Storage furniture for stowing away all kinds of things and occasional furniture such as coffee tables are often underestimated. Yet, they play a crucial role in every household.
Where else would all the small items, books, dishes, and other cherished household goods go? Where else is there space for the remote control, snacks, drinks, and other things you absolutely need for a TV night?
Occasional furniture, and especially storage furniture, therefore plays a significant role in the home, even if one might not believe it at first glance. They help shape a room and create atmosphere, but are often neglected. And alongside the 'stars' in the living and dining room – i.e., the sofa and dining table – it is they that ensure well-being in our four walls.
In addition to the available space in a room, the material, the furnishing style, and of course your own taste, there is one criterion that is important for all occasional furniture: How much storage space do you need?
Let's look at the different storage furniture from this perspective.
The Wall Unit
Classic wall units, which fill an entire living room wall with a closed front, are rather outmoded today. Modern wall units are not only practical and offer plenty of storage space, but are also very versatile and flexible. They usually consist of several storage furniture modules that could also be placed individually.
Most commonly, one finds a combination of a lowboard for the television, display cabinets, and highboards, and various hanging elements such as shelves and wall cabinets. Due to the modular design of the wall unit, there are many surfaces and storage options, as well as ample opportunities for decoration. Integrated light sources that illuminate display cabinets from within also create an atmospheric effect.
The Lowboard and TV Board
Lowboards are storage furniture, just lower. The height is usually between 30 and 60 cm, making it ideal for placing a flat screen and for a relaxed viewing angle from the sofa.
Depending on the length of the TV unit, other devices can be placed on top, or you can decorate the surface with your decorative items. In the lower part of the lowboard, technical devices such as receivers, DVD/BluRay players, or game consoles can be stored, along with corresponding accessories. Most lowboards already have drilled holes on the back for routing cables and connecting various devices.
The Sideboard
A sideboard is a rather elongated piece of storage furniture, usually under 120 - 140 cm in height and up to 250 cm in width. It usually has more open shelves than drawers and therefore offers plenty of space for items you want to display openly. All the things you don't want everyone to see immediately can then be hidden in the drawers and behind the cabinet doors.
A sideboard looks good in any room. In the living room, books or DVDs can be stored very well in such a sideboard, while in the dining room, dishes can be accommodated.
The Chest of Drawers
A chest of drawers is usually less wide than a sideboard and more compact in terms of dimensions. Therefore, chests of drawers are also well-suited for small rooms. Another difference to the sideboard is the distribution of storage surfaces. Chests of drawers primarily have drawers or cabinet doors, hardly any open storage surfaces, making them true masters of storage furniture.
The Highboard
Highboards are typically over 100 cm high, but not quite as tall as a classic wardrobe. They offer ample storage space and a variety of options: doors, drawers, open compartments, and glass inserts leave little to be desired in terms of storage space and display areas.
Everything you don't necessarily need to see goes into drawers and behind normal doors; you can display your treasures on open shelves or behind glass compartments. The open parts of the highboard make it visually light and, above all, not as bulky as a wardrobe.
The Display Cabinet and the Freestanding Shelf
These two are the presenters among storage furniture and are usually up to 2 m high. The main difference is that in a display cabinet, the surfaces of the individual levels are dust-proof protected by glass, while a freestanding shelf has no glass doors or side panels. Display cabinets are therefore more often used for more delicate and valuable pieces, which can often also be highlighted by integrated lighting.
The Classic Wardrobe
Large, usually with hinged doors and plenty of space. A wardrobe is usually found in the bedroom, but can of course also be used in the living room. Instead of clothes rails, shelves are then installed, on which everything imaginable can be stored, from books to CDs to dishes and supplies for the dining room and living room.
The wardrobe as a piece of storage furniture is related to the chest of drawers, just much larger. In modern and rather minimally furnished living spaces, the classic wardrobe as a piece of storage furniture is less common today; the aforementioned pieces of furniture are usually the first choice here.
The Coffee Table
In most cases, the coffee table is the focal point of the living room, as it stands in front of the sofa and is the first thing that catches the eye. It offers enough space for the remote control, TV guide, snacks, drinks, or other things you like to have within reach on the sofa.
Some coffee tables have additional storage space under the top, either with drawers or a second shelf level. Here, items that you don't need to see immediately but are useful for a relaxed TV evening can be stored.
Important for the coffee table is its size - it must match the sofa. For small two-seaters, a square coffee table is more suitable; for larger seating areas and living landscapes, it can certainly be one size larger. Also important: the material - wood is less sensitive; with glass, you immediately see every fingerprint and every speck of dust. A beautiful coffee table becomes an annoyance if it doesn't have the functions you desired or if you're constantly cleaning it.
The Side Table
Small but exquisite: A side table is a small table that serves, for example, as a surface next to the living room armchair and sofa, providing additional storage space within reach. Due to its compact size, it is versatile, can be quickly repositioned, and is therefore useful in many situations when additional space is needed.
It is usually a little taller than a classic coffee table, so glasses and snacks are easier to reach without anything tipping over. And a side table can also be used as a bedside table substitute and as an additional storage surface at the workplace - flexible, as needed.
