Creative Storage Solutions for the Home
Pretty much anybody can attest to feeling at times overwhelmed by the organizational needs of their living space. If we’re not careful, personal belongings can accumulate over time, requiring different storage solutions. Luckily, it only takes a little bit of hard work and creativity to optimize your home storage situation, and a little bit of inspiration goes a long way when organizing the home. As such, this guide contains several suggestions for unique and functional storage options.
Taking advantage of creative storage solutions can help to free up closet and drawer space in the bedroom. For instance, if you own several scarves, you can store them on a hanger mounted to the back of your closet door with a shower ring instead of keeping them in the dresser. Hangers can also be used to store jewelry. Additionally, storing things under the bed is a great idea — rolling storage containers that slide under the bed are widely available, and are ideal for storing sweaters for easy access in the fall. Wooden spice racks are great not only for the kitchen but for the bedroom as well, as they can hold perfume bottles, nail polish, and more.
Bathrooms are perhaps the rooms most prone to issues with storage, as they are often the smallest rooms in the house where a variety of items are kept. While some bathrooms have drawers or cabinets beneath the sink, others feature pedestal-style sinks, which do not — as such, you can take advantage of that space by placing a rolling organizer or a narrow, shallow cupboard there. A wine rack can be mounted on the bathroom wall and repurposed for storing towels, and for additional storage with a unique look, you can mount baskets onto the wall.
The home office is another part of the house where storage issues tend to crop up, as they can become inundated with a sea of office accessories and other miscellaneous items as you work. In the home office, organization is key, as things like pens, scissors, rolls of tape, and other accessories are essentially worthless if they’re too hard to find. As such, placing an old muffin tins into a desk drawer is an easy way to organize small items like paper clips, push pins, and USB drives. A label-maker is particularly useful in the office, and it may be a good idea to repurpose several glass jars or other containers, label them, and use them to store pens, markers, scissors, and other items.
Finally, like many rooms in the house the kitchen can host its share of storage problems as well. Many people have junk drawers in their kitchen cabinets that haven’t been cleaned out in a while; as these drawers often contain things that you really don’t need to hold onto, cleaning out the junk drawer is a good place to start. If you’re short on space in the kitchen, mounting a pegboard on the wall can be a smart way to store pots and pans, among other things. Don’t forget about the space above your cabinets and refrigerator; while things can collect dust up there, this space can be useful for keeping things that you only use once in a while, and pushing things towards the wall can help keep them out of sight. Free-standing shelves are a worthy investment for the kitchen, especially if you are looking to clear up space in your pantry, as they allow you to store ingredients out in the open. Lastly, the sides of cabinets can be repurposed as storage solutions by mounting metal hooks from which to hang utensils.
Sources:
https://www.bhgre.com/bhgrelife/diy-storage-ideas/
https://makespace.com/blog/posts/bathroom-storage-hacks/
https://www.thekitchn.com/the-21-best-storage-ideas-for-small-kitchens-250395
Tyler Olhorst is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. You can reach him at inquiries@thenationaldigest.com.