Storage Space

By Kathy Flaxman

The vestibule and entranceway are stunning: luminescent, with an inviting cushioned window seat and graciously proportioned armoire cabinets, all in the palest of cream lacquer. Visitors to this charming home are immediately impressed. Upon entering the gracious living room, little do they know, they are actually in the home?s main storage area.

Meredyth, a busy mother of two children under the age of three, runs a successful design/build business with her husband Brad. She also cleverly devised the storage plan in her entranceway. When toys, baby clothes, CDs, DVDs, coats, and shoes, were on the verge of becoming overwhelming, storage consisting of drawers, boxes, shelves, and cubbies stemmed the tide. Some are designed to look like seating, others form a fireplace surround in the living room, and overall the amount of packaway potential is astounding.

"We used existing space in our living room and hall, and added some space too," says Meredyth. "My plan is to create little homes, assigned places for everything. This allows a family like ours to reserve an area for sophisticated living and maintain sanity."

Storage is everyone's little secret. Things accumulate, stacked in every corner, stuffed in every bottom drawer, and draped on every available flat surface, resulting in an avalanche of clutter instead of an atmosphere of good taste and beauty.

Furniture and solutions using places that already exist, are ideal. Meredyth's solution is actually several cabinets packed with goodies like drawers and shelves for lots of stowing. The idea is to creatively claim space by using, for example, the areas underneath and overtop of existing cabinets: a drawer for dog food in the empty toe kick under the kitchen cabinets; placing trays and collectibles on top of cabinets throughout the home; or employing bins on wheels in hard to reach spots means clutter can be neatly zipped under the bed.

Along these lines, the Murphy bed is undergoing a new popularity, folded up by day and utterly invisible, but swooping down at night sometimes complete with end tables for bedside reading material. Some bathroom storage units are actually made to be installed between the joists.

All out of nooks and crannies? Use your walls and ceilings for storage. Hanging items works well in every room from kitchen (utensils and pots) to bedroom (clothes on hooks and open rails) to home office (suspend your files above your desk to free up space for creativity). All things stainless steel and minimalist are hot today, and sleek hooks and hangers are out there, waiting to clear up your clutter.

In a truly ingenious bent, the clutter-buster becomes the décor in basketry and specialty boxes. A trunk that doubles as a coffee table holds linens and cutlery, laid out in nifty wooden trays. Decorative screens are artifacts themselves, often lacquered and intricately inlaid, but covering a stash of dishes or clothing.An ottoman may be a footrest, but it can be a coffee table too, or a side table, and models are available that can be packed full with treasures.

Neat Suggestions!

Use space in the home that is currently empty, beneath beds or cabinets. Use devices such as bins on wheels.

Put attractive items on display and rotate them for a revolving décor.

Edit and purge: there's only so much space. Hold a sale or trade with your friends, but rid yourself of items not in use.

Once you've cleared and stored the clutter, don't regress and let it take over again.

Use labels, if you can't find it you can't use it!

Investigate the latest in storage technology. Hardware items are sold in pleasing retail locations. You can enjoy the experience while making your life easier too.