Top 7 behind the sofa storage and décor ideas

Unless you’re going for the ultra-minimalist lifestyle advocated by the likes of Marie Kondo, the chances are you’re going to need some storage in your living room. Even if you have cut down on your possessions, you probably still need a place to stow things like magazines, books, cables, chargers and more in your living space. We all know how clutter can get on top of us.

Dedicated living room storage can be really useful but it can also take up plenty of space – not ideal if your living area is on the smaller side. Which is why we think it’s a good idea to try and make use of behind sofa storage. This otherwise ‘dead space’ can be simply transformed into a useful storage area in a number of ways.

Here are seven of our favourite behind sofa décor and storage ideas.

Floating shelves

The wall space behind the sofa is often wasted, save for a few pictures or maybe a mirror. But we say use this space to store. A couple of floating shelves can be securely fixed to the wall, providing space for books, ornaments and more. Plus, the way you manoeuvre in and out of a sofa means there’s no chance of bumping your head into the shelf behind the sofa. You can reclaim valuable cubic feet of storage space in this way.

Sofa table

If you have a small living room, you might not think a sofa table will fit behind the couch. But even the thinnest table space of around 15 to 20 cm wide can be a great place to store phones, books, cups of tea, lamps and more.

There are some great hacks out there that allow you to turn pieces of furniture into pull out and hidden behind sofa storage options. Try to keep the table at the same height or lower than the back of the sofa, even if it’s a classic low backed mid-century look like the Swyft Model 01. Of course, if you have a radiator behind the sofa you need to keep this as clear as possible.

Extra sockets

Need a handy place to charge your phone? Tired of crawling under the side table to the plug socket? Then why not build one into your behind sofa storage? Cabled plug socket extensions are available and quickly and easily installed into any flat surface providing a useful charging station behind your sofa. A great way of making use of those otherwise redundant sockets behind the couch.

Light it up

As long as you’ve got power back there, why not use it for some lighting? A behind the sofa lamp at either end will cast gentle light down onto the seating area, bring out the colours and allow you to read without the main light on.

The sofa divider

Of course, not all sofas are up against the wall. Others stand freely in the middle of the room or even divide open plan living spaces. Make use of this false wall and enhance it with further storage options. Add an open-backed bookshelf or behind the sofa table to further reinforce the division of space and create a useful storage area. This works especially well with corner sofas like the Swyft Model 03, which gives you great flexibility in terms of your choice of furniture for behind the sofa.

The bookshelf behind the sofa

As distinct from the floating shelves, a bookshelf behind the sofa can be floor standing and makes a great place to store all books, DVDs, music and more in an easy to reach and out of the way place. Plus, you can choose a colour that really compliments your fabric sofa choice. One of the classic behind sofa wall ideas.

Plants

Plants add an extra dimension to any space and behind the sofa is a great place to put them. They’re out of the way and protected from damage. They can have a calming effect and add a dash of natural green. Team with a mirror behind the sofa to reflect more green into the room.

Of course, all of your behind sofa storage options depend on you having the right sofa for your space. Take a closer look at the Swyft Model 02 and other sofas in the range for stylish yet modern mid-century designs.

Our 24h delivery sofas are flat packed for convenience and offer contemporary and comfortable style. You can get help buying the right sofa for your space with the small space buying guide and, to make sure you’re accurate, a handy guide on sofa dimensions and measuring.