Home & Living

The perfect family house has a mudroom, a kitchen you can see the garden from, storage everywhere and a door that closes on the toys. Most houses have some of that. We look at layouts that work with children, what to prioritise when you cannot have everything, and the small changes that make an ordinary home easier to live in.

A family garden is a room without a ceiling. Somewhere to dig, somewhere to run, shade in summer and a table for dinner outside. It does not need to be big or tidy. We cover play areas, planting children can help with, water safety and gardens in hot climates.

A child's room has three jobs: sleep, play and, later, study. Rooms that get all three right are rarely the ones on social media. We look at furniture that lasts from cot to teenager, lighting, storage that children can use themselves and colours that calm rather than excite.

Renovating with children in the house is a test of marriage and patience. Some works are worth it, some are worth waiting for and some should be done before the baby arrives. We cover planning, costs, what to do in which order and how to live through it.

Buying a family home is the biggest financial decision most families make, and school catchment, commute and the neighbours' children matter as much as the price per square metre. We look at buying and renting with a family in mind, with a special focus on Spain and Mallorca.