How to Design a Shared Family Room and Playroom

This post was a part of CRI’s Beauty of Carpet campaign in 2016. Read the full post on the Blue i Style blog.

Choose Soft Surfaces

Choosing furniture and flooring that will keep kids safe and comfortable is obviously of primary concern. Since kids spend lots of time on the floor on the floor, carpeting and rugs provide a soft surface for playtime. 
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I used to worry, however, that the carpeting in our basement might not be the best choice for our family because our older son has Reactive Airways Disease {similar to asthma} as well as some seasonal allergies. I had heard the rumor that hard floors were better for those with allergies, but I recently learned that this is false. Research actually shows that carpet and rugs support healthier living spaces for everyone, including those with asthma and allergies.

Allergens such as ragweed and mold can easily be carried indoors on shoes, clothes, and pets, and those allergens then rest on top of hard surfaces flooring where they can be easily disturbed and kicked up every time someone walks through the room, scoots a chair, or drives a toy car across the floor. Research shows that carpet, on the other hand, acts as a filter that traps allergens until they can be vacuumed up, resulting in fewer particles in the air. Of course, regular vacuuming and cleaning of carpets is a must, and we avoid wearing shoes in our basement family room and play area in an effort to bring fewer allergens into the space.

It’s also a good idea to look for carpet certified by The Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus program, which indicates a low-VOC (volatile organic compound) product.