Space saving furniture has always been popular in the family room, especially furniture that doubles as decoration & storage, even when it’s just a small drawer in a side dining table. Now, as we have more clutter (Wii’s playstations etc) acme furniture which was once consigned to history is making a comeback, & new techniques in furniture manufacturing signify acme furniture can be hugely decorative yet very practical as opposed to needing to compromise one to get the other. It’s also possible to add extra space by working together with the acme furniture you already have, doing your best with partitions.
One of the most popular items of acme furniture creating a comeback is the sideboard. Once suitable limited to the dining area, sideboards are fantastic for living room storage, because they don’t take up a lot of room, & they have a large, stable top which enables you to put your television, hi fi & DVD player together with.
This new breed of sideboards are often very well designed too, in lacquer, wood or glass, in either traditional or modern styles, plain or patterned, as a standalone piece or something that blends in together with your other acme furniture. When you have the wall space but not a floor space then think about a wall hung sideboard. A reasonably new development, they are available from any retailer of quality Italian furniture, who should also be able to mount it for you personally.
If you wish to add even more storage why don’t you utilize the area above the sideboard to put matching floating shelves on. Allow lots of room above the tallest item on your sideboard so it doesn’t look too busy, & then choose shelves as near the width & finish of the sideboard as you can. Don’t put a lot of on the shelves though or else they’ll look cluttered, a few attractive books, vases or figurines, or perhaps a treasured collection that may reap the benefits of being well out of harms way.
Another useful piece to consider is an ottoman (footstool) with a lift up cushion & a storage space in it. These can be found in both old-fashioned & modern designs, & in sets from wallet friendly to Italian luxury. When you can have it covered in a fabric just like your sofa fabric so that it blends in. These can be extremely of use in many ways. When it is the proper size & height it can also double up as an extra seat, to lift up top means it’s a great place to store day to day things such as TV guides, remote controls, magazines & books, reading glasses etc. If it is fairly large it is also used as a coffee dining table, by purchasing a decorative tray for the top of it. A tray ensures that cups & glasses are stable & your ottoman doesn’t get liquids spilled on it, along with being beneficial to use when bring items in kitchen.
Or perhaps a trunk could do double duty as a coffee dining table & storage box perfect for the items you need to keep but not use everyday. Vintage trunks can look fabulous in the right house, or you can always buy a new unpainted one (try children’s shops) & paint it a neutral colour to blend in, or obtain a steel one for industrial chic.
If you are investing in a TV unit don’t purchase a TV stand without storage (like those who you see the TVs displayed onto it shops). It stands designed to choose the TVs don’t have room to place anything away, yet still occupy the same quantity of living area as something much more practical (and beautiful too). Consider getting a decent TV unit or cabinet to complement or complement your other furniture, it has cupboards &/or drawers, or at least room to store boxes or baskets you can use to hold every day items. If room (or your budget) is tight why not use floating shelves for your TV & then put attractive storage boxes underneath?
Another fantastic solution to create extra storage in your living room is by using wall hung cupboards & shelving. After the preserve of upmarket Italian manufacturers wall units are starting to come through on the high street now (although you will need to be a skilled DIYer to match them properly). Much more work & expense, nonetheless the proper design of wall unit, with a good mix of open shelving & closed shelving would have been a real investment, so take time to think about the design, considering wall units in brochures for inspiration.
Wall units don’t have to be wall hung though, if you have got a wall, or part of a wall then think about having a wall unit over the whole wall (or section of wall). It might even be possible to use it for most of your family area storage needs, along with for your TV & audio equipment, & in the high end Italian models it is even possible to have special channels for wires so that you never see them. You could also have a large sliding glass door, that may hide the tv & slide back when needed, a classy solution if you’re a person who doesn’t want their TV on display on a regular basis!
Finally, don’t forget the space under your sofa. If your sofa is on legs then
under bed boxes with wheels are a quick, easy & inexpensive method to store toys, magazines & papers, easy to get to when you need. When you have children this is a great way of keeping your living room tidy, an instant sweep through the room, toss everything in the boxes, slide right back under the sofa have a tidy living room.
So, there are numerous several types of acme furniture you can use to incorporate extra storage, & once all the clutter is tucked away in it’s respective homes you will get on with the serious business of relaxing in your tidy, junk free family area!

