How to Design a Modern House That’s Family-Friendly

Tips on Modern Family-Friendly Home Design

Whether you’re designing a new dream home or looking to renovate your current property to meet the needs of kids, pets, and a busy life, we've got some good news: you can balance family-friendly home design and aesthetics. It’s not as impossible as it may seem!

Don’t believe us? Read on for a handful of clever, modern, and, most importantly, family-friendly home design ideas you can implement starting today.

What is the modern design style?

Put simply, the modern design style is a distinct architectural and home décor aesthetic dominated by minimalism, clean lines, natural light, and neutral tones. Note that “modern” doesn’t mean contemporary – in fact, “contemporary” is a separate home décor and architectural style.

Modern house design emphasizes sweeping, often geometric shapes for walls, roofs, and internal furniture. It also makes heavy use of beautiful, wide windows that allow plenty of natural light into any given space, plus walls and furniture in earthy or neutral colors ranging from cream and beige to deeper browns and grays or even black.

Many people think of young singles or constantly working professionals when they imagine a home or apartment in the modern style. It seems to be the exact opposite of a family-friendly home, which is more often set up to withstand toy messes, allow for optimal family time in a few communal rooms, and display lots of bright, kid-friendly colors.

But the modern style is present in lots of great homes in Athens, including newer constructions and renovated homes. You can bring the modern style to your current or next home and still keep it family-friendly by blending the two ideas together.

Natural textures & calming tones

For starters, you should replace your current furniture with new pieces that include natural textures and calming colors or tones.

Have an old, bright red couch with plenty of tears and stains from spilled juice cups? Swap it out for a modern, comfy couch with solid colors that feel comforting and interesting to the touch. Get that couch in a color like cream or brown, and your living room will simultaneously feel inviting, warm, and family-friendly. You could also go the extra mile and use a washable cover to keep it clean and crisp while still safe from future mishaps.

Extend this idea to the other major furniture pieces of your home, like the:

• Dining room table
• Bedsheets / bedspreads
• Armchairs
• Outdoor furniture

The core idea is to avoid plain overbearing color schemes and patterns or bedsheets and couch cushions with big symbols or pictures on them.

Keep it clean – put storage solutions everywhere

Your home will only look appropriately modernized if it’s clean. We know it’s a bit of a big ask if you have one or more kids!

But you can cleverly lean into the modern home décor style by adding new storage solutions throughout your house. For example, use the hidden benches of a breakfast nook to stash kids’ toys, coloring books, and other things they love to bring into the kitchen.

Invest in a footrest for the couch or ottoman in the living room that opens into a trunk. You can place toys, books, or other knickknacks inside and teach your children to use the nearest storage receptacle for their stuff rather than trying to corral all their things to their rooms (a futile gesture if ever there was one). If your kids are outgrowing the need for clutter-stashing spaces, this storage is also handy for blankets and seasonal throw pillows.

Add some minimalistic shelves with cloth buckets or compartments to bedrooms or the dining room, and sooner than you think, your home will look more put-together and organized than ever – even if you didn't do all that much to change cleanup habits.

Lean into study nooks

Whether you have one kid, three, or five, everyone needs their own space. Fortunately, the modern home aesthetic allows for plenty of opportunities to hunker down and have some privacy, especially with study nooks.

Study nooks are a perfect place for housing a community or family computer or for installing a study desk where your kids can buckle down and hit the books before a big test. Your home might already have a spot for a study nook, like the cupboard beneath the stairs, a small nook in the hallway leading to the dining room, or elsewhere.

You can alternatively create your own study nook by carving out some extra space with a home renovation project. In either case, study nooks are perfect ways to organize your home further and lean into some modern house plan ideas that have real-world value for your family.

Open spaces with big windows

Of course, the best modern homes have huge windows that let in the light as much as possible. Replace your old windows with new, energy-efficient windows, such as dazzling picture windows(perfect for opening up your dining room or living room), bay windows (ideal for boosting curb appeal and bringing light to the living room or a bedroom), and even large double-hung windows in the kitchen or study area for your kids.

The more windows you add, the more spacious and inviting your home will look, and the more modernized it will feel to your family and any guests in the future.

Modernize the kitchen

Let’s face it – despite your best efforts, family dinners don’t happen all that often when everyone’s on their own schedule. That’s okay!

But it might be a wise idea to modernize your classic Athens family kitchen by ditching the dining room table and replacing it with:

• A modern breakfast bar or nook, where your kids can swap in and out as they chow down on breakfast before hurrying off to school.
• A long island where you can prepare dinner, and you and your spouse can quickly grab a bite to eat before the busy day. A good island can double as a bar for eating or asking for help with homework.

Keep the kitchen décor and furniture clean, minimalist, and streamlined. Try to avoid ornate kitchen chairs, for example, in favor of simple stools or bar chairs that reflect the bustling nature of each day’s activities.

Plan for plug-ins – put them everywhere (even in furniture)

If you’re building a new home or are up for some in-depth renovations, add some more electrical plug-ins throughout your house. Odds are your kids will have their own devices sooner or later if they don't already. They'll need spots to plug in and recharge, whether they using their phones, laptops, or gaming devices.

You can also swap out old furniture for modernized furniture pieces like sofas or chairs that include built-in outlets. Nothing’s more convenient than needing to recharge your phone, only to find a plug-in spot in the arm of your favorite chair.

Designate a clean-off spot for kids & pets

Kids make tons of messes. But your modern home décor style will keep things clean and organized with a designated “clean-off” spot for your children and any pets – especially dogs!

For example, put a thick, feet-wiping-worthy rug at the back door where your kids usually come in from playing in the yard. Make it a house mandate to wipe one’s feet and put one’s shoes on a convenient rack by the door before the adventures continue inside. Putting the right tools in the right places can help you enforce this simple rule and keep your home clean and tidy no matter what games your kids want to play.

Planning and organization are key when it comes to blending modern home interior design and family friendliness. So don’t try to undertake sweeping home renovations alone. When the time comes to upgrade your windows, doors, or siding, let Window World of Athens help – contact us today, and we’ll be there to help you every step of the way.