Tips to Transforming Your Living Spaces
Living rooms can often struggle for storage, so if you’re wanting to declutter your space and make it look good too, we've got plenty of ideas at Sharps.
Your living room is what makes that all-important first impression. It’s in the way you arrange your furniture to the pieces you choose to display - it all tells a story.
But as the busiest part of the home, one of the major obstacles to creating the perfect chill-out space will always be clutter. We don’t just use our living rooms to watch TV anymore. It might also be your home gym, your office away from the office or a place for the kids to play.
So if you want to create the ideal place to relax with friends and family, have no fear. We’ve got 20 living room storage ideas to cut the clutter and give your interior design maximum impact.
1. Discover extra storage in bay windows
Bay windows can be awkward to style, but we promise you, they have so much potential to offer. Adding a bay window seat can offer lots of additional storage space, and a little bit of extra seating to boot.
It makes a fantastic space for storing away throws and pillows, or it can even act as a toy chest for your little ones.
If your bay window feels like so much wasted space, it’s well worth looking into adding storage into yours - it makes all the difference, especially in smaller living rooms.
2. Bring storage up to the ceiling
When space comes at a premium, you need to make sure your storage is doing all the heavy lifting. Every millimetre of space counts. That’s why nothing is more effective at busting the clutter than floor to ceiling storage.
Fitted storage gives you ample space to store away tech and any bits and bobs you don’t want on show. And the best part about bringing your storage up to the ceiling is that there’s no awkward gap where dust can gather.
Talk about handy - this is one living room storage idea that even makes cleaning easier!
3. Make better use of your alcoves
It’s tempting with alcoves to throw a console table or desk into the space and call it done. But what you really need to be doing is making full use of that precious vertical space.
With made-to-measure alcove storage, you’ll have plenty of space to showcase all of your favourite pieces and finally make that tricky-to-style space a sophisticated room feature.
4. Create partitions to break up larger interiors
If you have a large, open-plan interior but could stand to have a bit more storage, maybe it’s time to embrace the new trend for broken plan living.
For this living room storage idea, you can use partitions like modular shelving and bookcases to give the impression of separate zones in your space. It’s a simple but absolutely stunning way to use storage to create a more architectural feel indoors.
Split up your space and create a little office nook or a chill-out reading zone with just a few statement bookcases. Fantastic for making any interior a multi-use, flexible space.
5. Go high-tech with a media unit
Want to create a cinematic experience worthy of any red carpet premiere? Take a look at an integrated media unit.
These smart pieces of storage make your TV the focus of the room and are fantastic for bringing the whole family together for film nights or big sporting events.
And it’s not just atmospheric viewing they offer - media units are super practical for keeping all of your tech neatly tidied away too. No more remote controls or consoles laying around the room. Keep decluttered, stay decluttered.
6. Make a feature bookcase
Tech not your thing?
No problem. With this living room storage idea, you can still make a lasting impression with your interior design.
Adding a feature bookcase to your space can look wonderfully eye-catching, and the taller and wider you make it, the better.
For extra panache, colour-coding your books can look absolutely stunning, and if you want it to look even more chic, adding in some statement ornaments can add extra interest.
6. Add storage that creates symmetry
If you’re having to work around a chimney breast, adding in matching fitted storage in the alcoves either side can give your space a refined and elegant look by leaning into symmetrical aesthetics.
A symmetrical design is a great way to really emphasise on the crisp, clean lines created by your furniture and fittings.
It’s an especially effective motif in period properties where it can enhance the look of high-ceilinged rooms by drawing the eye upwards.
8. Or try strikingly asymmetrical shelving
For a more modern take on living room storage, get inspired with more asymmetrical designs like this blend of open and closed shelving.
It creates a striking, more playful aesthetic that’s ideal for contemporary interiors.
And when paired with a contrasting finish, you can make it even more of a striking room highlight.
9. Store paperwork in a mini home office
Even in the digital age, paperwork somehow manages to multiply. Turn your back on it for even a moment and you’ll soon find yourself up to your knees in post-it notes, to-do lists, receipts and MOT reminders…
One essential piece of storage is a home office desk space and there’s nothing to say you can’t add one right into your living room. A micro home office is the ideal place to store away any paperwork you want to keep and cut down on any loose papers.
They’re just as great for the kids’ homework as they are for life admin. If you don’t want maths coursework strewn on the floor, a desk will instantly make it much easier for them to get to work and concentrate.
10. Create drama with a display cabinet
We all have our favourite ornaments and trinkets that we want to keep on display. It might be a special souvenir that you picked up on a holiday of a lifetime, or perhaps it’s a trophy or achievement that you’re most proud of.
Whatever it might be, it deserves pride of place in your living room inside its very own display cabinet.
The best part about adding a dedicated display cabinet is that you can add integrated lighting to literally place your pieces in the spotlight - a fantastic focal point in your room design.
11. Did someone say home bar?
While you could put another bookcase into that alcove, how about something a little different? A home bar is a living room storage idea that no host should be without.
It’ll give you a dedicated place to store all of your drinks and glassware, while also providing a beautiful accent point in your space.
Make entertaining effortless with this smart piece of storage. For an extra touch of glamour, you can also add in lighting to make your crystal sparkle. Lovely!
12. Add lowline storage for toys
If keeping your floorspace clear of toys and games is an ongoing saga, lowline cabinets can prove to be some of the best and most versatile storage you can add to your living room.
With their spacious interiors, tidying everything away is quick and simple.
They’re also the perfect height for little ones to use them so they can take out or put away whatever toys they like.
13. Style in luxurious finishes
Since you’re already in the process of thinking about storage, it’s well worth thinking about the style of storage you want.
Deep colours can create an especially dramatic effect for your storage, but if you want something more relaxing, you can’t go wrong with a clean neutral.
Metallic accents will also add a really luxurious feel to your storage and will look fantastic alongside other decor with a matching finish.
14. Retro and antique pieces create interest
This living room storage idea is a must if you want your room to feel uniquely you, to have that je ne sais quoi that captivates guests with its own distinct style.
Blending in antique pieces, like a console table, bureau or armoire, is a great way to add extra flavour to your interior design, as well as added storage. Just make sure that it blends in well with the rest of your theme.
Mid-century modern furniture can look absolutely stunning in minimalist spaces. Whereas if you prefer something a little more traditional, go for something extra grand and ornate to make a big impression.
15. Combine open and closed storage
Sometimes having all door-fronted storage can make your living room feel a bit closed-off. That’s why it’s so important to have a mix of open and closed storage spaces.
Shelving is so important to the set dressing of your interiors as they create height and serve the important function of displaying your best room accents.
Resist the temptation to only go for closed storage because it keeps away dust! A blend of the two styles will always create a nicer composition for your space. And it means you’ve got the option of hiding things away in cupboards, while highlighting the pieces you love the most.
16. Fluted glass adds some mystery
An extra stylish way of hiding the more functional pieces in your living room is to use storage with rippled or fluted glass on the door fronts.
The elegant textured glass gently obscures anything inside the cabinet, helping it to fade into the background, but not completely. So your pieces can still be part of the overall room layout without stealing focus.
And dare we pass this one by without mentioning how sensational it looks? Fluted glass cabinets are the height of chic and a very popular choice for contemporary living room designs.
17. Use ottomans for seating and storage
Versatile little ottoman seats are so handy to have around the house and they’re especially useful for big gatherings when you need as many chairs as possible.
Lightweight and portable, they can be used just about anywhere in the house.
But they’re just as useful as a bit of extra storage too.
Great for keeping remote controls stored away but easy to grab, they make a fantastic addition to any lounge space.
18. Bring in floating shelves
Who doesn’t love a floating shelf?
This living room storage idea is a classic and such an effective way to make use of stretches of wall that are tricky to style with more traditional pieces of storage.
Because of their sleek design, you can get super creative with how you lay them out. Stagger them up the wall to create bold, geometric designs.
Or you could even have them in a corner space to max out the potential of a tight space.
19. Coffee tables with storage
This is one storage hack that gets easily overlooked but it offers so much convenient storage for all your smaller tech and gadgets.
When you’re having a look for the perfect design, it’s a good idea to choose something that has at least one drawer so you can tidy away things you might not want on display - remotes, chargers and game controllers being prime candidates.
This way, you can leave your table’s surface nicely decorated with reading material and little decorative touches to make your living room look perfect.
20. Loose storage for the finishing touch
Want something that’s just as decorative as it is handy for storage?
Wicker and fabric baskets are wonderful additions to your lounge space because you can plonk them down anywhere and they look absolutely enchanting.
Great for storing all of your extra throws and pillows, baskets instantly create a cosy, homely feel that makes you want to cosy up on the sofa and unwind with a good book.
Need more inspiration for your living room storage?
Need more inspiration for your living room storage? We’ve got everything you need at Sharps. Everything we make is created with you to be completely bespoke, so whatever type of storage solution you need, we can bring it to life. Explore more fantastic design hints and tips in our Inspiration hub.
