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Do you ever feel like your belongings are multiplying faster than rabbits? It’s funny how possessions can creep up on us, and January is often a month when a lack of storage at home rears its bothersome head, what with Christmas presents to find homes for.
Whatever your reason, if you’re looking to head into a New Year with a blitz on clutter, here are some practical, effective storage ideas for every room in the house.
Living Room
Go vertical: Ditch the bulky coffee table and opt for nesting tables or chests with storage space inside. Hang shelves on walls to display books, photos, or decorative items. Put the space above a doorway to good use with floating shelves. That area in particular is almost always ignored as a storage space, but it’s perfect for all kinds of precious items you want to keep safe but on display.
Multifunction magic: Invest in furniture that pulls double duty, like a sofa bed, a cube storage unit, or a modular sofa that allows you to change seating arrangements. If you need a desk or a bookcase, choose a unit that doubles as both rather than two separate items.
Overlooked spaces: Instead of ignoring dead areas in a room such as the darker corners, maximise them by creating a relaxing and calm sitting or hobby area. Install a high shelf, a comfy chair or beanbag and some accent lighting. Add a cheerful plant or two to help create a cosy mood. Corner shelves are also useful when you’re trying to save space but add storage at the same time.
Kitchen
Wall-mounted space savers: Free up counter and cabinet space by hanging pots, pans, and utensils on rails or hooks. You could hang them from the ceiling or install hooks beneath a wall cabinet. Fit narrow shelves to the ends of floor cabinets, and use magnetic knife strips for both safety and to save drawer or counter space.
Tidied up drawers: Drawer dividers help to keep things organised and accessible. Use them for all the drawers, not just the cutlery draw. If saucepan lids are the bane of your life, try an organiser you can fit inside the cabinet door.
Appliance rethink: Reconsider which countertop appliances you have on display. From microwaves to air fryers, coffee machines and bread makers, it’s a wonder we have any work surfaces at all. If there are some you don’t use, or only use in phases, think about storage unit rental, either a room or a locker, to keep them in rather than filling up your cupboards. Self storage is useful for all kinds of items, not just kitchen gadgets, and can really help you make more room at home.
Bedroom
Bedtime brilliance: Choose a bed with built-in storage drawers or compartments such as a divan or ottoman style. If you have a frame bed, use the space underneath with rolling tubs or trundle drawers for seasonal clothing or extra bedding. Seasonal clothing, by the way, also makes a great addition to your self storage room, where you can have as many hanging rails or closets as you like to keep clothing pristine and crumple-free.
Use your walls: Try adding a shelf above the bed if you like to read before sleeping, and use pegboards or hooks on walls in the vanity or dressing area for jewellery and other accessories.
Spatial illusions: Hang a large mirror on any wall to open up the room and make it feel bigger. Choose a mirrored wardrobe or dresser if wall space is tight, or add the mirror to your existing, standard wardrobe. Mirrors also reflect light so you can use them to throw extra brightness into darker areas.
Bathroom
Shower solutions: Install a hanging shower organiser over the door of your shower cubicle or in a corner of the bath. Free up sink and counter space with wall-mounted soap dishes and dispensers. Corralling bottles and jars like this instantly makes the bath area feel more spacious, and also makes cleaning simpler and quicker.
Towel control: Install a towel rack or hooks behind the bathroom door or on the wall near the shower. Consider a ladder towel rack or swap a standard radiator for a towel warmer.
Sink hideaway: Install under-sink organisers or a vanity unit if there’s space, to keep cleaning supplies, toiletries, spare loo rolls and towels neatly tucked away. Fit shelves or hanging baskets for additional storage.
Try to regularly blitz the clutter by going through your belongings and deciding which to keep. Anything you want to keep but don’t use is ripe for inclusion in self storage, including kids toys they might want again in the future, or that you can save for new family additions. You’ll find the cost of self storage is reasonable, so worth investigating.
The less stuff you keep at home, the easier it is to keep things tidy and make your place feel more spacious throughout the year.