The journey to create a beautiful family home is a wonderful life adventure, full of hopes and dreams and the very best of intentions. It also takes careful planning to ensure that the home you make is a safe, sound sanctuary. Flooring, as probably the most-used material in your home, deserves special attention, and there are many incredible products that will serve your family home well into the future. Whether you use floorboards, carpet, rugs or a combination of all three, here is my guide to family friendly flooring.

THE SOFT TOUCH

Carpet is known not only for its comfort underfoot, but also for lending a room a visually cosy, easy-onthe-eye appeal. It is brilliant for nurseries, kids’ bedrooms and playrooms, where little knees can learn to crawl, and stumbles can happen. No matter what style of carpet, be it a loop or a cut pile, it will always be made safer with a good quality underlay. This also helps with acoustics for when you’d like to keep the noise levels down a little. Carpet Court's exclusive Court-O-Pedic carpet underlay boasts a 10mm thickness and an impressive density of 100kg/m3, ensuring your carpet feels softer, your rooms stay warmer, and noise is significantly reduced.

The material you decide upon can also impact health and well-being. Wool carpet - particularly 100% wool - boasts hypoallergenic qualities as well as being resistant to water and flame. The 100% wool Lake Chalice range is a brilliant all-purpose carpet for lounges, playrooms or bedrooms (I like the Milton Moon colourway), and it comes with a fifteen-year guarantee so you know it will last through the early years – or the teenage phase.

The Hideaway Lodge range is also a great option for families as it is incredibly soft, yet it naturally repels stains and resists matting and crushing, making it the ideal carpet for young families with children and pets. In fact, it is backed by a 25 Year Pet Warranty, allowing your family to enjoy time with your pets indoors, worry-free.

THE HARD YARDS

Timber, laminate, vinyl and hybrid floors are super-practical for family life due to the ease of mopping up accidents and spills. They’re also very durable and able to withstand life’s knocks.

If you’re after a little peace and quiet (well as much as you will ever get with a busy family), then look at the Burke and Wills range of vinyl flooring as its acoustic qualities make it perfect for spaces where noise reduction is paramount – think playrooms and bedrooms. I really like the Murray Oak colour – it’s an elegant light and warm oak-look, and this range comes with a lifetime residential guarantee!

If toughness and durability is a really high priority, look at the Hickory Elegance range. Hickory creates strength, toughness and stiffness not commonly seen in any other timber, and the Salem colour is a dreamy, almost limed-look finish that belies the timber's strength.

EXTRA LAYERS OF WARMTH AND SAFETY

If you love the look of rugs but worry that they can present a tripping hazard for littlies, an anti-slip rug pad is a must. Carpet Court have an exclusive Supa Grip rug pad that can be scissor-cut to your desired size or shape and placed under your rug to keep it in place, making it perfect for high traffic areas.

ONE LAST WORD ON SAFETY...

Remember that chains and dangling cords on blinds and curtains can be a safety risk for children as well as animals. Chains should always be anchored to the wall or window frame – or why not eliminate them altogether by installing motorised blinds? Not only are they safer, but the look is much more elegant and streamlined too.