Clutter builds up anywhere in your home that’s used frequently, but not every room has built-in storage to handle it. The kitchen has cabinets and pantries and the bedroom has closets and wardrobes, but the living room rarely comes premade to handle all of your stuff. Plus, the furniture you put in to make it a functional hub of the household (eg. couch, TV, coffee table) takes up most of the room available, making traditional storage options like dressers and bookcases a cramped and ill-fitting solution. The best way to tackle this problem is to pick living room furniture that’s compact and multipurpose in order to introduce as few extra pieces as possible.
Couches With Purpose (And Extra Storage)
To start, your biggest piece of furniture in the room can be doing a lot more work. Getting a couch with extra functionality can be a pricey investment (and more labor-intensive to move due to its heavier weight), but absolutely pays dividends in space-saving and durability over time. A recliner function lets you have more couch at the touch of a lever, but stays out the way when you’re not using it. You can put up your feet after a long day without having to add an armchair or chaise to the room.
If you need your living room to also function as a guest room, there are couches for that as well. A futon or sofa bed can change configurations for sitting and sleeping with little physical effort, and lock in place to keep it that way. Some even come with storage underneath to place your guest sheets and pillows so you don’t have to go hunting through your closet if someone comes over on short notice.
A Cheaper Way to Put Your Feet Up
Now, not everyone can afford to replace their couch with a more efficient version. A cheaper option to get that reclining function is to bring in an ottoman. It’s a small piece of furniture that won’t take up too much of the living room and it can be used to prop your feet up the same way a bulky chaise can. Plus, if you have a relatively flat top you can use it as an extra table surface in a pinch. To maximize the space it’s taking up, get a storage-type one that’s hollow and can be easily opened for a little extra room. You may be only able to store a blanket or so in it, but that’s a blanket that isn’t taking up permanent residence on your couch.
Make Your Coffee Table A Storage Cabinet
Speaking of table surfaces, the coffee table is a popular addition to any living room due to its surface space, but you may not be taking advantage of the entire structure. When looking for extra storage in the living room, a simple or decorative coffee table just won’t do. Instead, go for one that’s storage-smart, with built-in drawers or an extra shelf below the table top. You can place many things in these storage compartments like remotes, reading material or board games, and linen for easy access without cluttering the area around your couch. If you need extra table surfaces but not storage, a nesting table can be a better solution as it’s several tables in one compact package.
A TV Must Not Stand Alone
The area around your TV can also be improved on. Even if you wall-mount your TV to save space, chances are you still need a TV stand to place your cable box, game systems, and streaming devices. A thin table will work, but if it’s going to be taking up space in the room anyway you may as well pick one with the most storage available for the size. Look for stands that boast multiple shelves or cabinets, especially if they have pre-cut holes to put cords through.
So while your living room can only hold so much furniture, not everything has to serve a single obvious purpose. While no single piece holds much by itself, that extra storage builds up when you combine them and creates a living room just a little more room than meets the eye.
