6 Clever Living Room Organization Ideas

Decluttering Tips

When possible, conceal any items that tend to look cluttered. Uneven stacks of magazines or piles of paperwork in the open can crowd the appearance of a small living room. If you run out of storage space, repurpose attractive items as decorations. Extra blankets can be artfully draped over couches and stacks of books are a charming way to raise the height of picture frames.

Storage Recommendations

When your living room is small, you need creative ways to maximize storage. Tall cabinets or bookshelves with a small footprint don’t take up much floor space and still have plenty of room for storing books and media. A better option would be finding furniture that can do double duty: a chest that can be used as a coffee table, a TV stand with ample cabinet and surface space, or a hollow storage ottoman.

Decluttering Tips

The goal of living room organization when you have young kids is creating a space where decorations and toys can peacefully coexist. If you want kids to play with it, keep it within reach — if you don’t want them to play with it, keep it out of sight. Everything else in your childproof living room needs to be high on a shelf or behind closed doors. Closed storage and high shelves are your best friends.

Storage Recommendations

Opt for kid-accessible storage that hides toys when they’re not being played with, like storage ottomans and coffee tables with large drawers. Sort toys into small baskets and bags inside of drawers so your kids can always find what they’re looking for. Tuck remote controls into side table drawers, stack books and magazines on high shelves, and keep media items in cabinets that can lock for a living space where your young ones can run free.

Decluttering Tips

You can still get your living room in tip-top shape if you don’t have the budget for a complete overhaul. Chances are, your living room is already full of furniture with storage spaces. All you really need to buy are inexpensive items that supplement your organization efforts.

Storage Recommendations

Side-table drawers are a great place for smaller items, but they don’t do much good when they turn into all-encompassing junk catchers. Invest in some drawer dividers to turn them back into functional storage. Baskets, crates, and trays are budget-friendly containers that are perfect for organizing your living room. Use them to store DVDs in your TV console, sort remotes and video game controllers, and hold pet toys.

Decluttering Tips

A typical entryway is a catch-all for everything that makes its way into the home. Without one, the living room becomes the dumping ground and tends to get buried in piles of coats and shoes. You can make room for those items with living room furniture that won’t look out of place. For anything that won’t fit in your makeshift entryway storage, give it a home somewhere else in your house.

Storage Recommendations

If you have the space, a hall tree can completely replace entryway storage. It has room to hang bags and jackets, a bench to put on shoes, and a shelf for other items. Maybe a sofa table better fits your style. With several shelves underneath for attractive storage baskets and a tabletop for a mail holder, you can’t go wrong. If floor space is an issue, dedicate a living room wall to entryway-type organization. You can save space with a mail organizer that also has hooks and maybe even a shelf.

Decluttering Tips

Most people need their living room to be a multifunctional space whether it’s used for relaxation, entertainment, or eating. But when your living room is also the place that you work out, serve drinks, and play games, you need extensive organization. The most attractive method for keeping everything looking polished is implementing functional decor.

Storage Recommendations

If you do a lot of desk work, add an office space to your living room. A sofa table is a unique, low-profile option; you can slide a stool underneath it and use it as a decorative table when it’s not being used as a desk. If you occasionally enjoy an evening drink or like to entertain with cocktails, top a cute bar cart with your classiest glasses and some chic bar accessories to turn your drink storage into a well-appointed display. Craft supplies and other small items that you need to keep in your living room can be organized in stylish bins. Display them on a bookshelf or conceal them behind cabinet doors.

Decluttering Tips

By separating all your living room belongings into logical categories, you’ll always be able to find what you’re looking for. When you can’t find what you’re looking for in your living room, it’s probably hidden under piles of things that don’t belong there. Before you can organize your room, you have to eliminate the clutter — take a look at our 15 Simple Decluttering Tips for an Organized Home guide for ideas on how to get started.

Storage Recommendations

Consider a chest of drawers or a cabinet that you can use as a console table. Both are roomy enough to store a myriad of items and are able to hide unsightly clutter. Keep drawers and cabinets organized with small boxes, baskets, and dividers. You can fasten a cute label to any container that’s not transparent to save you from searching through boxes until you remember where everything is organized.