Even before I had kids, I was a dog person, and my house was full of dog crap. Now that I had a second child (a human this time), my house quickly turned into one giant storage unit, with baby gear and pet toys scattered throughout every room. I knew I couldn’t live like this for long, so I started looking for clever and beautiful ways to hide the stuff I didn’t want people to see.
In my home, clear plastic storage containers are hidden in cabinets and drawers, and other things are hidden so cleverly you wouldn’t even know they were there. An ottoman with a hollow center is my best-kept secret for storing stuffed animals and baby blankets in the living room. The TV stand looks pretty, but behind those doors I hide countless squeaky dog ​​toys. The book on the shelf isn’t real; it’s actually a secret stash of baby pacifiers, just in case.
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If your current coffee table is just a coffee table with no secret storage compartments worth mentioning, you’re living in the past. While some styles may seem obvious, it’s almost impossible not to notice that this gorgeous Art Deco table folds out to reveal plenty of storage space inside. The interior is divided into two compartments, both of which are large enough for magazines, laptops, and remote controls, but I personally like to store baby blankets and stuffed animals here. The interior is perfect for my baby seat, and it folds up so I can put it away when not in use. The other side, the desk, is perfect for people who work from home who can also use it as a desk. The front is all business, and the back is all party.
I really should police this advice, or at least trademark it, but we parents have to stick together. There’s a shelf on the end table where I keep the TV where I keep some of my favorite books, but in between some of the more read books, I’ll put a few fake books to hold things like pacifiers and teethers. It drives me crazy to see pacifiers strewn across the floor or stuffed into every crevice of the couch, so having a “zone” for them means I can always find one.
From a design standpoint, I love the idea of ​​floating boxes, but when you combine it with the invisible storage feature, I just can’t get enough. It eliminates the need for a nightstand, adds more floor space, and doesn’t take up the space I need to store drinks, bottles, and snacks. This box is a great place to store your dog’s many tennis balls. (I used to have a lot of tennis balls scattered around the dog bed, and my dog ​​would even sleep right on them.) Even though the balls are no longer visible, my dog ​​still remembers them and sits in front of the box when he wants to play. And as an added bonus, I don’t have to worry about my toddler mistaking the dog’s toys for his own and putting them in his mouth. Oh my!