1. Rearrange Your Furniture
Your space might be prone to messiness because of the layout. Recruit your partner, family members, or roommates to move around some furniture to make your living room flow better. In this East Hampton house, designer Bunny Williams broke up the main room into two seating areas to create a cozier feel.
2. Think Multipurpose
A lot of your existing furniture or decor accents can serve two (or more!) purposes. That ottoman can double as seating or a place to stack books. Or like in this New England farmhouse designed by architect Nate McBride and interior designer Kari McCabe, where a chest is used as a coffee table, but can also store blankets and pillows.
3. Place a Tray
A decorative tray will spruce up your space and provide a spot to corral items like your TV remote, books, magazines, and more. In this Lattingtown, New York, house, designer Meg Braff added a tray to break up the surface of the large coffee table.
4. Put Your Coffee Table to Work
If there's a pile-up of magazines, books, and other miscellaneous items, it's time to toss the unnecessary items and stack the remaining items neatly on your coffee table. If your coffee table has a lower shelf, use it to store books or even baskets filled with loose items, like in this room in a Lake Forest, Illinois, house designed by Ruthie Sommers.
5. Install Smart Shelving
Bookshelves or floating shelves will give you more spots to stash things. In stylist Andrew Stewart's New York City studio, a wall of modular shelves from One Kings Lane is a catchall for both stashing and displaying things.
6. Add Some Baskets
Baskets are the perfect storage solution because they're also decorative. Use them to store firewood, like here in Mark D. Sikes's West Hollywood house, or to stash blankets and pillows.
See More:
Designer Living Room Decorating Ideas
A One-Day Living Room Makeover
7 Quick Ways to Organize Your Bedroom
