So, you’ve taken the huge step of deciding you want to start a family – or you simply want your existing family to grow a little bigger. Your safe haven of paradise – also known as home – is now faced with the threat of mess, unpredictably, and chaos. Which is what great family life is all about, of course. 

This does mean you have to re-evaluate your home as you know it. Here are some handy tips to help you see your home in a different light.

There’s nothing better than leather when it comes to functional material for a family. Whether it’s messy kids with a knack for exploration and climbing or a family dog that doesn’t understand the meaning of not on the couch, leather will guarantee that you can easily wipe away spillages, stains, and mess.

You don’t want to invest in a fabric couch if it’s going to get stained the minute it’s placed in the room. Great companies like Wellington’s Fine Leather Furniture offer all different shapes and sizes for your couch needs, so you can still find the one you love suited for all the family.

When your family grows, you have more stuff – fact. Especially if you have a new-born baby, there are so many new things needed and filling up every room very quickly. If you’re investing in new furniture for the growth of the family, try and choose items which have more than one use. 

For example, storage wherever you can get it – inside footstools, inside bench seats or underneath your mattress, even. Or choose a large table which can double as a desk or a sideboard which can double as a makeshift changing station if you really need it to. 

You may be the type of person who loves to have their most beloved items out where you can see them – maybe it’s diamond jewelry you were bought as a present, or your favorite expensive photo frame – but unfortunately, that has to change when you’re introducing children into the home. 

They love to grab, pick up, drop and make a mess of things. Which is much easier to handle when the thing that they are dropping isn’t your antique ornament.

Stick to the basics when choosing which accessories to furnish your home. You can always switch back when the children have got through their grabbing phase.

If you’re deciding to kit out your home with a new carpet ready in time for a new family, or you just love rugs, then don’t choose the expensive kind. Avoid silks, furs or thick upholstery which costs a fortune, as it’s inevitable somebody at some point is going to spill colored liquid on it. 

Try and choose more cheap and cheerful options, which are also rugged enough to handle lots of tiny feet.