Make the most of your living space with these storage solutions
If you’re searching for living room storage ideas that will give your space the right balance between function and form, then consider these four areas of room design.
The bottom line is to combine different types of storage solutions in your sitting room so that each one is a point of interest rather than purely serving a decluttering purpose. Then, layer them so they all come together as one cohesive, liveable and aesthetically pleasing scheme.
Living room storage can be broken down into three different categories – built-in storage (like full-wall entertainment units or shelving), freestanding storage (like sideboards and trunks) and storage accessories (including baskets and boxes). The key to making your living room storage ideas work in a way that’s going to boost your room’s design is to layer them.
Layering has two main rules. The first is to use not just one type of storage but to bring in the different forms of living room storage solutions outlined above. But then you need to layer your layers by weaving them into your room’s layout. Firstly, don’t keep your different types of storage in separate parts of the room or they won’t knit together.
Putting a freestanding cabinet to the side of a wall of fitted shelving, which, in turn, has decorative storage bowls and trinket boxes on it, means all three living room storage options overlap and support one another. At the same time as interweaving your storage, you equally want to make sure you’re dispersing it across the room.
Having all of your storage grouped together on one side will make your room feel off-balance and oddly weighted (not to mention less practical). Instead, spread it out.
Mostly, this will be cupboards and living room wall storage. Built-in pieces generally meld into the room’s architecture so that they become part of the walls and are fixed to the floor beneath.
What makes this type of storage successful is that because it’s absorbed into the wall, it feels less intrusive and appears to take up less space. That means you can afford to go big on built-in storage.
Consider shelving systems that run the full width of a wall, and then use the space beneath for made-to-measure living storage cabinets with doors. This way, you can be less concerned with the styling of your storage, because the contents will be masked, unlike what you choose to store on the shelves.
Your next type of living room storage furniture is freestanding. This covers anything that has cupboard space, shelves, drawers and cubbyholes that you can move to wherever you’d like it to be.
There’s no such thing as too much storage, so look for all sorts of different ways to bring in these free-standing pieces. On a larger scale, that could be a freestanding bookcase – or two either side of the doorway or window to create symmetry like in this A-List Interiors room.
“When storage space is limited, we design bespoke cabinetry that takes advantage of height. Much like city architecture, we build vertically and style shelves with functional objects [such as] books on lower, easy to reach shelves, and decorative objects [for example] sculptures on higher shelves. Adding closed storage beneath open shelves also provides a place for less decorative items like electronics or files.”
Shelf and cabinet space is just one aspect of freestanding living room storage solutions. Living room storage drawers could be in the form of a small chest of drawers or a living room table with storage underneath – such as a console table with drawers or a display coffee table with a pullout drawer beneath the glass tabletop. They also all give you the opportunity to store decorative pieces on their top surfaces.
Seating can be another storage opportunity. L-shaped sofas with a chaise end that lifts to reveal a storage cavity underneath, an ottoman whose top conceals a hidden layer of storage space, or a living room storage bench which has open storage below the seat, perhaps positioned under a window, all play their part in helping you achieve calmness and reduce the amount of clutter in your living room.
Remember that living room storage isn’t all a case of thinking big. There will undoubtedly be items in your home that are on the smaller side, but are equally in need of a place to be kept so your room feels in order. This is where living room storage boxes and baskets come into play.
A small basket can become the ideal spot to store remote controls for example. Smaller storage accessories can give you a welcome way to turn the most mundane objects into mini design features.
Large storage baskets on the other hand make the perfect home for fireplace logs (if you’re lucky enough to have an operable fireplace or one which looks like it, at least) or for holding magazines and blankets. And even decorative bowls can help you to group other accessories, such as pillar candles that might have been dotted around the room before.
By using a large bowl, it encourages you to store and style your smaller accessories together, as one structured, stylish and small focal point. Remember, there’s a storage idea for even the smallest of items.
