A basement is a fabulous addition to any home as it can provide an extra area to gather family, entertain guests, and rest and relax. Maybe you’ve transformed your basement into your own private movie theater, a game room with a pool table and bar, or a fitness center with all your workout equipment. Or, maybe you have an unfinished basement and simply use it to stash all your random belongings.
No matter how you use your basement, this space offers endless storage space for your items. To help you make the most of that area, we have created a handy guide with all our favorite basement storage ideas. Below, we offer the best unfinished and finished basement storage ideas so you can find a proper place to keep all your belongings, from your arts and crafts to your lawn equipment.
You can incorporate many basement storage ideas into your decor if you have a finished basement. Consider incorporating some storage solutions into your lower level, whether your basement serves as your family room, playroom, or simply as extra space for storing overflow items.
What might look like an ordinary piece of furniture may feature hidden storage! Many kinds of furniture, like couches and ottomans, are designed to provide storage space. Look for sofas with storage compartments under the cushions and ottomans with lids. This dual-functioning furniture lets you tuck away all your belongings without anyone knowing your little storage secret.
Adding bookshelves and armoires to your basement setup is one simple way to add storage space. Make room on the bookshelf for storing items like photo albums, puzzles, and board games, and then create space in your armoire for organizing your extra bedding, seasonal clothing, or even exercise equipment like your yoga mat and dumbbells. The best part of an armoire is that you can hide all your things behind the cupboard doors.
If you have a TV in your basement, search for an entertainment console with various drawers and shelves—the more compartments, the merrier! This way, you can easily find a home for all your items, from your video game gear and magazine collection to your vinyl records and DVDs.
Bins and baskets make great storage receptacles but can also elevate your decor. Mix and match the materials of the bins and baskets to add texture. For example, you could get a collection of woven baskets, wooden bins, and metal baskets and neatly arrange them on the floor next to your couch, on your coffee table, or along your bookshelf.
Shelves provide another way to expand your storage space while enhancing your basement’s decor. For basement storage shelf ideas, we like the look of modular and floating shelves. You can use these shelves to display items like your books or action figure collection or to hold your bins, baskets, and boxes.
We love how a big wooden vintage chest looks in a room, especially how much space it can offer! Antique boxes and toy chests make the ultimate basement storage room ideas because you can hide all sorts of things inside, such as your spare blankets, holiday decor, games, exercise equipment, and so much more.
Look for side tables, desks, and coffee tables with lids, drawers, and storage compartments to keep all your knick-knacks, from office supplies to remote controls. You can strategically place these next to couches and sofas or tuck them against a wall or in a corner to make them more discrete.
For this storage idea for your basement, consider cubbies. After all, cubbies offer an easy way to encourage organization. You can use them to store your kids’ toys, arts and crafts supplies, books, and even video game consoles. Search for minimalistic ones to match the decor of your family room, or select plastic ones to complement the playroom. For extra organization points, label each cubby so everything has a proper home.
Just because you need a home for particular items doesn’t mean you have to tuck them away out of sight. Sometimes, showing off your items and turning them into your decor can provide a storage solution in and of itself. For instance, mount hooks on the walls to put your guitar collection on display, lean a ladder against the wall to highlight your favorite quilted blankets, or get a curio cabinet to show off all your vintage dolls.
Haven’t gotten around to finishing your basement? No sweat! You can implement plenty of basement storage ideas to take advantage of all that empty space.
When it comes to basement storage room ideas, you can’t go wrong with storage racks. Stock up on some floor-to-ceiling storage racks and line the walls with them. Then, neatly stack your belongings on each shelf so you can see what you have and find it when needed.
We’re major advocates of deck boxes for outdoor spaces, so why not place some in your basement? These sturdy storage containers are spacious enough to hold various items, from camping gear to hardware. These deck boxes keep your items organized and out of the way.
Storage bins are forever our go-to storage option because they make storing your items a breeze. Load up your items in clear plastic storage bins, label the outside so you know what’s inside, and then stack them on a shelf or tuck them in a corner. These bins are your friend if you’re looking for under-the-stairs storage solutions!
If you’re not concerned with the aesthetics of your basement, then cardboard boxes offer a solid storage solution. Stock up on some cardboard boxes for holding your seasonal items or overflow belongings that you don’t use daily, and write what’s inside on the outside of each box. If you decide to go this route, just be sure you’re not storing them in an area of your basement that gets humid or damp, as it could ruin the boxes and the items inside.
Mounting shelves along your unfinished basement’s walls will instantly provide additional space for your belongings. Line up clear plastic bins on the shelves or group similar items together, like your holiday decor or gardening equipment, so it’s easy to track down specific things when needed.
Pegboards are an easy DIY basement storage idea that can work wonders in your unfinished basement. Simply hang a pegboard on an open wall, add some hooks and baskets, and then use it to store all your odds and ends. You could even set up several pegboards dedicated to certain things, like one for your gift-wrapping supplies and another for your tools, such as hammers, nails, and screwdrivers.
If you like the pegboard item but have bigger items you want to store, such as bikes or garden tools, install some heavy-duty hooks along the wall. This way, you can easily mount your heavier belongings on the wall, keeping them from cluttering your floorspace.
Lockers can make a neat addition to your unfinished basement, but they’re especially handy if you want to store valuables, like your skis and snowboards, with a combination lock. Pick up a row of them and designate each to a category of items. For instance, one locker could hold all your sports equipment, like soccer balls, lacrosse sticks, and rollerblades, while another could keep your yard tools, like rakes and shovels. Add labels to the outside so you know where to find everything.
Still can’t find a place to keep all your items? It might be time to rent a storage unit, then. Storage units offer a convenient space to keep those belongings you don’t have space for in your home. For example, you could store all your watersport gear that you only use during the summer months or your massive collection of Halloween decorations you bring out each October. And the best part? You can find storage units in all sizes, ensuring enough space for all your items.
Stor-It is the oldest and largest storage facility in Idaho, making us the experts in the storage industry. We help you decide what to use and where to store your items. We also feature more than 15 convenient storage locations around the Treasure Valley, such as Boise, Nampa, Meridian, Caldwell, Donnelly, and McCall.
Ready to find a storage unit near you? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help!