5 Easy Ideas for Pretty Storage and Organization in the Living Room

by | Home, Organization

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

Pretty storage and organization is possible and can be simple too! Check out these 5 ways to add storage that enhances your home’s design aesthetic while also helping your home function best for your family!

Where do you put alllllll the things?!  It’s a common question and I understand why!  For me, I feel the best and coziest in my home when it is tidy and feels organized.

Who else was raised with “a place for everything and everything in its’ place” kind of home?  Undoubtedly, as an adult with children and a home of my own now, I understand more than ever!  Who’s with me on that?!

Even in a home where we try to declutter often and make conscious efforts to keep things tidy and organized, it can feel out of hand too quickly for my personal preference (though my family may argue that I nag about it a little too often. 🙈)

So, if you’re like me and need to have pretty storage and organization to help your home feel cozy and inviting, let’s make it as beautiful and aesthetically suited to the style of your home!  At the same time, you need pretty storage and organization that meets the needs of your family and the overall function of your home, too.

Let’s chat about 5 of my favorite ways to bring pretty storage and organization in the living room, though these can really be used in any room of the house.

For example, we definitely use some of these same ideas for cute storage and organization in the bedrooms, game room, kitchen, laundry room, and even bathrooms!

7 Easy Ideas for Pretty Storage and Organization in the Living Room (or any other room!)

How do I make my storage look good?

I love this question and I’m going to show you 5 of my favorite ways to basically store things in plain sight.  Not only do I store them, but these solutions help me keep it organized for the whole family.

First of all, storage will look good when it blends with the overall aesthetic of your home.  There are a million great organization hacks, tips, and tricks out there.  However, the best organization is the one that you create specifically for your home and that meets the specific needs of your home.

I think it goes without saying that all of us desire a home that looks pretty and inviting!  Your storage solutions can not only function for your family, but they can also enhance the actual look of your home and style!

While I am showing you specifics for the vintage style of our home, you can take these basic concepts and apply them to basically any design and decor style!

#1 Favorite for Pretty Storage and Organization in the Living Room are drawers!

Dressers are not just for the bedroom!  In fact, a pretty dresser or buffet can make the best sofa, entry, or hallway table.

Whether it is the living room, bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom, drawers are definitely my favorite way to have pretty storage and organization.

Depending on the space, I actually love small drawers the best because I can easily organize them for every drawer to have only one kind of thing.  In the kitchen, of course, some deep drawers are great for pots, pans, and dishes.  However, in the living room or dining room, I love smaller drawers when I can sort and store our things very specifically.

For example, this old apothecary cabinet in our music room is one of my primary places to store extra home decor.  I have one drawer for taper candles, one drawer for silver candlesticks, one drawer for brass candlesticks, one drawer for small architectural salvage pieces, one drawer for brass swans…and so on!  You get the idea!

Whatever all of those categories are for you, investing in a piece that allows you to sort and organize items is worth it!

Tip: if you are using a dresser or furniture piece with larger drawers, consider organizers like THIS or THIS to help compartmentalize items.

A piece such as THIS DRESSER allows for pretty styling and has some character, while still having lots of drawers.  These kinds of furniture pieces are perfect storage solutions for small spaces with a lot of stuff that needs stored and organized!

 

 

What are cute storage and organization solutions for children?

Drawers, drawers, drawers!  We love this large piece in our playroom because it allows different kinds of toys to be organized and stored easily.  For example, all the hot wheel cars are in one drawer while all of the wooden blocks are in another.  Even the girls’ American Girl doll clothing can be sorted and stored in coordinating drawers.

Drawers are easy for kids to manage and maneuver.  Plus, they just make accessible and cute storage and organization for any age!

Since this cabinet is in a shared family space, I also keep gift tags and ribbon in a drawer with gift bags and tissue paper in the next.  Party decor is easy to see in drawers also!

When our children were younger and we had toys in the family room, those were kept in drawers in our entertainment center unit.  Again, easy, simple, and accessible for everyone!

Have drawers in a living room is very practical for kids and it’s also practical for adults too!  Entertainment, magazines, devotional materials, and supplies that you want close at hand are practical and convenient to have in drawers too!

 

Where can I find vintage and antique storage and organization pieces?

Not to rain on your parade, but to find a great vintage piece with lots of drawers, you will have to be either very patient or save up with some budget to work with.  However, both are totally worth it, in my opinion.

THIS piece, for example, is expensive.  At the same time, it could work in almost any room of the home and perfectly organize those smaller items.  While serving as a functional piece and pretty storage and organization, it also adds a beautiful wood tone and great decor piece to a vintage home style.

Tip: To get the look for a lesser budget, add a piece with drawers ON TOP of a table or console.

Small drawers can be perfect to organize office supplies, crafting items, or home essentials like batteries and candles.  But you don’t need a huge cabinet for that!

Consider adding a piece LIKE THIS for those smaller organizational needs.  It would look amazing layered on a console table!

You can find vintage or antique drawer pieces at antique malls, vintage shows, and even online.  It can be helpful to reach out to vintage dealers in your area and let them know what you’re looking for.  They can often let their vendors know and widen the range of your search!

Some possible storage options with drawers for smaller spaces:

#2: Crates make cute storage and organization!

How do I create storage in my house?

Use the pieces you already love!  One of my favorite hidden storage pieces is this vintage French champagne crate in our music room.  Paired with an extra piece of white countertop material from a friend’s project, it makes the perfect little occasional table.

At the same time, it is great storage space!  Right now, it is actually empty because I’ve been rearranging and reorganizing.

However, it used to hold picture albums and photo books that we didn’t leave out all the time.  It is also great for extra throw pillows, extra bedding and linens, or cozy throw blankets to pull out during the cooler seasons.

You can find a similar crate HERE!  

At this time, I happen to have two for sale (for great deals!) that we picked up at a vintage market.  If you live locally OR don’t mind shipping costs, just send me a message!  We can help you arrange that!

 

 

#3: Baskets with lids make cute and functional storage!

How can I organize my small house with lots of stuff?

Baskets are your answer!!!  (And they are a great solution for any size of home, apartment, or room too!)

What’s not to love about a cute basket?  Whether it is a small basket with a lid that sits on a shelf, like this set, or a large basket that doubles as an ottoman, like this favorite, baskets just make the cutest storage and organization!

Most of us probably have a lot of baskets sitting around our homes.  Baskets without lids can be perfect for tucking in spare floor cushions or cozy blankets.  A small basket in a favorite reading corner can house books and quiet time materials.

However, you can use baskets with lids…as part of your decor… to store the unsightly things too!

 

Here are a few favorites in varied sizes:

 

 

#4: Small cabinets can make pretty storage and organization in a living room!

How do you store things when you have no space?

Admittedly, the easy storage and organization isn’t even why I love small cabinets so much!  I have to be honest.  At the same time, they are amazing storage!

I also love that a cute cabinet can provide an “out of the box” side table in a living room.  Whenever we go antiquing or vintage hunting, I’m always keeping my eyes open for cute, chippy cabinets.

Not only do they make really cute storage in small spaces, but they can add a ton of character!  If your living space doesn’t allow for those big, amazing, antique cabinets, don’t worry!  You can add so much interest and character with a chippy, small cabinet while also maximizing your storage and organization.

It’s a win win!

Watch for cute cabinets at flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, vintage shops, vintage markets, and antique malls.  Often, you can get them for a really great price point too!  So it’s really a triple win!

I got this cute blue-gray cabinet at a local market for just over $100.  You can hardly buy a solid new piece for that!  Plus, it fits the overall aesthetic of our home and adds to the vintage look and style I’m trying to curate.

 

 

#5: Lockers are a really fun option for storage and organization!

I almost didn’t list this one because it may not apply to all styles.  And yet, I’ve seen lockers styled up in so many different kinds of homes over the past couple of years.  I think they can really work with most styles, actually, as long as they are worked well into your overall room design.

I have two set of lockers in our home!  One pair is in our family room, which is very much of a vintage, chippy, cottage, European farmhouse mix.  The other set is in our game room, which is decorated with old globes and books and a bit of a modern farmhouse look.  Very different rooms, yet the lockers work great in both!

While lockers are a larger storage option, they are a little more unique and can be super functional in a variety of ways.  We store books and music in the family room and then in the game room, the kids use the set there to organize their backpacks, sports bags, music books, and instruments.

All things that I definitely do NOT want to see out in the open all the time. 😂

Lockers aren’t always easy to find but if you keep an eye out and are patient, you can likely find them!  Definitely keep an eye out on Marketplace for these, as well as asking around with local vintage vendors.  We even had a chance to score a set free awhile back from a school that was clearing out storage areas, but we didn’t have a need for them and didn’t want to add to our own storage issues.  Haha!

Even though this one is outside the box a little, I mention it because it’s one of my favorites and I absolutely love our locker sets!

Maybe it will even spark a little creativity for you of how you can use a storage piece that was originally designed for a school, factory, or business and make it functional well for your home and family!

 

 

How do you keep your stuff organized?

Think outside the box!  There are so many great ways to sort, organize, and store your favorite things by simply using the furniture and accessories well in your home.

You can have pretty storage and organization in your home without sacrificing your decor and design aesthetic, especially if you get creative with it.

I hope this post has sparked a few ideas that will help you get more organized and love your home more in the process!

 

 

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

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