For many people, the living room can be the hub of the home; the room that you all meet in to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Of course, when you have a small living room then space is at a premium, so it is especially important to pay particular attention to your storage solution if you want to maximise the full potential of your living room.
When you plan carefully, a compact living room can still have plenty of space for both relaxing and storage, so let’s take a look at how you might achieve a harmony between the two.
Utilise your window recess
Window recesses and bay windows are often very underutilised areas, particularly in a small living room and they really shouldn’t be. Maximise this space with a clever storage solution A built-in seated area with storage underneath is an obvious option or perhaps use a rustic coffee table, a blanket box or even a console table? Consider the size of the space when selecting furniture to ensure that you still have clear access to your blinds, shutters or curtains.
Use vertical space
Using the space that you have to its full potential means not just finding ways to fit in storage at floor level but also considering taller storage solutions as well. A wooden bookcase is a great way to provide vertical storage in a smaller living room and remember if you don’t actually have a lot of books, you can also use it to display ornaments as well. See our blog with Scandi wall art experts, Desenio on the best ways to style a bookcase with frames and print.
Make something of your alcoves
Alcoves make great storage areas but can also pose a bit of a problem when it comes to finding the right storage solution. If you are fortunate that the dimensions allow for a piece of ready-made storage such as a small sideboard cabinet or bookshelf, then that’s great. If this doesn’t work for the space you have, consider asking a local carpenter to make bespoke storage – this will give you the advantage of being able to fit something in that uses all of the space both vertically and horizontally to maximise storage.
Opt for a coffee table with storage
Whilst a simple low coffee table can look wonderful in any living room, when you are furnishing a room with less space a coffee table with drawers will work much better. It can provide you with some of that much-needed storage space. Maximise the storage space even further with a hardworking storage coffee table like the Skandi 2 Drawer Coffee Table. This rustic chest is big on storage space and style giving your living room a wonderful focal point as well as a place to store sofa throws, cushions and other accessories you want to have handy.
TV storage
Finally, we know it can be tempting in a smaller living room to wall mount your TV, but this is actually a wasted opportunity and far from helping to make a room look bigger can have the opposite effect. A good use of space is to build bespoke TV storage cabinetry that will not only house your TV but make the most of the space you have and provide you with storage. If you prefer to go with something that isn’t “built in” then an industrial TV unit with drawers, shelves or both will work well with a smaller space too.
For more styling tips for small spaces see our Ideas & Inspiration.