Simple Storage Solutions: In The Living Room
This post is part of a series of posts that I am doing on Simple Storage Solutions around the home. I hope you enjoy some of these ideas and will check back again for later installments throughout the week or subscribe to my feed to make sure you don’t miss the rest of it!
Today, I am going to share some ideas that I have implemented in my living room. It is small - about 12×12 I think, but it is where most of the action occurs in this house. It’s where the kids play most of the time, it’s where we watch TV, read books, and when we have company, it is our gathering place for the most part. I had to combine a lot of functionality into this space in addition to trying to keep it uncluttered and inviting.
Use Dual Purpose Furniture
I discovered after our move to a smaller home, that it was necessary to make most of my furniture functional in more ways than one. Examples of this in my living room are
By having furniture that does more than one thing, it’s easier to still keep useful functionality but not lose space to do it. In my living room, photo albums and books live in cabinets along side our tv. A storage ottoman holds photo albums (easily accessible for when company is over!) and drawers in my coffee table and end tables hold magazines, coasters, remote controls and other things that can quickly clutter surfaces.
Use height to your advantage
This philosophy for space saving can be used throughout the home. In my living room, I use it by having a tall entertainment wall unit that helps us make use of an entire wall floor to ceiling. Also, by installing a plate shelf above a wall of doors, I added space for putting pieces I love but don’t want little fingers to get a hold of.
Other handy storage solutions that I have used in this room is to have baskets and bins for toys, and since my living room is also my entryway, I have made space for keys, hats, shoes, wallets, phones, etc…
So there are some ideas that I have used to make the most of my small living space. Do you have others to share? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Check back tomorrow when we’ll be tackling bedrooms and closet space.
I wish I could bring you to my apartment so you could give me specific ideas! Or just redecorate it for me
heh. I’d like to get a storage ottoman or something similar to hide some clutter, but serve a second purpose.
Oh, and shelves. We need shelves in here for sure.
Thanks for the ideas!
Ditto for me! We had a very small house so in order to save the space I opted for storage bed. You won’t believe how much stuff just vanished into those roomy drawers beneath over bed. It helped me get rid of the ugly storage boxes that made our bedroom look like a locker room. I’m a staunch supporter of furniture with built in storage.
learning the ropess last blog post..Make It From Scratch Carnival #78: Let’s Party Tonight
By the way, your new blog format is very appealing.
learning the ropess last blog post..Make It From Scratch Carnival #78: Let’s Party Tonight
[...] « Simple Storage Solutions: In The Living Room [...]
good tips man will keep em in mind
http://www.home-living-news.co.uk/
[...] In the Living Room - A smaller living room that utilizes and takes advantage of dual purpose furniture. [...]
Storage ottomans definitely help. But we’re kinda dumb. We built a customized (gigantic!) ottoman. Turns out the top is so heavy, it takes both of us to get it off. Whoops. Still better than having to stare at a wall of DVDs, though.
And your yellow walls look like mine. Except yours are actually appealing. What went wrong?
Sara at On Simplicitys last blog post..Three Things You’d Save in an Emergency
@ Sara, I don’t know what went wrong. I am sure it looks lovely. What color did you use? And if you don’t have white trim, that is what I blame. White trim makes every color look nicer
LOL at the ottoman that takes both of you to open!!
[...] Her favorite tip is to go ‘up’, to use space vertically. My favorite tip of hers is to have dual purpose furniture. I’m a big fan of things that serve two or more [...]
Very nice points on how to save space in relation to the furniture that you have in your rooms. I’m living in a tiny but designer apartment in Miami, Florida and it’s great to see some of the tips you’ve presented. I’m definitely going to try and apply the theory of using height to my advantage.
Migs at Florida Furniture Storess last blog post..Florida Furniture Stores - Finding Them