Children and a calm, stylish home don’t always go hand-in-hand, but you can create space to suite both adults and youngsters, lifestyle expert Ashlyn Gibson tells Gabrielle Fagan

IF your home is feeling like a battleground after the school holidays, as you and your children fight for territory, it could be time for a new strategy.

Before you consider moving or boarding schools – or simply resign yourself to chaos until they’ve flown the nest – there is another answer: creating rooms that suit your need for stylish spaces as well as theirs for play areas.

Ashlyn Gibson, author of Creative Family Home, believes that with a little imagination, a dash of flair, and with your children’s help, a family home can be one that’s fun and which you’re proud to show off.

“It’s all about capturing their spirit of wonder, discovery and sense of fun, and giving them child-friendly spaces which encourage them to be imaginative. Spaces where you can all relax, and they can express their personalities,” she says.

Key ingredients are practical layouts, easy-to-clean durable surfaces and, ideally, a neutral backdrop so that it’s easy to add vivid colour and pattern, which children love, in everything from fabrics and furnishings through to their toys, collections and artwork.

Toys seem to have a life of their own, apparently cloning themselves overnight so they overflow storage boxes and invade every corner, admits Ashlyn, who suggests providing child-friendly storage. “A home free of clutter will have a relaxed, calm vibe which the whole family will enjoy,” she says.

“Portable storage, a box on castors or a vintage suitcase, is versatile and allows children to transport contents from room to room.”

Have a clear-out of toys regularly, but do it with your children – don’t rush them, because choosing what to discard is all part of the process of growing up, says Ashlyn.

She also suggests creating dens, which children love. “Just create places in rooms, whether it’s an old sofa, or the space behind one, for enjoying reading sessions, or simply a pile of cushions and a lamp on a landing.

Even a small bedroom will be a much-loved sanctuary if you invest in a raised bed, so there is more space below it for playtime.

However, the space where you’re cooking or working can be magnetic to children, but unsafe as well as inconvenient. Instead, says Ashlyn, utilise “dead space” for play zones, like an understairs cupboard. Use a fold-away dining table so the space doubles as an activity area, or designate a play corner.

Create areas where youngsters can doodle and daub. “A desk where they can base themselves is essential,” she says. “Sitting at it and conjuring up their own projects encourages them to develop powers of concentration.”