Creative Ways To Make Outdoor Room Storage Attractive Or Invisible

Creative Ways To Make Outdoor Room Storage Attractive Or Invisible

Look at photos of outdoor rooms in magazines or on Pinterest or Houzz and you’ll see they all have something in common: no clutter. That’s because clutter ruins the look and feel of a room, not to mention impacts its safety.

Unfortunately, most homes are jam-packed with clutter. The average U.S. home contains 300,000 individual items, which is why home organization has become an $8 billion industry over the past two decades.

Just like indoor rooms, outdoor rooms can quickly become cluttered if there isn’t sufficient storage. If it’s not built-in from the beginning, adding it later can help – but it might always look a bit tacked on. 

The best solution is to plan ahead and build storage right into your outdoor room design. Here are some of the best ideas we’ve seen for storage in outdoor rooms.

Within-Wall Storage

One of the most innovative storage solutions in outdoor landscape design is the use of built-in nooks for within-wall storage. Walls are built with special carved-out sections that contain all sorts of things. 

These items can be kept within view, if well organized, or hidden behind doors if you prefer. Use within-wall storage for:

  • Firewood storage
  • Blankets and pillows
  • Seasonal decor
  • Sports gear and games
  • Grills and heaters
  • Cookware and serving plates

Invisible Hidden Storage

Another option is hidden storage that’s built deep into the structure of your outdoor room and totally invisible to the naked eye. Unlike in-wall nooks and shelves, this form of storage is kept completely out of view with the help of some creative design thinking.

By using natural stone or a modern engineered product that imitates the look of real stone, you can build secret doors and drawers that are custom-made for your precise storage needs. Match the look of the storage door to the rest of the materials, and people will never know it’s there.

This is a great way to hide away the things you only use periodically, like outdoor heaters, fans, decor, holiday light displays, and more. Your room designer can recommend push-in door hinges and other specialty hardware that keeps these storage spaces invisible.

In-Seat Storage

Here’s another clever way to hide the clutter. When you’re designing your outdoor room’s seating areas, build storage underneath the seats. 

Benches and low seating walls naturally have perfect storage spaces, if you design them correctly. And they’re the ideal spot to keep snuggly things like pillows and blankets nearby, so you can quickly grab them on a chilly autumn evening.

Storage seats should be both functional and comfortable to use. It’s worth investing in high-quality under-seat storage to ensure these spaces are well-designed enough to keep out rain, ice, snow, and all the little critters that live outdoors.

Drawers and Cabinets

Does your outdoor room include an outdoor kitchen and/or dining space? If so, you’ll need storage for all of the cooking, eating, and drinking activities that happen in these areas.

Talk to your landscape designer about drawers, cabinets, cubbies, hooks, and specialty storage options for cookware and appliances. With a keen eye for design and some thoughtful planning, your dining space will have exactly the storage you need to keep everything organized.

Adding Storage to an Outdoor Room

Need an outdoor room that’s beautiful and functional, with plenty of storage? Connect with Architectural Landscape Design, Inc., a residential design-build company serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. 

The outdoor spaces we design are fun to use and add significant value to your home. Let’s talk about creative storage solutions that help you get the most out of your outdoor room.