If you’re dealing with a shortage of space at home or simply looking to re-organise clutter, we’ve got some smart storage solutions that will give your floors more room to breathe. With just a little nip and tuck, you’ll be able to transform your space. Not only will storing away things help streamline daily life, the right kind of storage can also improve the aesthetics of your home.
Here are some clever space-saving storage ideas to try:
Every living room can benefit from shelving, to store books, a TV or other paraphernalia. You’ll get bonus points if you use it to highlight a focal feature such as a window. Whether you’re going for entirely custom-made or you’ve bought a unit where you can rearrange the shelves, create different compartments – some large, some small – for different items. Or enclose some compartments altogether (decorative boxes, too, will do the trick) to hide away the debris of everyday life.
Related: 4 Ways To Glam Up Your Bookshelf
Sofas, beds and consoles can all be custom-built with storage underneath. Or you can modify something you already have by sliding a few attractive boxes or baskets in the space below. The key is to think about the context of the room and what you might need to store there. In the bedroom, it’s all about stashing away bed linen, an extra quilt and pillows.
Trays are an invaluable storage tool. In fact, often we don’t give them enough credit. Position them all over the house to corral a selection of smaller items. In the living room, they can be used to anchor an otherwise “floating” assortment of accessories (or remote controls!). Pile them with a stack of books, candles and a vase of flowers. In the bathroom use them to tidy toiletries and tissues, hotel-style. In the kitchen or dining area, use one to store your everyday dinnerware to make setting the table a breeze. Wherever you use a tray, treat it like a display so it’s pretty as well as practical.
Just like trays, storage boxes are streamlining vessels that can be used all over the house. In the kitchen, if you’re not a fan of the traditional utensil bouquet in a jar, store your tongs, spatulas, wooden spoons et al in a lidded benchtop box. Simple, neat and sorted. Elsewhere in the home, do the same thing, particularly for less-attractive items like cotton buds and medicines in the bathroom. Speaking of which, you can even get specific boxes to tuck electrical cords out of the way.
Think outside the, ahem, box when it comes to where to position your storage. If you have a family member who has a habit of chucking their belongings on the floor, sneak some lowline storage baskets into their favourite dumping spots. Also, make the most of slim wall-mounted units or shelving. It’s the storage version of a vertical garden – maximum impact for minimal (or no) floorspace. These two tricks can be used in any room in the house.
Here we’re talking wine racks, letter racks and herb racks. Document trays, cutlery trays and accessory trays… well, you get the picture. Item-specific storage solutions are the final layer in organising your home. They come in great designs to work with your interior scheme and, best of all, they’re usually the easiest and most affordable to buy – every homewares, department and stationery store worth its salt will have a fine selection.
Text: Real Living/Bauer/Additional Reporting: Elizabeth Liew
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