Has your home felt cramped this winter? Was it overflowing with people and presents during the holidays? Are you coming down with cabin fever and dying for spring to come? The bad news is spring is still a ways away, but the good news is that you can add extra storage to your home anytime. Whether you need something small, like storage bins, or something big, like a home remodel, you’ll need some storage inspiration to get started. Check out these home essential storage ideas and 2022 organizing trends!
Hide Your Storage
Don’t solve your storage problems by purchasing another shelving unit or dresser — those will just take up more space in the long run. Instead, invest in hidden storage solutions that’ll help you utilize your space more efficiently without creating more bulk. Keeping your home neat will provide the peace and visual harmony that comes with minimalism, while all your favorite items are still accessible, hidden in nearby nooks and crannies!
- Multifunctional Furniture. Make the most of your space by investing in furniture equipped with hidden or surprise storage solutions. Try a sofa with storage compartments built-in underneath the cushions; a lift-top coffee table; a floor lamp with an attached shelf or table; or a hollowed-out ottoman.
- Pullouts. Pullout features allow you to add storage in unsuspecting areas where it can easily be hidden away. These features can be particularly helpful in a kitchen remodel since pretty much everyone could use more space in their kitchen. A pull-down kitchen table saves floor space and stores salt and pepper shakers, utensils, and other small items when fastened shut. You could also store items in a slide-out rack between your countertop and fridge. Or, if you need more cooking and preparation space, install an extendable kitchen countertop.
- Door Organizers. Doors of any kind — pantry, cabinet, and otherwise — are a great place to store materials that you don’t want getting in your way. Use a cabinet door organizer to store hair straighteners, cleaners, and more in your bathroom; over-the-door hooks to hold bags or scarves in your closet, and many-pocketed shoe organizers to hold anything from snacks in your pantry to tools in your garage.
- Under the bed. The unused space underneath your bed is the perfect place for extra storage, but don’t just shove your out-of-season clothes and extra bed sheets under there. Keep the underneath of your bed organized and easy to navigate with long, flat storage containers, or get a little fancier and purchase a bed frame with built-in drawers.
- Mirror cabinets. You may think of medicine cabinets as old-fashioned eyesores, but now they’re back in style as a 2022 modern storage solution. Medicine cabinets can keep your bathroom counter from being cluttered with lotions, toothpaste, and so on; but don’t stop in your bathroom. Any mirror in your house can become a hidden storage space with behind-the-mirror cabinets. To modernize the look, have your medicine cabinet inset into the wall or add a backlight for extra ambient lighting.
Or Put Your Storage on Display
It’s understandable why you’d want to tuck your storage out of sight — you want your clutter out of sight and out of mind! But you may be missing an opportunity to turn your storage into something more. With a little bit of ingenuity, you can create decorative storage that's functional, looks great, and contributes to your home’s overall aesthetic!
- Floating Bookshelves & Cabinets. Bookshelves, cabinets, side tables, etc. make for great storage, but sometimes these large pieces of furniture can dominate the room and make it feel smaller. Floating furniture is one solution to this predicament. By affixing a floating bookshelf or vanity to the wall, the space underneath — where the furniture legs normally would go — is freed up. You can use this space to store items in baskets or leave this space empty to make the room feel more breathable.
- Create Wall Art. When you think outside of the box, your storage can be more than just that — it can be art. Start by finding an empty wall in your home and fill it with stylish storage hooks, hangers, floating shelves, shadow boxes, pegboards, etc. These elements will turn drab empty wall space into a visually interesting and functional wall display. In your entryway, try hanging coats, umbrellas, keys, helmets, pursues, and anything else that might be eating up space in your closets. You can also hang a pegboard in your kitchen for utensils or a wall organizer in your bedroom for jewelry!
- Transitional Spaces. Sometimes creative wall hangings and hidden storage spaces just aren’t enough to store all the things you need. In that case, it’s appropriate to consider adding a transitional space during your 2022 remodel. Transitional spaces are rooms full of drawers, cabinets, and shelving, usually adjoining two separate spaces. A mudroom, for example, is a transitional space between the outside and the rest of your home. There you can store extra blankets, towels, cleaning supplies, shoes, coats, and it can serve as a holding place for incoming or outgoing packages or groceries. One transitional space that’s in for 2022 is Butler pantries. These long corridors between the kitchen and dining room were first popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. But now they’re back in vogue, no doubt due to the fact that the extra space they provide keeps your kitchen clean and uncluttered.
- IKEA TRONES. IKEA’s TRONES shoe cabinet has been around for a while, but the affordable storage drawers seem to be everywhere nowadays as homeowners look for storage that’s as stylish as they are. TRONES are the epitome of versatility: they can sit on the ground or hang on the wall; they can be stacked vertically or horizontally; plus they can be easily customized to fit your aesthetic. However, TRONES are narrow in depth, so they work best for the storage of small items.
- Use all Your Available Space. Any empty surface or space in your home can be used for storage. An unused nook under your stairs can be transformed into a storage space for everyday household items and you can display extra pots, pans, and cutting boards in the space above your kitchen cabinets. Spend some time surveying your home, identify areas that are going unused, then figure out how you can create more storage without sacrificing style!
If you’re drowning in stuff, it’s time to consider whether your home is giving you the space and storage you need. If it’s not, we’re the remodeler to help you fix it! At Louisville Handyman, we offer everything from handyman to remodeling services so we can provide the perfect storage solutions for your needs. Contact us to get started.