How to Make a Family-Friendly Garden that Doesn’t Compromise on Style

When you have a family, of course making sacrifices and compromises is all part of the deal. But when it comes to your garden, we know you don’t need to let kids cramp your style. Find out how to make sure you create a garden that’s everything you want it to be whilst ensuring it’s a space fit for even the smallest of people.

How to create a kid-friendly garden that adults will love to spend time in

Choose materials wisely

First, find and use kid-friendly materials that aren’t an eyesore. Watch out for sharp or hard materials. So a jagged rock garden might be out, but smooth pebbles work.

Consider flooring carefully

Stone, porcelain and concrete floors can make for a hard landing in a fall. Gravel and rough surfaces can scrape and scratch. And timber decking can cause splinters in soft feet, hands and knees. 

Turf is always going to popular for families, and is perfect for running, games of football and safe to crawl or roll on. Composite decking, unlike timber, is barefoot safe and despite being super tough and durable, isn’t as hard as concrete. It also happens to look sophisticated and stylish. Just saying.

Avoid garish plastic play equipment

There are so many options these days for stylish garden play equipment that adds to the aesthetic appeal of your garden as much as it does the fun factor. Garish plastic play equipment is out. Natural materials for climbing frames and adventure playgrounds are in.

Rather than inviting a 12ft structure resembling a net and metal spaceship into your garden, why not consider a sunken trampoline instead? Less risk of falling for the kids, and no putting up with an eyesore for the next decade until they outgrow the urge to bounce.

Create ample space for storage

Storage. It’s the key to an organised, tidy and aesthetically pleasing home. All interior design transformation shows focus massively on storage as a huge issue for families. The garden is no different. When you want to use the garden for adult entertainment and relaxation time, make sure you have somewhere to tidy away all the toys. A place for everything and all that.

Include your children in the plans for your garden

We aren’t saying there’s anything wrong with having a garden that looks like a family lives in it. It’s as much their space as it is yours. So, when you’re designing your perfect garden, involve your children to find out what elements would make the garden perfect for them, too. Then you can find a way to merge the ideas and ensure everyone’s happy.

Create zones in your garden

We say this a lot. But the key to creating a garden that has multiple uses is to make it obvious which areas of the garden are meant for which activity. By dedicating certain areas in your garden to your children, you can separate the child-focused zones from the adult-focused zones. This gives you your own space to design and enjoy as you wish, without feeling like you’re depriving your children of anything.

Want to see what a Composite Prime deck could look like in your kid-and-adult-friendly garden? Try our interactive design tool, Prime Design.