Catherine Seagrave

Hi, it's Catherine from The Living House. Each month we want to let you know a little bit more about us and the people behind our brand. 

Keep reading to hear how I created a home that works for me and my three very beautiful but very boisterous children.

In my family there is my daughter (13), my identical twin sons (10),  two hairy cats and me. That means I am outnumbered by both children and animals. And that’s not good, especially when I like to have a lovely home! It can feel like a daily battle. On the plus side, it does mean I have picked up some tips along the way that have helped us live in relative harmony!

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, my house was filled with grown ups, with friends round for dinner, impractical cream sofas and delicate ornaments on low surfaces. It was a stylish child free zone with order and calm and we would sit in the evenings with a glass of wine and a box of maltesers watching Lost and Ally McBeal. And then my daughter was born.

Pretty quickly it became clear that things were going to change. For someone so small she came with a lot of big stuff. Overnight the hallway was filled with a car seat, pram, bouncy play seat thing, changing bag, and as she grew so did the amount of stuff!! It wasn’t just the hallway that was full but the entire house. And then came twins…

The boys presented new challenges. They were a bundle of energy that nothing could stop. If something in the home wasn’t extra tough or nailed down it didn’t stand a chance. If you took your eye off them for a moment, curtains would come crashing down, lamps would topple and shelves would be scaled. I learnt that the house and I needed to adapt fast if we were going to survive. 

Over the years I have discovered some tips and tricks that have helped along the way. And to be honest, I’m still having to adapt and change as they move towards teenage years and endless Fortnite sessions. Living with children doesn’t end, it just keeps changing and challenging us!! So here are the best tips I can pass on, if you too are struggling to combine a beautiful home with your beautiful children.

1. Storage - you can never have too much! 

This is really worth considering as early as possible in the design of your rooms. You cannot stay on top of clutter if you don’t have a home for everything. Like me, I’m sure your free time is very limited and it’s not my idea of fun to spend it trying to make sense of the mess! If it’s possible in your home, get built in storage, and use every alcove to its full potential. I have added a window seat with cupboards below which are full of toys. I have had shelves and cupboards built into the alcoves, again to hide as much as possible. And I have picked up a large blanket box in a junk shop and painted it for all the large trucks, cars, diggers and a few dinosaurs. Belly baskets and wicker hampers are also great for toys and pesky lego bricks and are much easier on the eye than lots of plastic boxes lined up. It’s amazing how fast I can sweep up 100 cars, 200 marbles and 500 plastic soldiers into their correct baskets these days! 

Another pain point in my home is shoes. I swear they multiply overnight! Not being able to find the right pair for school, football, PE every day is a major cause of stress - not to mention a smelly eyesore in the hallway. So very recently I invested in an 18 pair shoe cabinet and it has changed my life!!! I’m all for the pretty accessories in a room, but sometimes it is the things that solve a daily problem that give us the most pleasure - so don’t underestimate the importance of good storage!!

If you would like help, making your home work for your whole family, get in touch.

Baskets help contain the clutter and make me feel more organised and in control!!

2. Choose durable finishes

It turns out the cream sofas weren’t such a stupid buy after all! 15 years on they are still going strong. The fabric was treated with Aquaclean and they really have withstood an awful lot of abuse over the years. When they start to look a decidedly dodgy shade of grey I pop the covers in the washing machine and Vanish the arms - and hey presto good as new (do check you can wash your covers before you put them in the washing machine though!). 

When you are buying for a family friendly home, do try to find things that are reinforced in some way - sofas that are pretreated with a stain repellant, cushion covers and throws that are washable, paint finishes that are wipeable, and rugs that can be put in the washing machine. It’s just not fun moaning all the time at the kids about sticky fingers and dirty knees. Wipeable, washable, tough is the way to go.

 My hairy cat monster napping on my favourite linen cushion - of course!

Still cream ish?!

3. Upcycle furniture 

Although I would love a beautiful oak coffee table, and some amazing lamps from Graham and Green, I know that I would be so sad when they got scratched by a toy car, or knocked over by a flying ball ( they are banned in the house...). I used to have mirrored side tables and glass table lamps but they got smashed a long time ago. And it is really upsetting. So instead I look for charity shop finds and search on ebay for cheaper solutions I can paint and bring back to life, but which aren't going to be too precious either. If it does get broken it’s not the end of the world. And it’s amazing what you can do with some paint to freshen things up. 

Repurposing old furniture is really useful for areas that you know are going to be messy or in heavy use. I painted an old large coffee table bright orange in my open plan kitchen for the children to use as a painting and crafting table. It’s just the right height for them to sit on the floor and use, and it’s not a disaster when the felt tip pens go over the edge of the paper, and the glitter and glue finds its way everywhere. If it gets too bad,  I can always just add another coat of paint. 

My kitchen snug was furnished for the huge sum of £100 - £30 for the sofa on Facebook Marketplace, £50 for the sideboard on Ebay and £20 for the coffee/art table on Gumtree. It wouldn’t have been my first choice of shapes or finishes, but it looks pretty good together now it’s painted - and best of all, I don’t have to worry about it. Children, do your worst!!

A gallery wall adds personality, and the sideboard holds all the art and craft supplies.

The jute rug from Ikea has been amazingly hardwearing and stains seem to just disappear after a while.

An assortment of different chairs, teamed with a table painted in Annie Sloane paint, and brought to life with some bold wallpaper.

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4. Multifunctional space

If possible create an area that can have many uses that all the family can use in different ways. My living room and dining room are open plan. The dining room end hasn’t been a ‘dining room’ for many years. It is kept relatively free of furniture so that it can become a sleepover den, a battlefield, a shop, a place for cartwheels and football (not strictly allowed!!) and every other elaborate game they can think of. And at the end of the day, they happily tidy it all away back into the cupboards (who am I kidding?!!). But it does at least mean the mess can stay down one of the room so that the living room end can remain toy and somersault free. 

5. Focus on what you can control

It can be really frustrating to see your home taken over by brightly coloured plastic, and your own sense of style being pushed into the background. It can feel overwhelming at times (I’ve been there!) and the complete opposite of the relaxing home you wanted - and probably once had. I have found it helpful to focus on the things I can control.  Find an area that you can style and won’t be kiddified. In my living dining room the cupboards are for the kids stuff I want to hide, and the high shelves and mantlepiece are the areas I concentrate on. In the evenings, the toys can be put away and then the room has a more adult, relaxed feel. The shelves can stay how I want them except for the odd stray banned ball (are you getting the idea that I have a problem with balls in the house?!!). 

And my final very important tip - move the things you really love very high up before they are no more!!

Styled shelves versus the reality of the room!!

If you would like some help, making your home work for your whole family, get in touch. We’d love to help you create a home that makes you feel happy and relaxed. Send us an email and we’d love to chat about storage and layout and durable finishes and sticky fingers!