It all comes down to built-ins. if you need places to put “things”, your designer can create a built-in for almost any empty space available in your home. Whether it is a tall, shallow cabinet along an empty wall, an extra-large vanity with a tall linen cabinet in your bath or floor to ceiling bookshelves in your den, a customized built-in adds a carefully detailed design element while you are decluttering your home! Cabinets can be designed to fill the exact space you have available. Glass doors, interior lighting and other style embellishments can be added to enhance the look and feel you are going for and the available finish tones and colors are virtually endless! Here are some creative storage ideas you may not have thought of:
- Turn a closet into an office/work station – by removing the contents of a boring,
little-used closet and adding deep (front-to-back) shelves including one at desk-height, you can literally pull up a chair and start working! There will be plenty of shelf space available for your office supplies and other materials, while your computer will sit safely on the desktop shelf with lots of room to its left and right as well as plenty of floor space available for a hard drive, printer or other needed items. A center drawer can be mounted to the underside of the counter shelf to hold the small items. It is best to fit the opening with folding doors, so they can sit off to the sides when you are working, while completely close off your mini-office when you aren’t working (setting the chair aside). - Utilize the space underneath stairs – this often ignored area offers many options for creative storage. The angled space can be filled
with a series of drawers, shelving, closed cabinets with doors, or any combination of these. Or, you can mount a TV in the center with closed cabinets and shelves surrounding it for the components and CDs/DVDs. Or you can install a custom-sized wine rack to this space – the options are endless. - Bench seating – there is usually a place to incorporate a cushioned, bench seat (with storage underneath) somewher
e in your home. This is a great way to increase seating in a kitchen, family room or home office and drawers or cabinets underneath only add to the function of this multi-function solution. Also, if you have a higher counter top near a lower window opening, a bench window seat can be installed under the window, to transition to or between the higher counter tops and add a soft element with extra seating and storage! - Kitchen storage solutions – ask your designer to show you all of the ingenious storage options available with kitchen cabinets today. There are no excuses for kitchen clutter anymore: stock and semi-custom cabinet manufacturers offer scores of interior cabinetry options; pots, pans and lids racks, multiple spice pull-outs, toe-kick drawers, toe-kick stools, multiple pantry pull-out options, multiple Lazy Susan options, tray dividers, cutlery dividers, trash and recycling options, etc.
- A wall of books – completely line a wall (or walls) with floor to ceiling shelves to create
a library in your home! If there is a window, design around it and plan a bench under the window. Books will become collectors’ items as the internet continues to eliminate their need. They have always been a decorative element and will add personality and warmth to any space.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg – there are so many great ideas for maximizing storage and minimizing clutter! These creative storage solutions are only limited by available space in your home. Hint: you probably already have available space that you aren’t even aware of!
Understanding Universal Design