Everyone can do with a bit more room to stow away all the everyday items that seem to be used on a daily basis. For those with young children, the living room can seem to be a bit of a battlefield, with toys that take over during the day. The key to a successfully tidy living room, whether you share it with kids or not, is adequate storage.

The trouble with plenty of storage is that you can be in danger of making your home’s main reception room look like it is little more than a warehouse. It is fair to say that closets with doors, which you can close, are better at disguising clutter than open shelves, bookcases and cabinets with glass fascias.

Nevertheless, if you fill a wall or more of your living room with storage closets it can be a little overwhelming. Try to get the best of both worlds by fitting lots of storage, but so that it is hidden away. But how do you go about creating more cubby holes at the same time as making it appear as though you have less? A few simple measures will help you create the necessary illusion without too much fuss.

Window Stows.

Make the most of any recesses that you already have in your living room. A good place to start is underneath a window. Bowed and box windows are especially useful for turning into mini storage zones without it ever looking like they have been repurposed in this way. A plain window sill can easily be turned into the top of a storage cabinet by a carpenter, or a competent DIY enthusiast. If you fit some shaped cushions on top of the cabinet, thus creating an extra window seat, then the look is even more disguised. Window stows create the perfect place for tucking away children’s things at the end of a day.

Slide Out Closets.

Fitted closets look perfectly good in many living rooms. However, if yours is already looking like it has too many then a good way of disguising them, if you want to add more, is to go for sliding storage. Sliding closets have the advantage that you can really pack plenty of items inside and yet have the contents remain accessible when you need them.

After all, with conventional storage units the thing you need always seems to be right at the back. Slide out closets also allow you to utilise any thin spaces that would otherwise not really be put to any good use in a room. If you give the side panel a little thought it can be easily disguised so that you wouldn’t even know a slide out closet lay behind it.

Soft Furnishings That Store.

Sofas and seats are part of every living room space, but they can have more than one function and be more than just a place to relax. Couches can easily be found from many furniture makers that will have storage underneath. This can be a conventional drawer arrangement, or something more sophisticated, so the effect is more disguised. Either way, you don’t need to stop with hidden seating storage. A foot stall makes for another good cubby hole recess, ideal for stowing your remote controls and magazines. And you could always replace coffee table with a chest, to provide additional hidden storage.

Hide Away Wood Stores.

If you like to enjoy an open fire in your living room you may not enjoy storing wood in it as well. However, bringing wood in from outside all of the time hardly adds to the relaxing feel of a fire. Hide your wood store away with a false wall so that you can only see the pile from one side. This will help the room to be tidy, allow you to stack your logs up neatly and keep the fuel supply at hand for when you want to light it.

Hidden Closets.

Cover your closet with a picture to disguise its presence. With a false wall and a hinged frame you can create a huge amount of storage space that guests need never know is there. And why not use the space behind your television set for another secret stow away, perfect for keeping your valuables safe?

Picture sources: 1&2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10and 11.