Living room storage solutions

Planning your solution
Step one to storage heaven is an easy one: decide what needs to be cleared away. It could be CDs and DVDs, toys, a computer or TV, books and magazines or accessories such as throws or cushions. In the course of planning, you may also find that rather than storing things, you can put them in another room or even throw them away - which means, as every eco-conscious homeowner knows, recycling or giving them away to a charity shop.

Space may be an issue too and, if your living room is small, every freed-up inch is worth that bit more. This will have an impact on the sort of storage you buy. Have a look at the tips box for some ideas.

Window seats
Whether it’s built into a bay window or freestanding, a window seat with under-seat storage is great for tidying away toys or throws. Choose a sun-facing window and go for well padded cushions and it becomes the perfect place to while away a few hours with a good book. You may also find that the additional seating and storage means you don’t need that extra sofa or storage chest, so it can have real space-saving advantages too.

Tables that work harder
As long as it’s got a smooth, flat surface, you can use it as a table – which means that storage chests or wooden boxes provide the perfect two-in-one storage solution. Alternatively, look for tables with shelving or even drawers underneath for those magazines, newspapers and other odd bits of paper that seem to accumulate so quickly. Coffee tables and side tables can be real design assets to a living room and there are some beautiful and even eco-friendly designs around. Raft specialises in reclaimed teak and leather furniture or try Store or ethicalsuperstore.com.

Shelving
If you need to get things off the floor and tidily organised, shelving is an easy option. There are hundreds of different units or individual shelves to choose from, some of which are real design statements. You can fit them into alcoves or corners of the room. Alternatively, try floating shelves, which come without brackets from the likes of Ikea or The Shelving Company.

Storage for home entertainment
Wall-mounted televisions are a great way to save floor space, but if you don’t want your small screen to become a dominant feature of the room, there are cabinets aplenty to keep it and any accompanying DVD player and speakers neatly out of sight. With the advent of MP3 players, music storage has never been easier – you can keep thousands of songs on a hard drive the size of a large matchbox and play them through a PC. Alternatively, plug your player into a dock with speakers and say hello to the new era of mini music storage systems. Not quite into the swing of e-music? There are plenty of shelving options for those piles of CDs or why not buy a wallet? The Fellowes Body Glove, available from Tesco Direct and Rymans, holds up to 128 albums or DVDs. Just slot them into the plastic pockets along with the track listing and they’ll all fit into a small drawer.

Storage for the home office
With laptops and PCs ever more slim line, storing them just gets easier. If you don’t have a spare room to keep work away from your relaxation area, a foldaway office space could be the answer. John Lewis has them, as does Wharfside and a number of specialist office furniture shops such as Home Office Design Ltd. When you’re not in money-earning mode, you can just tuck them away and no one would ever know. Just make sure you leave enough room around it to unfold it and sit down!