• Tip #1 – Choose the right materials
  Kids and pets just love to make messes, no matter how well-taught or well-intentioned they may be.  Select materials that are easy to clean and will stand up to daily use so you can relax at home, rather than stressing about spills and stains.
  
  Sofa Fabric
  
  The sofa probably takes the most beating out of any piece of furniture in the house. It is a playground, a napping place and sometimes even a dining table. Choosing the right fabric is essential so that your investment can have a long and beautiful life.
  
  
  

Carpet

Nylon, wool and sisal-wool are the best choices for durability and ease of cleaning. Nylon is affordable, durable and resistant to staining, and often comes in recycled varieties. Wool is more expensive but is well worth the investment as it wears well, resists crushing, hides soil and repels moisture. Sisal-wool is a blend of plant fibre and wool which provides the benefits of wool plus even greater durability from sisal. Try www.wovenground.com.

Paint

Paints that are 100% acrylic are highly durable and stand up better to washing, so are good for high-traffic areas such as hallways, where hands are constantly touching surfaces. They are also beneficial as they can have less off-gassing and do not require harsh solvents for cleaning painting equipment.

The level of sheen in your paint is also important for ease of cleaning. Matte or flat paint is the most difficult to clean, and tends to show scuff marks and scratches. Gloss and semi-gloss are at the opposite end – easiest to clean, but will show imperfections in the surface being painted. When choosing these finishes, be sure to invest in a professional who will sand and finish surfaces to perfection for a good final result. Satin and eggshell, which are the most common choices for general surface painting, stand up quite well to scrubbing, however it is a good idea to buy a specifically-designed paint, such as Easyclean from Crown. It is stain resistant and comes in a full range of finishes and applications. Check out www.crownpaint.co.uk.

• Tip #2 – Create a family nerve centre

This is the place where it all happens – playdates get planned, homework gets checked and backpacks get organized. Combining all of your organizational and planning functions into one area means that the family operates in a more coordinated and efficient way; everyone is on the same page and responsible for their own part of the nerve centre.

It can be an area in your entryway if you have the space, in which case you can combine it with the storage of coats, bags and shoes. Alternatively you can have your nerve centre be a stretch of countertop or desk space in your kitchen or living area. It can even be behind a set of pantry doors so you can easily hide everything away.

Key components of a nerve centre are:

A calendar

Use a large poster-type calendar or, even better, paint one onto the wall with blackboard paint so that you can choose your own colours and layout. Make sure the calendar and writing materials are mounted low enough so all sizes of family members can contribute.

Display boards

These are for the display of drawings, homework items to be checked, or notes and reminders to family members. Cover corkboards with fabric and paint them with different colours and mount them above your work surface in a fun arrangement. Or you can get really creative and use a window frame or a shutter to make your own unique display board.

Storage for personal items and papers

Give each family member a cubby and a hook to keep their shoes, jacket and bag accessible yet tidy with their own designated area. Each person should also have a box or magazine holder for their school papers, letters, bills etcetera. You could also put a pretty bowl or tray for each person on the work surface so that smaller items have a home and don’t go missing.

Make sure each family member gets to choose their own colour or pattern for their storage areas, because ownership breeds responsibility! You can paint corkboards and magazine holders or cover them with coloured paper or fabric and use the same material in the backs of the cubbies. Continue each person’s colour theme to calendar events and chore charts, so that organization becomes personal and everyone takes ownership and responsibility. Laminate or coat items in a clear varnish so they look nicely finished.

• Tip #3 – Streamline everyday tasks

With a little bit of thought those chores and routines you do every day can become less onerous and a little bit more efficient to save your valuable time.

Make your spaces flow

The family nerve centre really helps with flow and efficiency – all of your essential items, reminders and lists will be in one place so you can quickly grab what you need and run out the door. Kids will also know exactly where their bags, coats and books are so they should be able to get ready to leave the house with less help from you.

Consider also the spots around the house where you tend to do various tasks such as make lunches, do household paperwork, or fold laundry. Plan your chores so that you can do them within sight of where your children eat or play; this way you can multi-task while still supervising and being accessible to the children.

Make clean-up easy

Place strategic storage containers such as rolling hold-all bins, baskets and pretty boxes around your hall, kitchen and living space so that you can easily ‘sweep’ toys, papers and daily paraphernalia away when you are in a rush. This way you can come home to a tidy-looking house rather than visual mess and the constant nag of cleaning up. You can always go back and sort out your ‘sweep’ containers when the kids are in bed and you have a quiet moment. Choose pretty woven baskets and patterned boxes so that your storage can provide a design feature as well.

Organize as you go

This tip works for items which normally need to be sorted, such as laundry and recycling, making an unnecessary extra task which you could just do as you go along. Invest in a bin or basket system so you can separate your glass, plastic and paper right at the moment that you dispose of it, and sort your darks, brights and whites as you get changed at the end of the day, rather than lumping everything into one and sorting it later. Building a little bit of ‘infrastructure’ and routine into these daily tasks by making your interior décor more functional can end up saving you a good amount of time and effort in the long run.

• Tip #4 – Make affordable updates

Every season brings new trends in shapes, colours and textures, but we can’t all afford to overhaul our interiors every few months. Besides not being economical, it is also not environmentally sustainable to constantly throw things away and buy new ones. Use these tips to make smart and affordable changes so you can keep your home up to date but not break the bank, or the planet.

Living Room

Buying two or three different slipcovers for your sofa allows you to affordably rotate between different looks for changing seasons or when you want some variation. Invest in a quality sofa that will last so you will save in the long run.

This idea also works for throw cushions – buy different removable covers and mix and match to your heart’s desire. Trade with friends when you tire of them so that good items don’t go to waste.

An accent wall is another way to cheaply and easily spruce up your living space. The wall you choose can be one that is a natural focal point – like the one with the fireplace, or one you create – such as by placing a collection of framed artwork or a great piece of furniture in front of it. Create an accent by applying an eye-catching patterned wallpaper or an exciting paint colour. Since only one wall has this special finish, the cost won’t be very high, and you will be able to change it to keep the look up to date.

Bedroom

Kids can change their minds and go through phases quicker than anything. You want their bedrooms, their personal space, to change with them as they grow up and mature, but how to do this without buying everything new at each stage of their development?

Strategic interior treatments can completely alter the feel of a room without making a big investment. The key pieces for children’s bedrooms are storage furniture, bed covers and framed artwork. The front panels of a dresser or armoire can easily be painted a different colour, and the knobs can be switched out to give a completely different look. A change of duvet cover also has a big effect. Finally, buy simple frames and put prints or posters in them according to your child’s current preferences. Frames keep the walls clean and organized but allow for personalization and change that is easy and affordable.

Keep the other more expensive pieces in the room, such as the rug, the bed and the lighting, neutral but attractive, buying the best quality you can so that they will last and provide a backdrop for the other changing elements.

Hallway

The hall or entry provides the first impression of your home, so naturally it’s a worthwhile area to put some effort in for a big impact on the overall look. It is really easy to change up the hall with a few cheap and easy fixes which you can switch whenever you want something fresh.

Create a focal point in your hall using a console table or dresser, or if space is lacking use a chair and a floating shelf. Make a changeable display with three key elements for this focal point, using a mirror, a larger plant, vessel or display item, and a smaller tray or bowl to keep your essential small items in. You can easily switch out one, two or all three of these key items by shopping smart at markets or the home
section of TK Maxx to keep things fresh.

The doormat is another item which you can easily change occasionally to add new colour or pattern to compliment the focal point you’ve created.

And finally, there are a myriad of fun, quirky hooks and hangers available through design shops such as the Conran Shop, Utility and Dutch by Design so that your hall storage can be functional and decorative too. Choices such as the Vitra Hang It All (available at Utility) are like mini sculptures for your walls at a very affordable price.

Choose which tips work best for you so that you can make small changes in your interior decor and implement some infrastructure into your daily tasks. Keep things beautiful and up to date with affordable changes that have a big impact. Encourage your family to get involved in the process, so that your house can be a calm, tidy and organized haven that allows you to enjoy every minute you’re at home!

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Magnolia Hill Interiors offers interior design, decor and style consultancy for the London area, and also provides virtual services catering to you wherever you are located!

We make the design process easy with a range of services:

• a friendly and in-depth process to figure out what you like, want and need in your home
• flexible service structures so you can decide how much help and involvement you want
• ‘a la carte’ design advice by the hour, no question is too small!
• personal shopping assistance to stretch and maximize your budget
• managing detailed, in-depth space planning, decorating and refurbishment projects
• a ‘One Room Makeover’ service where we help you re-vamp one room for a fixed price of £279.00!

Find out more at www.theunexpectedchic.com where we post interiors news, views and ideas every day!
Or contact Liivi directly at LH@magnoliahillinteriors.com