Being the heart of every home, a living room needs to be just perfect in every sense of the word. It should provide comfort, coziness, warmth, elegance and luxury that’s going to suit not just the parent or the children, but the entire family. After all, this is the spot where the family gathers and spends some quality time, which is quite important in this day and age of fast pace society and low-quality communication that can transform us from a close-knit family to a bunch of individuals who just happen to be related. So, if you want to cherish the love in your family and help it grow in the years to come, you need a proper space for that, so here are a few ways you can upgrade your living room so that it suits the whole family at the same time.

Create a focal point

Every great living room needs a great focal point and if you want to create a space that every member of your family is going to love, this focal point needs to be universal and up to everybody’s standards. Therefore, instead of dad’s old high school photo, mum’s figurines, grandma’s tapestry or the kids’ childhood paintings, create something everyone can enjoy. A big-screen TV, for instance, is something that can successfully gather a family, or even a one-of-a-kind fireplace that’s just perfect for telling stories and talking about your day. As long as your family is together and has something connecting it, everything else is going to be alright.

Define the entertainment zone

A family that plays together stays together, and there’s no better way to enjoy some entertainment than in the living room. Whether you’re all fans of new video gaming consoles or stick to old-school board games, you’ll definitely find something that every single member of your family is going to love. An entertainment zone can even include a handy mini-bar or a snack station that the kids are just going to love – keep in mind that these things are easy to make in your own garage and can be a wonderful weekend project that both the parents and the children are going to participate in.

Find mutual activities

Studies show that parents who love reading or listening to classical music and encourage their children to do the same are perceived as great role-models their young ones can look up to. Therefore, if you’re a member of a family who just loves art, you need a spot for expressing your passion: it doesn’t have to be books or music, though, but movies, TV shows, documentaries, ballet or even painting is quite all right as well. So, equip your living room with enough seating options for the audience – comfortable and spacious couches that can welcome three or four people at the same time are probably the best way to go – and present your literary, musical or dance creations to other members of your family.

Renovate and decorate together

There’s no better way to feel like a part of a family then doing boring household chores together – these can take days and days if you decide to tackle them on your own, but can be taken care of quite easily if the entire family joins in the renovation process. The kids can come up with new ideas and innovative ideas, as well as repaint the walls, while the parents can be in charge of installing the floor and positioning the furniture. After your living space is remodelled, you can all start focusing on the décor – just find a way to include all your individual decorations and connect them together in a unifying and fulfilling manner.

Provide enough storage space

Since the living room in a place where you spend the most of your time as a family, it should be equipped with enough storage space to accommodate all your separate needs. Families that love collecting books or bringing souvenirs from their trips, for example, need a ton of display space in order to show their guests how passionate about their hobbies they are, and a giant wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling bookcase is the best storage idea these families can find. Such a solution will have enough room for all their books, but also their memorabilia too, and building it on your own shouldn’t be too hard, especially if you get your kids involved as well.

The most important thing to remember when designing and creating a living room for the entire family is that it’s supposed to suit the entire family – which means everyone should have a saying in the design process. Also, don’t forget to choose neutral and soothing colours for the walls, natural materials for your furniture and a rug that’s going to keep everybody warm and cosy, but also tie the room together and define various zones in your brand new family-oriented living room.

Bio: Cooper Klein is an entrepreneur with a degree in Marketing, based in Sydney. He’s interested in business and home decor. In order to spend more time with his family, Cooper decided to take a break, and he’s currently working from home as a blogger for Smoothdecorator.com and a business consultant. You can find him on Twitter.