20 Genius Living Room Organization Hacks to Hide the Clutter
There is one obstacle between our dream of a stylish Scandinavian inspired home, all gorgeous natural light and white curtains blowing in a soft breeze. That obstacle? Our heaps and heaps of stuff. From crafty hobbies to children’s toys to the tchotchke collection inherited from our grandma— it really starts to add up. And it. Is. Everywhere. Where do these people with their gorgeous minimal homes stash away all the evidence of their daily lives? The only reasonable answer is that all that clutter is hidden, and hidden in a way that is beautiful and functional! The good news is their secret is out and we are sharing it with the world, starting with these 20 organizational tips and tricks.
The key to good living room organization is keeping all the things that are used daily accessible without the clutter. If done properly, everything will have it’s place making it easier to tidy up in the future. However, finding the proper system to deal with the pile of toys, lone socks, discarded water glasses and odds and ends so random we can’t even begin to name them is tricky but can be done. With these ideas, families can actually start doing some "living" in living room.
The following living room organization hacks will help hide and house wayward belongings, streamline the living room chaos and be the end of muttering, “it’s normally much neater, I swear” when an impromptu guest arrives. These ingenious tips will have highlight storage where there was none and creating that dream open and breezing living space. We promise, it’s not all shoving it in a closet or throwing a blanket over it either… well, except for #12!
From shelf to sideboard
You can turn an unwanted shelf into a stellar sideboard. This works especially well with IKEA's Expedit shelves (think where your friend from college stored their records). All you have to do is flip the shelf on it's side and you not only have storage space but also another flat surface for storage and display.
Hide the cablebox
Cable boxes are both an eyesore and a necessity, at least if you prioritize watching the latest episode of The Real Housewives. Create a pretty and well-ventilated cover using decorative metal sheets from a hobby store so your cable box will also function as decor.
Basic Billy built ins
When trying to find living room storage, a built in shelving system seems like a no brainer. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have a carpenter in the family but you can DIY it yourself! Using IKEA Billy bookshelves and some minimal molding you can create the illusion of custom bookcases without all the time and money.
Beef up baskets
Baskets are filed under "DUH" when it comes to living room organization, but that doesn't mean they have to be basic. You can give the most functional storage baskets a designer edge by adding a band of white paint at the bottom and some decorative pom-poms for flair.
Creating a charging station
Here's an updated take on the classic magazine rack: turn it into a charging station. A repurposed magazine rack is a great place to store electronics and also serves as a docking station, creating a place to charge electronics without a tangle of cords.
Creating a landing strip
An entryway can be made into the perfect landing strip for when you walk in the door and need to drop your stuff. A bench, wall hooks and basket configuration allows you to ditch your keys, coats, mail and assorted junk that follows you home after a long day in an organized manner.
Bye bye blankets
Nothing makes a living room more cozy than a pile of blankets to snuggle into while on a Netflix bender, but when you're not using them your living room can look a little like a deflated pillowfort. This wire basket turned end table provides storage and a great place to place rest your TV-binging snacks.
Add a tablecloth to end tables
We admit this hack feels a little less like a hack and more like a lazy solution but hear us out! You can store necessities under your end tables in Tupperware or baskets, but sometimes they can still look junky, especially when it comes to kids' toys. The solution? A cool boho tablecloth will keep those objects out of sight, out of mind.