Creative Ways to Add Storage in the Living Room

Whether you live in a large country estate or a chic city condo, adequate storage is a necessity. Most homeowners feel they never have enough storage regardless of their home's size. With help from our REALTORS®, you can discover some creative storage solutions for your home.

Your living room serves as an entryway into your home and a gathering area for entertaining. While many Nassau County homes for sale feature large, inviting living rooms, they may lack sufficient storage space for your needs. Take a look at easy ways to add storage to your living room.

• Invest in an Entertainment Center
  Entertainment centers are useful in living rooms because they can serve multiple purposes. As well as housing your TV, streaming boxes, and remotes, they provide valuable storage space. Entertainment centers are a great place to display books and magazines, decorative items, artwork, framed family photos, and special keepsakes that add interest to your living room.
  
  
• Install Built-In Bookshelves
  If you're an avid reader with an extensive collection of books, built-in bookshelves are a perfect storage solution. Leather-bound books and colorful book jackets add interesting colors and textures to any room. However, built-in bookshelves are not just for books. They're also ideal for displaying beautiful pottery and china, hand-blown glassware, antique accessories, paintings and drawings, and family mementos that brighten your day.
  
  
• Use Seating with Built-In Storage
  Buying a sofa with built-in storage drawers or benches and ottomans with hidden storage compartments can double your living room's storage capacity. Benches and ottomans with hidden compartments are great for extra seating when you have parties and large gatherings. They also provide quick and easy storage for throw pillows, blankets, and accessories that need to be put away when you want to declutter your living room.
  
  
• Turn Window Seats into Storage Areas
  Many older Suffolk County homes for sale have unique features like sitting nooks and window seats built below large windows. If you're lucky enough to have a built-in window bench, the space underneath the seating can be used for storage. You can add drawers or turn the seating top into a flip-top bench to access the space beneath. If the walls at each end of the seat are deep enough, they can be outfitted with built-in shelves to hold books, photos, accessories, and reading lamps.
  
  
• Re-Purpose Old Storage Items
  If you're looking for a way to increase storage and add a nostalgic flair to your living room, look for old items you can re-purpose to fit your design style. Instead of a new modern entertainment center, find an antique hutch with a large storage compartment behind doors and built-in shelving. Instead of a mundane coffee table that lacks style, look for a vintage wooden or leather truck that can serve as your coffee table with added storage below. 
  
  
• Stock Up on Baskets and Storage Bins
  You can find a wide variety of affordable baskets and storage bins in different sizes and finishes to help with your storage needs. Wicker baskets, colorful woven or fabric baskets, and galvanized bins are great for storing small items and hiding clutter. They're ideal for smaller living rooms since they easily fit on bookshelves and on or under coffee tables and end tables. Whether storing extra throw pillows or toys for kids and pets, baskets and bins make great inexpensive storage solutions.

If you're interested in buying or selling a home in the New York area, contact us for information on available homes and prices that fit your lifestyle.