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Unless you’re blessed with a country mansion retreat, there’s sure to come a time when there’s just not enough storage at home.
It can get frustrating when there’s nowhere to put anything because all the cupboards are already full. If you ever feel like this, having a rethink and coming up with a couple of different storage ideas can quickly make the house feel like home again.
Find Those Underused Areas
There is bound to be the odd place around the house that isn’t being used to its full potential.
Walls are the obvious first choice, since most of us use them primarily for hanging photos or works of art. Hanging shelves are useful all over the house, whether you need extra space in the kitchen, somewhere for books in the bedroom, or a more organised home office area.
There’s a shelving style to suit just about every taste in decor, and something to fit every nook and cranny too. If you think you haven’t got space for any more shelves, have you considered the normally dead space above a door? Utilise this area in bathrooms for towel or toiletry storage, or in kids’ bedrooms to stow toys and games they don’t use very often.
Other places that can probably be put to better use include the space under the stairs. For lots of us, this becomes the general dumping ground – too big to waste but too small to actually be useful. But if you run a couple of narrow shelves around the inside or fix hooks to the walls, you have a space to stand or hang lots of odds and ends without piling them on the floor.
Divide to Conquer
A brilliant way to practically double the space you have available at home is to give up trying to house all your possessions at the same time. It’s becoming a popular and practical trend to rent a self storage unit to manage possessions and home organisation.
Working on a seasonal basis, you divide your possessions between summer and winter use, and store the items that are out of season. Include clothing, playthings, garden equipment and machinery, DIY tools, car spares and hobby necessities, or anything else that takes up space waiting for the seasons to change.
As well as making much more room for what you’re using at any given time, there’s an added benefit – everything feels new and fresh again when you retrieve it after a few months. Storing items for a few months also helps you put some distance between you and the item in question. It takes away the danger of seller’s remorse that can sometimes happen when you get rid of something permanently.
Make Furnishings Work Harder
All kinds of everyday furniture has built in storage, making it work much harder to earn its keep in the house.
- In Living Rooms – Consider storage footstools and occasional tables with shelves or drawers. You can also use decorative chests or ottomans to hold throws and blankets during summer, or as handy toy storage. These can function as extra seating if they’re sturdy, although you do have to resist piling stuff on top or you defeat the object.
- In Bedrooms – When it’s time to replace your beds, opt for divan or ottoman styles that have storage under the mattress. These are great for adults and kids as they can be used for spare linens and duvets or larger play or sports items.
Most wardrobes will offer more storage than you see at first glance. There’s no reason not to add a second rail if the closet is tall enough, or you could pop a shoe rack in the bottom if jumbled footwear is the bane of your life.
Other wardrobe expansion ideas include installing a craft drawer tower in the bottom for accessories or folded items and fixing a rail or hooks inside the door to hold bags, scarves, ties, or other hang-up items.
If none of those things work, invest in some collapsing hangers so you can hang several garments from one hook on the rail. They save loads of space.
It can be a challenge and take a little time to reorganise how you store things so the space you have works better for your lifestyle. Once you’ve tackled it though, the rewards are huge. From storage unit hire to shelving styles or functional furnishings, the answers are out there.
