• Use a storage ottoman with a removable top to stash books or blankets.contemporary style ottoman image by James Phelps from Fotolia.com
  
  Furniture probably takes up most of the free square feet in your home, but it can also help you save space. Furniture with storage capacity multi-tasks by combining storage, function and style. You don't always need to purchase new pieces to maximize your hidden storage; make some quick alterations to existing furniture to cleverly re-purpose what was once wasted space for storage.
  
  

Skirting the Issue

• Add a skirt to a coffee table or end table to create an instant opportunity for storage. Store books, magazines and remote controls under small skirted accessory tables. Skirt a long sofa table and place it against the wall to make an entertainment center with hidden media storage.
  
  

Under the Bed

• Platform beds are built on mostly hollow frames; drawers that slide on metal rollers fit easily under these frames. Use platform beds with built-in drawers to eliminate the need for a chest of drawers in a small room and add more storage to rooms overflowing with clothes or clutter.
  
  

Trunks

• Trunks, either vintage or new, lend a sense of history and sophistication to a room; they also provide excellent hidden storage. Use smaller trunks in the bedroom as nightstands as well as for linen or shoe storage; larger trunks with flat tops make excellent coffee tables and as blanket and DVD storage.
  
  

Benches, Window Seats and Ottomans

• Storage ottomans, benches and window seats all work on a similar "genius-in-its-simplicity" concept: Create a hollow square, rectangle or cylinder; engineer a removable top; and upholster. Benches are the perfect spot to sit to remove rain gear in your mud room; simply stash your gear inside when you're finished. Place a window seat in your living area, breakfast nooks or bedroom to hide away cookbooks, toys, books and other miscellaneous items. Upholstered storage benches and ottomans do triple duty; use them as comfy seats, attractive footrests and storage for winter blankets and off-season decor.
  
  

Armoire

• The armoire is a tall piece of furniture which has space for large items or a clothing rod in the top area and has several drawers below; all this storage is usually hidden behind double doors, making the armoire an excellent choice for furniture storage. Place the versatile armoire in a formal dining room as storage for china, in the bedroom to create extra closet space, or in the living room as general storage; or re-purpose it as an entertainment center for a modestly sized TV.