Expert designers share their favorite dining-room storage tips. From bookshelves and floating shelves to buffets and baskets, discover what works best for your space and design style.

Child-friendly drawers. For a house with young children, dining-room-storage solutions must be child-friendly and clever enough to keep little hands away. Designer Christopher Grubb recommends using bench storage or a window seat with drawers to keep curiosity at bay.

Shared-purpose storage. Bench seating is ideal for a dining area with limited space. Designer Layla Palmer says creativity is key for small spaces. “Bench seats with lidded tops can hide your Tupperware!” she says.

Simple and elegant. Even the simplest piece can stand out in a large dining area. “A shelf with a couple of statement pieces or something on top of a buffet or a serving surface is a great way to make a focal point,” designer Luis Caicedo says.

Organized and functional baskets. If your dining area serves as a multipurpose room for the kids, designer Lori Dennis suggests baskets and lots of them. “Somehow, at the end of the day when all of the toys or books are in them, a room looks neat and friendly,” she says. Mix baskets of different shapes and sizes to accommodate the stored-away items.

Stylish and efficient shelving. Display shelves are the best storage idea for small spaces, Grubb suggests. “Wall-mounted cabinets or narrow display shelves … make the room appear larger and more open,” he says.

Multifunctional dining. Bookshelves can represent any decorating style. In her dining-room design, Dennis prefers tall bookshelves to create a multifunctional space for the entire family. “I love using bookcases to line a dining room with room for storage baskets. It automatically allows the space to do double duty,” she says.

Open cubbies and shelves. Open storage solutions, like shelves and cubbies, allow books, dishes and favorite pieces to be proudly showcased.

Traditional storage cabinet. For a traditional dining room, Caicedo suggests using an antique buffet or china cabinet to keep special-occasion items safely stored but still ready to use. “A buffet is always a great surface when having guests, especially in a small home where space is an issue.”