Baby-Friendly Living Room Reveal: A Cozy and Safe Space for the Whole Family

gorgeous mid-century modern chairs

This is actually a project that I started working on this time last year. We finished everything up in the early Fall and my clients graciously allowed me to photograph their completed project. I am so excited to share this project reveal with you!

The Clients: Julia, Rob, baby Hayden and furr baby Murphy

Julia and Rob reached out early in 2024 as they had just purchased a home here in North Vancouver, after selling their downtown condo. They were about to welcome their first baby into their family so there was alot of change and transition happening in their lives.

Here is the layout of the Duplex:

And here are a few of the "before" photos - these were from the realtor listing page and it gives you an idea of what we were working with. Julia and Rob had me attend one of their viewing appoinments after they had purchased the home but before they took possision. It gave us a head start on our planning and ordering and shortened the wait time for their new furniture.

The Scope of Work:

The main focus was the living room, but the project encompassed the whole main floor and there were some selections made for the kitchen/dining spaces as well. Julia and Rob wanted help with sourcing furiture, artwork and room layout.

Design Challenges:

This home is half of a duplex, so the biggest challenge to work through was the long and narrow layout of the main level. The other issue at hand was the lack of storage and entryway in the space. As a mother of 3, I laughed with Julia and Rob that in having a baby, they were entering "the season of stuff", lol. Anyone with kids knows that babies and toddlers bring with them lots of gear and accessories, especially in the first few years. Highchairs, bouncy chairs, pack-and-plays, toys, diapers and the list goes on!

I addressed these challenges by coming up with a functional design plan that maximized the layout and provided as much seating and storage as possible! My favourite pieces are the round coffee table and the sideboard placed along the staircase by the entryway. Both of these items have the ability to hide and contain all.the.things.

The Jumping off Point:

When I first met with Julia and Rob, the one thing Julia knew for sure was that she LOVED this rug:

She also mentioned a love of color, blue being a favourite. I suggested a custom blue sofa for the living area and it is such a gorgeous addition to the room.

Blue is a versatile color and is a very practical choice for a family with kids and pets. With the rug and the sofa decided upon, I came up with a design plan/collage as our starting point. After a few in-store visits to see, touch and sit on various pieces, we landed on this as the final plan which enabled us to move forward with ordering all the pieces. Such an exciting phase in the process!

Living RoomFurniture

Dining Room Furniture

From Design Boards to real life....

Creating a Baby Friendly Living Room Design Plan

Welcoming a baby into your life is such an exciting and special time! And as a mother of 3, I am passionate about designing spaces that are both stylish and practical for families. Here are some things to take into consideration when you are selecting furniture for a house with babies and kids:

1. Safety first: I always recommend a round coffee table to families with babies and toddlers. Not only is this a safer choice due to the lack of sharp corners, but it's a good design decision too. Round tables help balance out the lines in a room, especially in spaces with a lot of straight or angular furniture. I also think the ottomans we incorporated into this design are extremely family friendly. They can be used as a footstool, extra seating or even a table top if you utilize a tray. The ones we selected even have removable and washable slipcovers! They are soft and perfect for when babies have started cruising around the room as they learn to walk.

2. Performance fabrics are your friend! For this project we went with a durable performance fabric for the sofa in a beautiful blue color. Choosing a darker or more saturated fabric color helps to hide spills and dirt better than lighter tones. Performance rugs are also gaining popularity due to their durability and affordable price point. I own several performance rugs and have been really impressed with how easy they are to keep clean.

3. Incorporate as much storage as possible. Storage coffee tables, like the one we selected for this project, sideboards, console tables, bookcases, end tables...all of these pieces offer space for all the things that babies and toddlers bring with them. Having a place to tuck toys and baby gear away at the end of the day, or when entertaining is key to being able to relax and enjoy cohabitating with tiny humans.

The Reveal:

Enough talking, lets get to the photos! Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Scroll through to see all of the images.

Let's take one last look at the before & after!

before

before

After

I would like to say a big THANK YOU to Julia and Rob for allowing me to photograph and share their project here on the blog.

If you need some help coming up with a furniture design plan for a room (or rooms) in your home, check out our list of services or reach out to info@homestyled.ca for information on our in-home design consultations.

Thanks for reading!

Kerri