Designing with Kids in Mind: Practical + Stylish Family-Friendly Spaces

Expert Tips for Creating Elegant, Child-Friendly Interiors That Balance Style, Safety, and Sustainability

Picture this: the morning sun filters through floor-to-ceiling sheers in a soft, golden stream. Your curated art collection glows under natural light, and the custom silk rug underfoot is as elegant as it is indulgent. Now, add a juice box; spilled, of course, tiny sneaker prints darting across your travertine floor, and a Lego fortress emerging from beneath your Pierre Jeanneret chair.

Welcome to the beautiful contradiction that is elevated family living.

At 8687 Studios, we believe you should never have to choose between impeccable design and the realities of raising children. For our clients, whose lives straddle refined taste, global mobility, and the joyful unpredictability of family, we approach design not just as a craft, but as choreography. A deliberate dance between form, function, and the nuances of a lived-in life.

This is where aesthetic elegance meets unshakable practicality. Where sustainability, safety, and sophistication align effortlessly. In this article, we’ll unpack the art and science behind creating family-friendly spaces that feel as polished as a penthouse, yet as warm and welcoming as your child’s embrace.

Let’s begin where it all starts: with materials that can live a little.

Veldstone Estate

Durable Materials & Finishes

Design that endures gracefully and beautifully.

In one of our recent commissions, a striking beachfront villa in Clifton, a client sighed mid-consultation and confessed she hadn’t hosted a single dinner party since the arrival of her twins. “Every time I see crayon on the leather bar stools, I think: Why did I ever say ‘yes’ to white?” It’s a sentiment we often encounter. The assumption is that family-friendly design must mean sacrificing sophistication, but in reality, modern materials allow for both resilience and refinement in equal measure.

Today’s high-performance fabrics are not the plasticky, uninspired options of the past. We now source bespoke textiles like stain-resistant bouclé and velvety mohair blends that resist red wine, sticky fingers, and ink pens, all while maintaining the lush tactility our clients expect. In a Nairobi estate, for example, we upholstered a custom sofa in a Crypton-backed mohair that shimmered like velvet under natural light, but performed like a fortress under pressure from two energetic boys and their chocolate Labrador. It became the family’s favorite piece, what they now lovingly call their “invincible indulgence.”

For high-traffic surfaces, we favor scratch-resistant woods like brushed oak or sealed walnut, finished with matte oils that conceal wear and evolve with age. These are materials that embrace imperfection as patina, telling stories of real life rather than resisting it.

Similarly, honed quartzite, micro-cement, or even leathered granite allow you to enjoy the organic beauty of stone without fretting over every spill or dropped toy. They bring that sculptural, architectural feel while quietly standing up to everyday life.

The key isn’t to hide the mess, it’s to elevate the materials so they’re as elegant as they are enduring. For families who live vibrantly but love beautifully considered spaces, this is where thoughtful luxury begins.

Safety Meets Sophistication

Because childproofing should never look like an afterthought.

When we first walked through a stately Johannesburg residence during a client consultation, we admired its soaring ceilings, travertine floors, and a dramatic spiral staircase that anchored the foyer like a sculpture. Then came the pause; her two-year-old had just begun walking, and suddenly, that elegant staircase felt less like art and more like a hazard. “I want to keep everything,” she said, “but I also want to sleep at night.”

At 8687 Studios, we believe child safety doesn't require sacrificing elegance; it simply demands discretion and intention. Instead of bulky gates and plastic corner guards, we look to architectural detailing and subtle interventions that work with your design language, not against it. For instance, we often round the edges of custom coffee tables and kitchen islands using softly beveled finishes that appear as a stylistic choice but double as a child-friendly safeguard. In a London pied-à-terre, we concealed a custom-fabricated safety latch inside the brass detailing of a walnut bar cabinet; completely invisible to guests, yet completely functional for a family with a curious toddler.

Anti-tip solutions, such as discreet wall anchors and weight-balanced joinery, are integrated early in our design process, particularly for taller pieces like bookshelves or standing mirrors. Our preference is always to build in these safety elements from the start, so they’re not just functional, they’re beautiful by design. Even area rugs, often overlooked, are anchored with natural latex backings or recessed into flooring to avoid slips while maintaining clean sightlines.

These measures are more than safety precautions; they're expressions of care, intention, and mastery of craft. For the discerning family, peace of mind should be as seamless as the cabinetry, and just as elegant.

Zoned Living for Flexibility

Designing spaces that adapt, gracefully, to every chapter of family life.

Every family has a rhythm. There’s the quiet hum of early mornings, the playful chaos of weekends, and the soft exhale of evenings. Great interiors don’t just accommodate that rhythm; they choreograph it. One of our clients, a family of five in Lagos, summed it up perfectly during a site visit: “We need our home to feel calm, even when it’s not.” Their brief was clear, luxury, but livable. A sanctuary, but one that could transform from play zone to cocktail lounge at a moment’s notice.

This is where zoned living becomes essential. We don’t just design rooms; we design fluidity. Through thoughtful layout planning and curated layers, we create multifunctional environments where adults and children coexist without conflict. Picture a living room anchored by a modular, sculptural sofa; elegant in form, but easily reconfigured into a cozy movie pit or an open area for playdates. Built-in joinery, such as open shelving and under-bench drawers, houses everything from coffee-table books to art supplies, allowing for seamless transitions from grown-up hosting to kid-focused creativity.

In one Paris townhouse, we installed frosted glass sliders between the family lounge and a compact study nook; offering a quiet zone for homework, yet visually connected to the main space. The effect? A sense of autonomy for children, and peace of mind for parents. Thoughtful acoustic planning; think padded walls in reading corners, soft-close cabinetry, or thick area rugs layered over hardwood, adds another level of sensory comfort that helps everyone unwind.

These zones don’t need to scream “kid-friendly”, they should whisper intuitive design. Every space, whether it's a sunny breakfast banquette or a tucked-away reading alcove, should serve both form and function. Because in the most well-considered homes, flexibility isn’t just an option, it’s a quiet luxury.

Aesthetic Playfulness

Whimsy, with refinement.

Not long ago, during the early concept phase for a Johannesburg townhouse, our client, an art collector with a love for mid-century design, paused thoughtfully as we reviewed the layout for the children’s room. “I want it to feel fun,” she said, “but I don’t want it to feel... disposable.” That distinction struck a chord. For families who appreciate design as both legacy and lifestyle, spaces for children should inspire imagination without feeling like an afterthought or an eyesore.

At 8687 Studios, we approach playfulness not as a theme but as a texture, an undercurrent woven into the design language of the home. It might be expressed through a whimsical pendant light, a sculptural cloud form hovering over a reading nook, or a custom mural hand-painted by a local artist, one that evolves as a child grows. In one of our favorite projects, we collaborated with a Cape Town illustrator to create a storytelling wall: part constellation map, part jungle vignette. The result? A feature wall as gallery-worthy as the pieces in the adjacent hallway.

Storage, too, becomes an exercise in elegance. Toys and books are given pride of place in custom cabinetry with glass fronts or soft-touch finishes, inviting children to engage, while complementing the home’s overall aesthetic. We often treat these elements like curated collections: ordered, intentional, and visually pleasing.

Color becomes a tool of joy rather than chaos. Instead of garish primaries, we opt for rich, muted tones; ochres, forest greens, dusty blues, that nod to childhood wonder while maintaining tonal harmony with the rest of the home. It’s about contrast and cohesion, the unexpected details that charm adults and children alike.

True aesthetic playfulness is less about decoration and more about experience. It’s the surprise of discovering a swing tucked into a sun-drenched alcove, or the delight of a secret reading nook built into a stairwell. These are the moments that make a space feel alive and make a family fall in love with it, again and again.

Sustainable Choices for the Long Haul

Timeless design begins with mindful decisions.

When a client in Marrakech asked us to design their family’s new residence, sustainability wasn’t just a request, it was a non-negotiable. “If we’re building for our children,” they said, “then we need to build for their future, too.” That principle sits at the heart of everything we do at 8687 Studios. For us, sustainability isn’t just about materiality; it’s about longevity, adaptability, and ethical design that respects both the earth and the evolving needs of family life.

We begin by selecting materials that are not only beautiful and durable, but also responsibly sourced. FSC-certified woods, low-VOC paints, organic fabrics, and recycled metalwork form the foundation of many of our bespoke interiors. In one project, we used reclaimed teak from a historic Cape Winelands manor to create a floating vanity and open shelving; imbuing the space with character, history, and a lighter carbon footprint.

But sustainable design is also about making fewer, better choices. Custom-built furniture designed to grow with your family; a crib that becomes a daybed, a play table that transitions into a console, eliminates the cycle of constant replacement. It’s a slower, more intentional approach that aligns with the values of modern luxury.

We also consider energy efficiency and indoor air quality as part of the wellness conversation. Passive cooling through smart window placement, layered natural lighting, and breathable, natural fibers all contribute to a home that not only looks good, but feels good. Because true luxury is not just in what you see, but in what you experience daily.

In a world that’s increasingly fast and disposable, designing sustainably is a quiet form of rebellion. And for families building legacies, it’s the most elegant choice of all.

Kameeldoring Estate

Designing with children in mind doesn’t mean compromising; it means considering. Considering how spaces can hold both laughter and elegance. How surfaces can endure both time and play. How the heart of a home can beat in rhythm with both aesthetic integrity and the beautiful unpredictability of family life.

At 8687 Studios, we believe that luxury isn’t static; it evolves with you. The most extraordinary spaces are the ones that respond to your real life with intelligence, beauty, and grace. Whether it’s a sun-drenched reading nook carved into a stairwell, a velvet sofa engineered to resist grape juice, or a sculptural light fixture that becomes a child’s favorite constellation, design has the power to enrich your everyday moments.

Because in the end, great design isn’t just about what you see, it’s about what you feel. And when a space reflects both your vision and your values, it becomes more than a home. It becomes a legacy.