A Guide to the Best DIY Under-the-Couch Storage Ideas
Living room storage - here are some DIY solutions you can try out yourself.
01/11/2018
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Most people would agree that the one thing their home lacks is a storage area. Now, this is easy enough to take care of in the kitchen and pantry, where there are plenty of cupboards to handle the problem. However, when it comes to your living room, you may run out of ideas. After all, it isn’t as though you can simply install bookcases and cupboards all over the place.
Well, the good news is that you already have a storage unit you aren’t aware of – your very own couch. That’s right, the place you love to cuddle up on can also provide you with additional storage space. Of course, provided that there is enough space between the seat and the floor.
If this describes your sofa at home, there are quite a few options available to you. What’s more, many of these solutions are quite simple. You will only require the most basic implements and very little skill or experience. So, without further ado, here are some DIY solutions you can try out yourself:
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DIY Storage on Wheels
Now, while you may not want magazines, blankets, and other items scattered around your living room, you might not exactly want to lock away these items either. Rather, you need to be able to pull them out at a moment’s notice. This is why a storage tray or bin on wheels is a perfect option. This allows you to easily roll out the storage unit whenever it is required.
The items you will definitely need for this project include:
• A rectangular piece of wood with dimensions
matching the desired size of your box
• 4
wood strips – 2 of the same length as the wood
above and 2 of the same width
• 4
small wheels
• Nails and hammer
• Strong
glue
Concerning the measurement of the wooden pieces, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you will need to measure how much space is available under the couch. Then, determine how tall the wheels you use are. Subtract these two and you will be left with just how high the walls of your storage unit can be.
In the first stage, you need to nail the four wood strips to the respective sides of the rectangle piece of wood. After this, it is time to attach the wheels. Now, because this storage unit is made of rather thin pieces of wood, you will be relying on heavy-duty glue to stick the wheels onto the base of the box. Therefore, make certain that the glue is strong. Stick the wheels to all four corners of the storage unit and wait for the glue to dry.
The final step involves decorating the storage box. So in this stage, you can get as creative as you like. If you want the drawer to be as subtle as possible, use the same colour as your couch. This way, it will not be as noticeable.
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Repurpose Old Drawers
Let’s imagine that you don’t want to go through all that hassle and are looking for a quicker route. Well, in this case, you may want to check whether you have any old cupboards lying around. If you do, you can repurpose the old drawers into a new storage unit.
The key here is to leave the knobs on the drawers as they are. As such, they will be easier to pull out when you need something. Now, it is up to you to decide whether you want to add wheels to the bottom of these drawers. Of course, this does depend on how much space there is under your couch. If there is very little room, then you may want to avoid the wheels. If you do want to place wheels on the drawer, you can use the same method mentioned above and fix them using very strong glue.
The only real effort you have to put in here is the design. Once again, it is about making sure that the drawers match the rest of your living room furniture or even just the carpet it’s resting on. This can be easily managed with the help of either paint or fabric.
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Create Bench with Storage Unit Out of a Bookcase
The final option on this list allows you not just to create a storage space but also a new seating area. To make this even better, you only need a few items to put this together.
The main thing that you are going to need to make this project work is a tall, single column bookcase. You must, though, keep in mind that the bookcase will be used as a bench. Therefore, it needs to be strong and sturdy, capable of supporting the weight of at least a couple of children. So, this is something you will need to ensure, beforehand.
After that, it is just a matter of placing the bookcase on its side to resemble a bench. As for the seating, it is up to you, how to proceed. If you want a more permanent option, you can make your very own seat for it.
For this, you will need:
• Medium-density fibreboard (cut out to the
dimensions of the bench’s length and width)
•
Layers of foam
• Fabric of your choosing
• Staple gun
Place the foam on top of the fibreboard and wrap the fabric over this. You can staple the fabric to the underside of the fibreboard. Within a very short time, you will have a lovely, comfortable seat to relax on! What’s great about this is that you can easily change the fabric if it gets dirty or old, creating an entirely new look for your bench.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways that you can create storage units, simply by relying on the underside of your couch. What’s more, it is unlikely to cost you too much time or money, either. So, really, it is a win-win situation for you all the way.