Family rooms usually contain any number of the following items:
- TV
- DVD Player
- DVR
- Cable Box
- Stereo Equipment
- Couch
- Coffee Table
- Side Table
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Books
- CD's
- DVD's
To create a workable system out of all this, you've got to store items
where it makes the most sense.
DVD's: Place DVD's in the entertainment center that houses your TV
and DVD player. If that's not possible, look into media cabinets or
bookshelves or even apple crates stacked and painted to match the colors
in your room. Just make sure that wherever you store your DVD's they are
right next to the DVD player because if they aren't it is unlikely anyone
in your family will get up to put them away. Conversely if you make it
convenient, your family may be more likely to return DVD's to their
designated spot.
CD's: Store these in the same entertainment center as your stereo
system. Again, if that's not possible look to media cabinets, bookshelves
or apple crates placed next to your stereo components.
Books: Donate any books you will probably never read or refer to
again. Your local library will happily accept anything you can part
with. Remove remaining books from the coffee table. Place them in a
bookshelf next to the chair or couch where you do the most reading.
Magazines: If you haven't picked up a magazine in a month, recycle
it. If you're saving it for a particular article or recipe, rip it
out and put it in a 3 ring binder created for this purpose and recycle the
rest. Take remaining magazines off of tables too. Place them in
magazine racks that sit on the floor next to a couch or chair. Or try
double duty and look for an end table that comes with a built in magazine
rack.
Newspapers: Recycle anything older than 2 days. Place
remaining newspapers in a rectangular wicker basket placed right beside a
chair or couch.
Tables: Coffee tables and end tables can be big sources of clutter
in a family room. If you don't mind dusting, they are great for displaying
items. And accessories can really pull a room together. But if you
absolutely hate dusting adding accessories to tables will create more work
for you and can add to the cluttered feel of the room. If you do want to
accessorize tables, remember that less can be more!
Aside from display items, magazines and newspapers tables stack up with
papers and remotes. Any papers worth keeping can be filed in a filing
system. Remotes can be placed in smaller wicker baskets or serving trays
on one of the tables. By containing them in something it will give the
appearance of being less cluttered.
The point is to develop storage areas for your "stuff" that are
convenient to where it is used. Once you do that, the "system" for the
family room becomes putting items away right after they've been used. With
the convenience you've created, there now should be no reason not to!
