Smart storage solutions

Discover space you never knew you had with these smart solutions and clever storage concepts…

Living room storage solutions

These days, we might all have iPods, but have you really thrown out all your CDs? And along with all those books and DVDs you’ve slowly been amassing, the room most likely charged with the task of accommodating it all is the living room. As a result, essential storage often includes space for books, CDs, DVDs and other everyday items that need to be accessed easily.


‘Open bookshelves can look great, with the books becoming part of the scheme,’ says Tim Newbold of Domus. ‘Thick shelves look more architectural and structural, alternatively, you might want to shut your collections away behind closed doors’.


A bank of floor-to-ceiling storage takes up relatively little space in comparison to the amount of storage it provides. Paint or lacquer the doors in the same colour as the wall and choose invisible push-click catches to help them disappear, or else go for a bright colour and combine with open shelving to create a feature.


  •  ‘Most partition walls are hollow, timber stud walls. Use this precious space and have your builder construct MDF cupboards with doors instead of the usual plasterboard surface,’ says Mark Dyson. ‘We’ve done three or four projects in homes that have utilised space in this way.’


  •  Sliding, pivoting or revolving panels and doors mean that video, TV and hi-fi equipment can 'vanish' when not in use, but is still easily accessible when required. Companies such as Domus even incorporate fine mesh screening to integrate loudspeakers into consoles and customised cupboards.


  •  ‘Modern and traditional can sit really well together,’ says Tim Newbold. ‘Hang contemporary storage systems above traditional skirting for a much cleaner look. This will also make the space seem a lot bigger as you can see right to the edges of the room. Alternatively, keep storage down low, at bench height, to stop it intruding into the room.’


  •  Office spaces often find a home in the living room, but it’s important that they don’t take over and dominate the room. Conceal a workstation within a built-in cupboard so that a computer, printer and files can be shut away at the end of the day. Consider vertical sliding doors to cover your computer space.

    • Chosen by House to home

    Related Features