Whether you are living in a home or apartment, the living room tends to attract the most clutter and excess belongings. It could be clean laundry strewn across the couch, dog toys all over the floor, or that one reclining chair that becomes a coat holder.
So, if you are looking for some tips and/or ideas on how to de-clutter your living room and organize your belongings better, you are at the right place.
Small Living Room Ideas for Maximizing Space
Years ago, the living room was mainly an area to enjoy quality time with family by the fire and listen to the radio. Nowadays with 60-70+ inch TV’s, surround sound speakers, and massive IKEA “L” couches, the space in your living room can easily disappear.
There are a few different ways to maximize your living room space. Almost every living room has a coffee table along with a TV stand and a couch or two. So, you’ll need to consider the placement of these larger items as they can provide valuable storage and organization space for your other living room items.
How to Organize Your Living Room with Existing Furniture
A suitable place to start organizing is to utilize the drawers or shelves in your television stand and/or coffee table. Things like extra remotes, video game consoles, and candles can be easily stored in your TV stand. While many coffee tables don’t offer any storage space, if you do have one that doubles as storage, it is a perfect place for blankets and extra throw pillows.
Another idea for storage space is to use end tables by your couch with open sides. You can find end tables online or from most home goods stores. These offer storage for books, magazines, and movies with quick and easy access while you’re lounging on the sofa.
Use Vertical Space for Extra Living Room Storage
Small living rooms don’t allow space for large bookcases or sprawling four by four storage cube organizers. To properly utilize the space you have, going vertically is the best way to go.
Vertical storage shelves are cheap and can easily be found on Amazon or at any home goods store. High shelves that go from the floor to ceiling are perfect for extra family photos, art, or a shrine for your favorite NFL team.
Get Rid of These Common Living Room Clutter Traps
There are always a few spots in the home where clutter is amassed, such as the coffee table, mantle, or on a chair. It’s easy to throw jackets on the back of a recliner and just empty your pockets onto the console table by your front door or coffee table when you get home.
A great way to keep your console table, mantle, and TV stand clean is to use small bins either underneath the coffee table or beside the TV stand. These are perfect places to store old magazines, mail, batteries, candles, or other items causing clutter. If these bins start to overflow, it’s a good sign that you need to go through and throw away old mail or magazines.
Bring Your Living Room Ideas to Life with Self Storage
Even after organizing and adding more storage space to your living room, sometimes you just need a little more space. At StorageMart and Manhattan Mini Storage you can rent self storage monthly with no long-term contracts. Extra couches, recliners, or end tables can be stored safely in our clean and well-lit facilities. Check out our Self Storage Calculator and find the perfect unit near you.