Every home we've lived in seems to be full of dead space alcoves, so we've been looking around for ways to put these suckers to good use. Here are a few ideas, from book shelves to lounge spots to extra seating.

• Landing Strip. Of course, this works best if it's situated by a door, but you can take the sample principles that make this nook successful to any other part of the house: add wall paper or paint to give the space prominence, add hooks or simple shelves for storage, and perhaps a bench for extra seating. I've found that highlighting architectural oddities like these rather than ignoring them makes a home much more interesting.

• Display Gallery. Making use of every square inch of his Inspired & Eclectic Studio, Stefan, created this narrow display and storage space from an empty nook in his bathroom. He painted the back wall the same color as the bathroom ceiling and main room's accent wall to create contrast. After painting he constructed simple shelves to fit the space. He filled the most of the shelves with family photos, but also devoted one shelf at the bottom with cleaning supplies decked out in attractive containers.

• Built in Seating. Based on the same principle as the window seat, built in alcove seating is a way to add character and function to dead space. Go about building the seat, the same way you would a window seat using stock kitchen cabinets. You can check out This Old House's DIY instructions here.

• Reading Nook/Lounge Spot. Lisa McDonald from Restyled Home created a reading spot for her daughter, complete with curtains for privacy and style.

What ways have you put your dead space nooks to use?

(Images: 1: House to Home, 2: Leah Moss for Stefan's Inspired and Eclectic Studio, 3: Graham & Greene, 4: Restyled Home)