How to Keep the Family Room Organized

Everyone wants their family room to be all things to all people. This is
where friends and family gather to play games, do yoga, watch television,
relax, read, do arts and crafts and more. With so many activities
in one room, you need a strategy for keeping them contained.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Look for easy-care furniture when shopping for your family room. Fabrics should be stain resistant, and surfaces should wipe clean easily.

2. Choose multipurpose furniture, such as ottomans that serve as coffee tables with hinged lids for hidden storage; couches with built-in recliners; and bookshelves with drawers and cabinets for small items.

3. Design storage solutions when your budget allows it. Build hinged benches along a wall to hold toys, games, photo albums and media collections. Put cushions on top so the benches do double-duty for sleepovers.

4. Create seating clusters for different activities. Tuck the TV in a corner facing a large couch; arrange a pod of chairs near a good light for reading or crafts.

5. Dedicate several baskets, tote bags or bins for newspapers and magazines. Clip articles, rotate the stock and purge the containers regularly and ruthlessly. See 52 Categorize Newspaper and Magazine Clippings.

6. Store art and craft supplies in stackable containers that fit on your bookshelves or in a portable chest or rolling bin that can be tucked out of the way.

7. Set up a basket or box for pet toys. Train your pet so he or she knows where to find those toys--and, if you're smart, to put them away!

Tips & Warnings

• Slip a folding card table under the couch, and pull it out for puzzles, games and short-term art and craft projects.
• Place a large basket or bin in a corner for things that find their way to the family room but belong elsewhere. Return the contents of this basket to their proper places regularly.