Living room storage ideas – 15 ways to establish a smart and stylish space
Living room storage solutions are crucial to a successful design plan in this multifunctional and incredibly adaptable home area.
Living rooms can serve a variety of purposes, including family gathering areas, entertaining areas, multi-media centers, and in some cases, dining rooms and home offices. Whether you choose a sleek bank of built-in cabinetry or a striking piece of freestanding furniture, well-planned fittings enable this hard-working room to suit every need.
To help you get creative for this room, we’ve put together some eye-catching living room ideas, styles, and professional guidance. This will enable you to create a lovely and useful design.
LIVING ROOM STORAGE IDEAS
These are the most excellent living room storage solutions to make your area feel nice, tidy, and organized while remaining cozy, sophisticated, and on-trend.
1. PLAN IN BESPOKE JOINERY
From living room shelving ideas to cabinets and large media units, developing customized storage for your living room can generate a unique design perfectly tailored to your area’s exact size and needs.
According to cabinetmaker Ed Keyser, “built-in cabinetry is not just an investment that will ideally add value to your property, but it is also personal to you because you will be living with it every day.”
Many of us choose floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and shelves in our living rooms to provide a central storage and display platform for books, ornaments, media accessories, and other items.
The bespoke wooden unit makes a lovely wall of storage and eye-catching display area, as exhibited in this opulent living room designed by Studio Ashby, with the bespoke design further enhanced by a sliding painting that covers the TV, excellent for living room TV ideas.
‘The TV must never be on display; that’s one of our commandments at Studio Ashby,’ says Sophie Ashby, founder and creative director of Studio Ashby. We’ll commission joinery to conceal it in every project, like this one in London’s Mayfair, where we used this exquisite Jack Penny artwork to disguise the TV.’
2. CREATE A COLORFUL AND CHARACTERFUL LOOK
Of course, you want your living room storage ideas to be functional and incredibly practical, but you also wish for your chosen storage designs to feel united with your style and the color scheme selected for the space.
Make a statement with built-in shelving or cupboards by painting or wallpapering them, suggests interior designer Lucy Cunningham.
Whether you go all out and paint your furniture or use your storage as a style statement like Sarah Brown Interiors did with their unique blue shelving, embracing a colorful and characterful design can convert the mundane into the remarkable.
3. USE A MIX OF OPEN AND CLOSED STORAGE
“When constructing storage, consider how it will be utilized, and make sure you think about shelves versus drawers to make sure it doesn’t become a dumping ground for goods you don’t know what to do,” says Steve Clinch, head architect at Echlin.
It’s common sense to incorporate open and closed storage into your living room storage strategy. You can hide the less-than-pretty things in cabinets and drawers and show off the prettier stuff on shelves and tables.
It might not be easy to know where to begin when it comes to decorating shelves because of the expectation that you would create a visually appealing arrangement that avoids looking or feeling congested.
4. EMBRACE MORE UNIQUE STORAGE METHODS
Shelving units, sideboards, cabinets, and bookshelves are the first things that come to mind when most people think of living room storage ideas. However, there are many other exciting possibilities when arranging your belongings.
A bookshelf doesn’t have to be a bookshelf; you can stack books on a bar cart, on the fireplace mantel, or a windowsill, as Camille Clarke of Albion Nord demonstrates.
The modern Lenox Bar Cart by OKA, displayed above, is not only a gorgeous drinks cart but also a terrific, versatile alternative for tiny living room storage ideas because of its tiered design that generates resting platforms excellent for lamps, books, and accessories.
5. MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR ARCHITECTURE
As Camilla Clarke advises, “make uncomfortable areas a subject of interest,” so take advantage of any crannies or alcoves in your living room.
To make a massive room with high ceilings feel more intimate, it’s helpful to use a variety of scales and proportions in the furnishings and artwork shown there. Create niches for bookcases or shelving in architectural nooks and crannies for added visual interest and a practical architecture room.
Incorporating storage into nooks and crannies such as window nooks with seating and cabinets, alcoves with shelving, and under the stairs is a terrific way to make the most of the space you have and a fantastic way to highlight and make use of your home’s architecture.
6. MAKE LIVING ROOM STORAGE THE FOCAL FEATURE
Arranging your technology presents a significant challenge in a limited space like a living room. With this custom solution, you can conceal your cords and take advantage of ample space for storage below and display shelves on both sides of your television.
We wanted to make the most of the storage without sacrificing the comfortable atmosphere of this living room. Sara Cosgrove, the co-founder of Sara Cosgrove Studio, explains, “By removing the sides of the TV unit, we were able to keep it light while retaining the shelves and lower cupboards to optimize the storage.”
7. BUILD STORAGE INTO SEATING IN SMALL LIVING ROOMS
Many modern storage furniture designs, such as couches, benches, and window seats, have advanced to the point where aesthetics are not sacrificed in favor of practicality. Throws can be easily accessible, and toys can be stored out of the way.
If you’re not looking to buy a new sofa, but your present one has legs, you can make it look almost seamless by placing low-storage bins of the same color or material underneath it.
8. INVEST IN PRACTICAL FURNITURE
Choose chairs and tables for the living room that also serves as a storage to maximize your space.
Consider purchasing a coffee table with a shelf underneath to keep newspapers and television remotes out of sight. Putting books and magazines away in a cabinet or shelf frees up room on the coffee table, perfect for placing a hot cup of tea.
9. KEEP CLUTTER AT BAY WITH A TRUNK
The living room is often the central gathering place for family and friends, so it’s easy to become cluttered with personal items.
A trunk-style coffee table offers the best of both worlds, serving as a stylish tabletop and convenient storage to store occasional furnishings. This versatile table can serve as a room to stash anything from magazines and books to tossing blankets and decorative pillows.
10. USE STORAGE TO ADD INTEREST TO AN UNUSED CORNER
These days, you can find a bookshelf or a storage unit in almost any size, shape, and finish, and you can even have it made just to your specifications. A highly versatile piece of furniture, it can be set up in just about any room.
Explore asymmetrical wall designs to add some visual variety to your space. Narrower alternatives are plentiful and ideal for fitting in tight spots, such as between two windows. These bookcases aren’t limited to housing your book cabinet; they also make lovely display cases.
A wall cabinet is the same since it provides extra storage without taking up any storage on the floor and may be used to store many items.
11. MIX AND MATCH FOR AN ECLECTIC FEEL
Only some appreciate a well-coordinated look, and a living room with mismatched storage with its own interesting history can be just as lovely. While larger, heavier pieces like ottomans may handle seasonal rugs, board games, and books, slim console tables are perfect for small living room alcoves and can hold lamps and vases.
In this case, the blue color scheme is carried out from the patterned lampshade to the patterned ottoman and trays, creating a visually cohesive space.
12. PUT IT ON DISPLAY
Shelves that aren’t too deep and are painted the same color as the walls blend into the backdrop, making them perfect for displaying artwork. Fitted living room storage can be achieved with “floating shelves,” as described by designer Emma Sims Hilditch.
The valuables on the exhibit can benefit from “focus lighting” hidden within the shelf.
Put things that are too little to go on shelves into storage baskets or boxes. This creates peaceful focal areas on the shelves where the eye can rest.
13. LOOK OUT FOR ONE-OFF FINDS
Finding the ideal room for a compact living area and other beautiful furnishings may be a real treat. Buying something with a rich history, like an antique bookcase or chest of drawers, will give it greater significance to you and your family.
Or, repurpose something you already own; for instance, that bedroom unit that never quite worked might be the right size for that nook in the living room, not to mention the extra storage space it would provide.
14. KEEP CLUTTER HIDDEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
A wall of hidden storage is the most hassle-free choice for folks who despise mess. Open shelving is a great way to keep cupboards from taking over a room.
Displaying occasional items like framed photos works excellently in the void between the upper and lower pieces of the cabinetry. The extra headroom above your head can be used by installing taller cupboards to store objects that are rarely accessed.
15. LINE THE WALLS WITH BOOKS
Most houses require some bookshelf design, and these shelves are frequently used for displaying and storing more than books.
After sorting and editing your books, place the largest and heaviest ones at the bottom of the shelf and the lighter ones higher up. Arrange your books by color for a tidy, well-organized look, similar to how a painting would be displayed.
Check out our best advice for extra direction and ideas while investigating bookcase decoration.
HOW DO YOU ADD STORAGE TO A LIVING ROOM?
“Take stock of what you need to accommodate,” advises Barbara Genda, creator & principal designer at Barbara Genda Bespoke Furniture. “This includes items like where you intend to keep music systems, books, and whether you want them on display or concealed.”
Storage for outerwear and footwear is sometimes overlooked but is essential in an open floor plan. Changing the layout of a room after fitted furniture has been installed is a major hassle, so precise measurements, and strategic planning are essential.
HOW DO I ORGANIZE MY LIVING ROOM NICELY?
Some of the most important aspects of living room organization are a well-planned layout, ample storage, multifunctional furniture (such as ottomans and adjustable shelving), and constant tidying and sorting (everything needs a place).
The first step is to take stock of your possessions and determine whether or not each item has a functional or aesthetic purpose in your home. Where can I find display pieces? Which one do you want to have handy? Which one should be concealed from public view? Which one does not excite you anymore?
The furniture and storage solutions you pick for your living room should be aesthetically pleasing and functional in terms of space and design and accommodate your assortment of possessions.
Maintaining a clean and clutter-free living room demands constant attention. Still, with careful furniture selection and careful consideration of the room’s intended daily functions, you can make the space work better for you.
