Interior Design Tips: 6 Things I’d Never Put in a Family Home
I get it! You want to have a beautiful home but you don’t want to have to constantly worry that your furniture and decor won’t hold up to family life. Designing for families isn’t about stripping away style — it’s about making smart choices that balance beauty with real life. Between kids, pets, busy schedules, and the occasional spilled latte, your home needs to do more than just look good. It has to hold up.
Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of pieces that look amazing in a showroom but turn into a headache the second they land in a real home. To save you the frustration (and a lot of money), here are six things I would never recommend for a family space.
1. Viscose Rugs
Viscose (sometimes called “art silk” or “rayon”) is a regenerated cellulose fiber — meaning it comes from plant materials like wood pulp, cotton linters, or bamboo that are chemically processed into fibers.
It’s often used to mimic the look and feel of silk, giving rugs that soft sheen people love at a lower cost than real silk.Viscose rugs are basically the divas of the rug world. They look glamorous for a second, but the moment they come into contact with water (or juice, or dog slobber, or basically life), they’re ruined. For families, they’re a recipe for heartbreak as they can not be cleaned once they are damaged. Instead, I recommend performance wool blends, or even some of the newer indoor-outdoor options that can handle spills, pets, and playdates without batting an eye. If you come across a rug that you love, make sure to check the materials and make sure it will last for you! If you notice the rug has a little bit of shine, it might have viscose!
2. Glass Furniture
Glass coffee tables, dining tables, or side tables might give off a sleek vibe, but in a family home? They’re a fingerprint magnet and a safety hazard. Nobody needs the stress of constantly cleaning smudges or worrying about breakage. A beautiful wood or upholstered option feels just as chic — and actually livable.
3. Matte Paint Finishes
Matte walls can look dreamy in photos, but real life is not an airbrushed editorial. Kids with sticky hands, pets brushing up against walls, or even just day-to-day scuffs turn matte paint into a nightmare. It doesn’t clean well and often needs repainting. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to go full-gloss! For families, I always recommend eggshell or satin finishes — they give you that soft look while being wipeable and way more forgiving.
4. Open Shelving Everywhere
Open shelves are gorgeous when styled for a photo shoot, but in daily life they quickly collect dust and clutter. Families need a balance: a few open shelves for styled moments, paired with plenty of closed storage to hide the chaos. That’s where the sanity lives. Take note-I’m not saying NO open shelving. I love a good styled-shelf moment. Open shelving just isn’t always realistic for every space, and if we do use it in a home with young kids, we’ll keep all breakables on the higher shelves
5. High-Maintenance Fabrics
White linen sofas, silk drapes, or anything that can’t handle spills, sticky fingers, or fur babies are not realistic for family living. Thankfully, performance fabrics (I call them “magic fabrics”) have changed the game. They look elevated, feel amazing, and wipe clean with just soap and water. You don’t have to choose between beautiful and practical anymore.
6. Poly Pillow Fills
Here’s a detail that makes a huge difference: pillow inserts. Cheap poly fills lose their shape, look lumpy, and instantly make a room feel lower quality. They flatten out after a week and never recover. For a family home that still feels elevated, I always recommend down or down-alternative inserts — they hold their shape, give that perfect “karate chop” look, and make your space feel instantly more luxurious.
The Bottom Line
The goal of family design isn’t to limit your style — it’s to design smarter. When you choose materials and finishes that work with your life (instead of against it), your home can be both stunning and durable.