OK - I have just learned that pro paper rolls are heavy enough to injure someone if they fall. (I thought I could buy some sort of re useable roll down fabric background / screen (like a projector screen..) but no..)

Here is the set up I need advice on.

I have NO plain colored wall to use as a background.
The living rooms has one 11 foot long 10 ft high wall (with an archway in it!)
I have 2 x modern but fairly beat up dark red sofas, one small one long
I have 2 toddlers + 2 kids + 3 adults to fit into some shots
I CAN hang something not TOO heavy from "picture rail" about 8 foot up the wall
I can not drill and mount 'roll holding brackets' on my living room wall!

I dont know what to do about seating - the couch is tatty should I throw something (a pure color?) over it? We could always stand but sitting as a group is nice too right?

Chairs - I have white Ikea, cheap chairs, some old wood + cane chairs.

I was thinking all white for background. (textured backgrounds like 'grey clouds' seem somehow unappealing to me as a concept)

Summary - I am thinking of using my living room for spur of the moment - when the mood takes us - family portraits. As a groups or individually perhaps.. I am unable to paint one wall to use just for this purpose (and with our toddlers - would never be able to keep it clean anyway.).

I was planing to light this with two powerful remote flashes on stands (1 x bouncing off a white ceiling and 1 x via an umbrella / diffuser) 'triggered' from the digital camera body (I dont want to get too into camera gear in this thread!) My (one lens) is a 28-70 ish type of zoom. Digital camera etc..

Writing this, it just occurred to me that I COULD buy a pro roll of 10ft wide white background - then cut 8 foot of it and hang that via a series of bull dog clips...?? Then try to roll that back up and re use it until i tear it or one of the kids puts a crease in it / walks through it / paw prints etc?

I REALLY dont think I can fit in the STANDS that these heavy rolls sit atop..

I can throw a CERTAIN amount of gear under the landing stairs but not TOO much..

OK - there is the problem

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

BTW in case you think I am totally clueless my main "thing" is candid / 'stealth' shots of people without flash. I used to have an amateur darkroom for B&W film dev & printing shots I took at rock gigs as a teenager. I know what a light meter is. I am new to this "studio set up" thing. And look forward to learning about RAW processing too..