Make your family home function better with these 5 tips from Oregon design experts

Interior designers Katie Newcomb and Amy Newcomb of Kith & Kin Interiors in Southwest Portland are specialists in making homes function better, especially for busy households.

The designers help their clients stay organized for work, school and activities by installing proper storage. They also remove the stress of navigating a poorly functioning floor plan or moving around delicate furnishings, and create space for play.

Since launching their business six years ago, the Newcombs have come to understand the need for an upholstered ottoman instead of a styled coffee table for toddler forehead safety, blackout shades for finicky sleepers and a massive vanity with a mini-fridge for serums and makeup for a teenage TikToker.

The Newcombs’ insight comes from listening to their clients and personal experience: They are sisters-in-law, married to twin brothers, and have each designed their own home from the ground up to best serve their families.

“We’re real people,” Amy said. “We’re living a real life with kids underfoot and we understand what people need to have their houses function well, but also make them happy.”

Their company name Kith & Kin, meaning “friends and family,” reflects how they like to work with clients: as trusted friends, they said.

Kith & Kin’s interior design work in the Portland metro area has ranged from furniture selection to whole-home remodels. They recently renovated a traditional dwelling in southwest Raleigh Hills and a midcentury modern in Multnomah Village, complete with teal kitchen cabinets.

Amy prefers to focus on intricate details of historic homes, incorporating vintage furniture and rich colors, while Katie said she is “a little more playful” and modern with her designs.

Both are members of the national and local Interior Design Society and the Home Building Association of Greater Portland.

Here are Katie and Amy Newcomb’s 5 tips on proper flow, lighting and storage that can transform hectic households into a place where everyone can have more playtime.

Design for flow

Layout is the foundation of good design, and how your home flows with your daily routine affects almost everything you do, said the designers.

Simple fix: Arrange furniture to allow you to move naturally through the space. Furniture, like a sofa, should not impede walkways.

When remodeling, think about where you spend time in your home and if that’s working for you.

“Our favorite part of design is to arrange a home for the exact needs of our clients,” said Amy. “We have tweaked furniture arrangement to make better flow and dedicated spaces for containing kid toys. We have proposed taking down walls or even adding new ones to create the perfect reading nook where your family naturally congregates.”

Katie also suggested thinking of rooms not as they are but what they could be. An underused dining room could become a desperately needed home office or a formal sitting room can be converted into a cozy teen hangout space.

Smart storage solutions

When designing a highly livable home, smart storage is nearly as important as the layout and the furniture arrangement, the designers said. Functional built-ins, pantries and multipurpose furniture pieces are their company’s most requested design elements.

Simple fix: “Busy families don’t always have a tidy home, but every kid can have a dedicated spot for their backpacks, shoes and jackets,” said Amy.

Proper storage solutions minimize clutter and chaos, “so be honest with how you use the space and plan accordingly,” said Katie. “I would love to have a spotless, show-stopping entry, but it just doesn’t fit my current life with active kids.”

Katie’s entry alcove clad in handsome wood-grained panels has coat hooks, a built-in bench and storage baskets underneath. With a little effort, shoes and returning library books near the front door can be put away when company is coming over.

“Planning this out in advance let us create a space that works well for our daily routines, but is still beautiful,” said Katie.

Invest in quality over trends

Deals can be enticing, but for hardworking rooms like a kitchen, bathroom and living room, well-made and high-quality pieces are critical to function and craftsmanship, said the designers.

When remodeling, custom real wood kitchen cabinets allow designers to create a layout that is durable and specific to a family’s needs. Small kitchens benefit the most from using custom rather than stock sizes, allowing every square inch of the space to be put to use.

“We make sure to include what you really need, whether that’s a spice rack for those who like to cook, a coffee bar snuck between the fridge and pantry or a built-in vacuum in the toe kick,” said Katie.

“Our favorite secret power is making sure you can unload your dishwasher without having to walk more than two steps for most items,” added Amy.

Simple fix: A heavily used living room needs a quality constructed sofa to stand up to kids, pets and lazy Sunday lounging. “Invest once, enjoy forever,” said Amy.

Layer the lighting

Builders of new homes typically install a single light in a living room or no overhead lights, and clients tell the designers that the space “just isn’t working for us.”

Balancing a room’s lighting is one of the most common upgrades Kith & Kin performs for clients.

Variety is key, said Amy. A room needs overhead lights to clearly see a puzzle coming together on a table as well as lower-height task lighting for reading or crocheting.

Accent lighting that highlights a piece of art or object displayed on built-in shelves is the bonus lighting that makes a room so inviting, said Amy.

“Light changes how the room functions,” said Katie. With a dimmer switch, a living room becomes a place for weekly game nights or a home theater if movie watchers can have low mood lighting. “Often, we’re planning for both” when remodeling, she said.

Simple fix: Lighting on timers increases convenience and energy savings, said Amy.

Care about the ‘pretty’

The most important goal for Kith & Kin designers is for people to love their space. “That means you and your family,” not guests or imaginary future buyers, said Katie.

“Amy and I are both pretty practical by nature — hence our function-first mentality — but we really see the value in feeling good in your home,“ continued Katie. ”Aesthetics are an important part of that.”

Amy said people can have the most optimized layout, the highest-quality materials and storage solutions, but “if you forget to love what your home looks like, you will not feel good about your space.”

For 2026, they predict neutral-everything is going away and people will play with color again.

Simple fix: Let go of what other people say and make your space completely yours. Color-drench your living room a deep blue, hang that quirky Facebook Marketplace oil painting or display your grandmother’s collection of teacups on shelves.