6 ways to prevent your living room clutter from taking over

The children’s toys in the corner, the pile of old magazines on the coffee table and all the knick-knacks you’ve accumulated on the shelves… Your living room is often more cluttered than any other room in the house.

That’s because it’s the true heart of the home (sorry, kitchen lovers). It’s a kids’ playground on rainy days, a peaceful haven after a long day at work, the perfect spot for your friends to come hang out and a cosy sanctuary when you’ve fallen sick. When you spend that much time in a room, how can you possibly contain and tackle the mess before it spirals out of control?

You might be surprised to hear that the solution isn’t more storage. Rather it’s to use your furniture to its full potential and give each item a double function. Don't waste precious space with simple standalone furniture. Turn your TV stand into a discreet storage hero instead! Whatever your clutter dilemma, we’ve got practical solutions to help keep your living room tidy and looking fabulous too.

The Tech Hub

Already in charge of the TV, your TV unit could be the ideal place to put away all your electronics. And we’re not just talking about having a drawer for CDs and DVDs. From gaming consoles and laptops to phone chargers, spare cables and other gadgets – hide all cords and tech accessories in a dedicated space. Instead of being scattered all around, spoiling the style of your beautiful living room, they’ll be much easier to find. And if you want to binge-watch that new series, listen to your favourite playlist or play the latest game, simply plug any of your new high-tech devices to the TV right there and then. No more faffing around with hundreds of leads and extensions. Now, rather than wires, all your guests will notice is your gorgeous interior décor.

The Perfect Toys’ Hideout

Family time is always best spent in the comfort of the living room. That means your home might be looking like a nursery during the day, with toys and games scattered on the floor. Which is all well and good. But once the evening comes, it’s time to reclaim your living space. If trying to convince your five-year-old to put away all their playthings before bedtime is a struggle, chances are you’re going to be the one cleaning up after them. When this happens – and it too often does – an elegant ottoman footstool could save you hours of tidying up. Use this handy piece of furniture to cleverly, quickly and easily conceal all your kid’s toys. Now all you need to do is put your feet up and enjoy some well-deserved rest.

The Paperwork Keeper

Bills, statements, reports… We all know about these important documents you apparently have to keep but don’t really need to look at that often. Not actually knowing where or for how long you’re supposed to safeguard them, you usually let them pile up on the shelf or coffee table. Don’t create a huge tower of daunting grown-up responsibilities right in the middle of your living room! Instead, use your TV stand to store all those papers, files and folders away. They’ll be safe and super-easily accessible, ready for whenever you need to look through them.