Decorating
12 Inspiring Ideas for Storage Seats to Suit Any Space
Explore these clever, good-looking and versatile ways to combine practical storage with seating
If you feel as if there’s never enough space to hide everything away in your home, then these innovative and creative examples of storage seats could be just the solution you need.
Storage seats can come in every shape and size and work in every type of room. However, before you embark on buying one ready-made or think about commissioning your own, carefully consider where it will go, how high it will be and how it might affect any other furniture close by. It’s also worth measuring any specific items you might want to store so you can be sure everything will fit inside. And then, take a seat…
Storage seats can come in every shape and size and work in every type of room. However, before you embark on buying one ready-made or think about commissioning your own, carefully consider where it will go, how high it will be and how it might affect any other furniture close by. It’s also worth measuring any specific items you might want to store so you can be sure everything will fit inside. And then, take a seat…
Add a hallway seat
They often become the family’s dumping ground, so having a piece of furniture in your hallway to tidy away shoes, dog leads and footballs, and which also doubles up as a place to lace your boots, is the ideal solution.
This simple wooden settle with lift-up seat and comfy cushions creates a cute cottage feel and has been painted to match the accent colours in the floor tiles.
They often become the family’s dumping ground, so having a piece of furniture in your hallway to tidy away shoes, dog leads and footballs, and which also doubles up as a place to lace your boots, is the ideal solution.
This simple wooden settle with lift-up seat and comfy cushions creates a cute cottage feel and has been painted to match the accent colours in the floor tiles.
Install a storage day bed
A small boxroom is perfect for a well-designed study, but the space can be let down by ugly filing cabinets and mountains of paperwork. This day bed becomes a great place for a spot of relaxation and has built-in drawers underneath to hide all those box files and ring binders.
A small boxroom is perfect for a well-designed study, but the space can be let down by ugly filing cabinets and mountains of paperwork. This day bed becomes a great place for a spot of relaxation and has built-in drawers underneath to hide all those box files and ring binders.
Dress to impress
A storage seat is an essential part of any dressing room, providing a place to stow bulky items, such as handbags, and adding that little extra touch of luxury to the space.
In this room, a large seat lets the owners take advantage of the views from the low window and also provides a place to perch to put on shoes and boots.
A storage seat is an essential part of any dressing room, providing a place to stow bulky items, such as handbags, and adding that little extra touch of luxury to the space.
In this room, a large seat lets the owners take advantage of the views from the low window and also provides a place to perch to put on shoes and boots.
Fit in the space
A bespoke item is the ideal solution for difficult spaces and this bathroom storage box/seat is an ingenious idea. It has been custom-built to fit snugly around the plumbing under the vanity unit. Making use of otherwise dead space, the seat also transforms the decorative basin unit into a useful dressing table.
Find out what to consider when commissioning a bespoke piece
A bespoke item is the ideal solution for difficult spaces and this bathroom storage box/seat is an ingenious idea. It has been custom-built to fit snugly around the plumbing under the vanity unit. Making use of otherwise dead space, the seat also transforms the decorative basin unit into a useful dressing table.
Find out what to consider when commissioning a bespoke piece
Plump for an ottoman
A footstool or ottoman is a great alternative to a coffee table and can also double up as additional seating. If fitted with a lid, it can become the perfect hideaway for bulky board games and children’s toys. But not everything needs to be hidden away: some ottomans have a little tray area for displaying stylish books and ornaments, too.
A footstool or ottoman is a great alternative to a coffee table and can also double up as additional seating. If fitted with a lid, it can become the perfect hideaway for bulky board games and children’s toys. But not everything needs to be hidden away: some ottomans have a little tray area for displaying stylish books and ornaments, too.
Look for windows of opportunity
Transform a window into a feature by framing it with a seat. In this kitchen, the bay has been turned into a comfortable area for relaxing, with a mix of scatter cushions and coordinated blinds, to create an interesting focal point. Drawers and cupboards have been fitted into the base of the seat for stowing odds and ends.
Check out this expert guide to dressing your windows
Transform a window into a feature by framing it with a seat. In this kitchen, the bay has been turned into a comfortable area for relaxing, with a mix of scatter cushions and coordinated blinds, to create an interesting focal point. Drawers and cupboards have been fitted into the base of the seat for stowing odds and ends.
Check out this expert guide to dressing your windows
Opt for hidden depths
If space is limited around your dining table, then don’t wrestle with lots of chairs. This built-in U-shaped seating area increases the seating capacity and provides a relaxed dining space. And storage doesn’t have to be confined to front-facing drawers or lift-up seats. Here, it’s accessed through smart end panels to ensure a practical solution, while upholstered seat cushions complete the look.
If space is limited around your dining table, then don’t wrestle with lots of chairs. This built-in U-shaped seating area increases the seating capacity and provides a relaxed dining space. And storage doesn’t have to be confined to front-facing drawers or lift-up seats. Here, it’s accessed through smart end panels to ensure a practical solution, while upholstered seat cushions complete the look.
Make it streamlined
A well-designed room should have perfect flow and a seamless appearance. In this bedroom, the designer has added a useful window seat with storage, but has also considered how it integrates with the rest of the scheme. Smart handleless drawers and cupboards create a clean look and complement the open storage area at the other end of the room.
A well-designed room should have perfect flow and a seamless appearance. In this bedroom, the designer has added a useful window seat with storage, but has also considered how it integrates with the rest of the scheme. Smart handleless drawers and cupboards create a clean look and complement the open storage area at the other end of the room.
Go multi-functional
In a small garden, it’s always a good idea to maximise the space available. If there’s no room for a shed, think about creating a seating layout with built-in storage. Here, both the table and the benches have space within to store garden essentials, leaving the patio area uncluttered for entertaining.
Discover how to choose the perfect garden seat
In a small garden, it’s always a good idea to maximise the space available. If there’s no room for a shed, think about creating a seating layout with built-in storage. Here, both the table and the benches have space within to store garden essentials, leaving the patio area uncluttered for entertaining.
Discover how to choose the perfect garden seat
Explore under the eaves
Making use of the space in the roof for storage is nothing new, but a quick re-think can create an entirely different feel in a room. In this attic bedroom, a simple storage window seat has been broken up with the addition of a light, making it the perfect spot for reading or highlighting a collection of framed photographs.
Making use of the space in the roof for storage is nothing new, but a quick re-think can create an entirely different feel in a room. In this attic bedroom, a simple storage window seat has been broken up with the addition of a light, making it the perfect spot for reading or highlighting a collection of framed photographs.
Think outside the box
When we consider storage seating, we generally assume the storage space sits within the seat. But in this child’s bedroom, two innovative snugs have been carved out of the unit, turning that concept on its head.
TELL US…
Have you created an innovative seating/storage solution? Let us know how you did it in the Comments below.
When we consider storage seating, we generally assume the storage space sits within the seat. But in this child’s bedroom, two innovative snugs have been carved out of the unit, turning that concept on its head.
TELL US…
Have you created an innovative seating/storage solution? Let us know how you did it in the Comments below.
Finding a sofa to fit a small or cramped area can be challenging but, here, a built-in, U-shaped seating area makes great use of the available space. Having lift-up seats on smart, sociable sofas like these will create lots of unobtrusive storage space underneath.