Stylish ways to hide household clutter

A well-kept house should be tidy, right? But sometimes, clutter just can’t be tidied away. Either there isn’t enough space to put everything away neatly, or you need to use something so frequently that putting it away every time would be a pain. Fear not, however, because there are ways to make your excess clutter work for you! These stylish design ideas put your clutter to good use or offer creative ways of hiding it.

Bookcase blinders

When a bookcase gets overloaded, it starts to become a bit of an eyesore. It’s also a handy place to put down whatever you’re carrying as you walk past thanks to the convenient shelves it provides (hands up if you are always finding forgotten coffee cups up there). A set of blinds in front of the bookshelf conceals the clutter by offering an elegant cover. If blinds sound like too much work to fit and roll up every time you want to access your shelves, you could try a curtain instead. Take a look at some bookcase blinds and curtain ideas on Pinterest.

‘Secret’ bookcase storage

Staying on the bookshelf theme, if you’re looking for secret places to hide your clutter in plain sight, try building a ‘fake book’ box. These are boxes that go on your shelf but are disguised by attaching the spines of old books. Take a look at the tutorial via this link!

Also, while we’re talking about recycling books, you can use a hardcover of a book to hide an unattractive router or another unsightly piece of technology! Click here to find out how.

Hidden key storage

A convenient trick for keeping track of your keys is to attach hooks to the wall and hang them up. However, despite being helpful, they aren’t especially attractive to look at. That’s where this clever design idea comes in handy – a secret hinge on a picture frame (not unlike those that conceal a safe in the movies) can be used to hide the hooks you put your keys on. You could even add a magnetic board to the back of the picture where you can keep messages, reminders, receipts, etc., rather than putting them on the fridge or wall.

Inconspicuous paper towels

Paper towels might be a helpful tool for the kitchen, but they sure are ugly. Even in the fanciest of holders, they aren’t attractive and take up valuable countertop space. With a cleverly designed paper towel dispenser, you can maintain a chic design and keep the convenience. They’re great for both the kitchen and bathroom, they save space, and they look stylish.

Compile your wrapping paper

Rolls of wrapping paper have a way of piling up and are particularly difficult to put away tidily. Not many draws or cupboards accommodate metre-long cylinders, especially if you have more than two. Luckily, there’s a neat little trick you can use to keep them all tidy. Consider using a garment bag to hold your wrapping paper so that it is tucked away neatly in one place. You can then hang it up like any other piece of clothing. It won’t just save space, but will also keep your paper in good condition with fewer creases.

Conceal the TV

For some, a TV is a blemish on an otherwise stylish living room, especially in open-plan living rooms. We now have a minimum expectation for the size of our TV, and they tend to draw a lot of the attention in a room. Thankfully for those who don’t want their interior design to revolve around an unattractive box, there are actually several ways that a TV can be hidden when not in use:

• Framed print cover – attach identical frames to some hinged MDF boards and fix a few batons to the wall and, assuming your DIY skills are up to scratch, you’ll have a picture frame TV cover! What’s great about this idea is that you can fill the frames with whatever you want, making it an entirely personal cover that can fit whatever interior design style you have.
• Frame your TV – rather than frame pictures to hide the TV, why not frame the TV to make it more attractive or even to camouflage it into your room? Whether it’s wood, marble, tile, or metal – you can frame your TV to help it merge with the room to stop it drawing too much attention. The less incongruous the TV, the better!
• Hang a TV mirror – alternatively, you can take it up a notch and get a TV mirror. When not in use, these TVs look and behave exactly like normal mirrors, meaning they can help you spread light around the room as well as looking attractive and showing your reflection (even MORE attractive!). Turn them on, however, and suddenly that mirror is a TV. The perfect disguise!

Those are some of our favourite ways to hide the clutter in your home with stylish design. If you want to see some more of our favourites, check out our previous blog, Creative Storage Solutions For Your House. Why not also take a look at some of our simple decorating ideas that can add style to your home?

Do you have any great ideas you want to share? Get in touch with us on our Twitter and Facebook pages and let us know!

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