Hidden Storage with a Twist

When I renovated my basement earlier this year, I created a great family hangout space with a couch, TV, and ping-pong table. We’ve been using it constantly – my kids with their friends, family movie nights, the works. But there was one problem that kept bugging me: we had nowhere to store our board games and gaming systems, and no place to set drinks while hanging out on the couch.

I didn’t want to add another bulky cabinet to the room – that would just eat up more space. Then I saw a video from Andy Klein where he mounted 3D printers under a standing desk, and it got me thinking. What if I could create a narrow table behind the couch that could lift up to reveal hidden storage underneath? I ended up buying two adjustable standing desk frames that could extend up to 72 inches each, enough to span the length of our couch setup.

The build started with designing two different storage units in Autodesk Fusion (and btw, you can learn to do this too with our Fusion course). One cabinet was specifically laid out for board games, with shelf spacing that would accommodate most of our collection. The other cabinet was designed to hold video game systems, with space for controllers and wiring. Both units would mount underneath a butcher block top that would attach to the desk frames.

I could have used plywood for the top, but since this was going to be a piece of furniture we’d use every day, I went with a 39-inch wide island-style butcher block. By cutting it in half lengthwise, I got both 17-inch pieces I needed, and it actually came out cheaper than buying two standard 24-inch pieces. The butcher block wasn’t light – but the desk frames can handle over 300 pounds each, so weight wasn’t going to be an issue.

The cabinets themselves were pretty straightforward – just plywood with pocket holes and adjustable shelves. I added edge banding to hide the plywood edges and give everything a cleaner look. The tricky part was mounting everything to the desk frames, which I had to cut down to make narrower. I designed and 3D printed some custom end caps to cover the cut steel legs and make everything look finished.

The standard desk controls weren’t going to work well behind the couch, so I got creative. I’d recently done a project with a motorized projector screen where I used an Arduino to add voice control through my smart home system. I applied the same concept here, modifying the desk controllers so I could raise and lower the storage with voice commands. As a bonus, I added an inductive charger, USB ports, and power outlets to the top surface for convenient phone charging and power access.

The final result turned out better than I expected. When everything’s closed, it looks like a normal sofa table – a perfect spot for drinks and phones. But with a quick voice command, the whole thing lifts up to reveal our gaming storage. The motors are surprisingly quiet, and the movement is smooth even with the cabinets fully loaded. It wasn’t a cheap project – standing desk frames and butcher block aren’t exactly budget materials – but the functionality made it worth the investment.

Sometimes the best solutions come from using things in ways they weren’t intended for. This project took a standing desk mechanism and turned it into a piece of furniture that solved multiple problems at once: we got the drink holders we needed, hidden storage for our games, and it all tucks away neatly when we don’t need it. Plus, the voice control feature still makes me smile every time I use it. It’s exactly the kind of project I love – something that looks simple but has some clever engineering hiding underneath. Thanks for joining me, now go make something awesome!