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Family love: How to reframe your space for spring

When it comes to decorating a home fit for a family, the good news is there’s no need to forgo style in favour of practicality for your brood – furry friends included.

Jessica Viscarde, interior designer and stylist at Eclectic Creative, specialises in transforming houses into homes creating fresh, eclectic and unexpected looks while ensuring they’re still functional.

“A family home has to reflect your particular and very unique lifestyle needs,” Jessica explains. “Your home not only has to speak to you aesthetically, but also function and operate according to your family dynamics.”

The key to creating a family home you love comes down to smart choices, such as options that are suitable for wear and tear from foot traffic and a little rough and tumble from little ones (and pets).

After you’ve thought about your practical needs, then it’s time to do the fun stuff – sourcing stylish pieces.

“Key trends at the moment that are great for family homes include timbers, natural fibres such as rattan, oversized artworks and photography prints, simple lines and woven textual flatware style rugs,” Jessica reveals.

Creating a simple look that works for your family is easier than you think. Picture: Sophie Timothy


Here are the top things to consider if you want to create a stylish yet functional family home this spring:

Colours & fabrics

Colours and fabrics offer the perfect chance to inject a little fun into a family home – so have fun with it.

Of course, strategic colour selection and opting for patterns and textures will camouflage wear and tear and any mishaps.

Colours and fabrics are in this season. Picture: Kate Hansen


“Choose darker fabrics, like greys and charcoals, in commercial or heavy domestic-grade fabrics for your big-ticket items like your sofa or armchair,” Jessica advises, “and have these protected to eliminate spills and mishaps,” she adds.

To ensure you lighten things up, go for walls painted in a crisp white with a wash-and-wear paint so you can wipe them clean.

“Then depending on your style, introduce colours through artwork, soft furnishings and objects,” Jessica says.

Art & decor

To really let your family style shine through, art and decor is a great way to put your personal stamp on your home.

From family heirlooms to things you’ve collected on your travels, use these things dotted on table tops around the home to really tell a story.

Samsung Frame nature artwork

The Frame is a stylish yet practical way to reframe your family spaces for spring. Picture: Samsung. Picture: Samsung


Next, Jessica advises, add statement artwork to really make your home pop. Go for something “oversized and hung at eye-level on your main wall,” she explains.

Perfect to be hung at eye-level on the main wall in the living area, The Frame by Samsung is a framed television panel that transitions from TV viewing into an art experience.

Samsung Frame image artwork kids

The Frame comes in 100 pieces of art, so you can choose one that perfectly suits you and your brood. Picture: Samsung


Available in white, beige wood and walnut frames, you can opt for one of The Frame’s 100 available pieces of art, curated from 37 international artists and designers, or upload a gallery of your children’s artwork.

All of this is controlled via an app on your mobile – a great way to get the kids involved in the fun.

Furniture & storage

While you don’t have to abandon style in search of family-friendly furniture, you do need to get a little savvy to account for the clutter that comes with more people living under one roof.

Blue couch picture

The key is to look for durable features in child-friendly furniture. Picture: Kate Hansen


So rather than looking for specific products, like a couch, you’ll want to shop for functional, dual-purpose pieces in durable materials such as coffee tables with drawers or space to fit baskets underneath and beds with additional storage.

“Oversized upholstered ottomans instead of a coffee table are great for young children and provide extra seating options in a living area,” Jessica says. “Modular-style sofas, provided they fit in your room layout, are also great for a growing family.”

Considering multi-functional zones in your home is important, too, Jessica says.

“It’s perfectly okay to use the dining table for homework while you cook dinner; have a dedicated section in the pantry or cupboard for storing away pens and workbooks once finished, or better yet plan this idea into your new build or renovation,” she explains.

AND THE WINNER IS…

The lucky winner of a brand new Frame TV by Samsung is Erika Zaccani from Camperdown, NSW!

Keep an eye on realestate.com.au/Lifestyle for more awesome competitions and giveaways – and your chance to win BIG.

This article was originally published on 16 Aug 2017 at 9:00am but has been regularly updated to keep the information current.

Samsung The Frame TV

More than a TV, The Frame can transform your living space into a mesmerising gallery of curated art. Choose from a library of embedded art, purchase from the online Art Store, or showcase your own photos to discover how The Frame stands out - and blends in - for all the right reasons.

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