Clever Ideas for Increasing Home Storage

Clever Ideas for Increasing Home Storage

Julie O'Neil Dolan is a Concord native, resident, and Realtor® with Andrew Mitchell & Company

We’ve all been in the position of accumulating stuff. It can’t be helped. As homeowners, we are constantly accruing things – and that can add up to a lot of clutter. Managing clutter isn’t the most enjoyable aspect of home ownership, but it can actually present a pleasant challenge for adding creative storage options in your home.

Flea Market Fixes

I’ve collected a list of fun and funky home storage options that I’ve seen in magazines and on websites. Visit a flea market or scavenge old items from your attic or basement to repurpose for storage. Here are just a few ideas that can help you increase your home storage by reclaiming and upcycling … without a lot of fuss and expense:

· Make your furniture serve double duty. Use an old trunk as a storage unit that can double as a coffee table.

· Turn a vintage card catalog into a wine “rack.” Use the drawers of an old card catalog unit to house wine bottles, and create your own version of the old Dewey Decimal system for labeling varieties.

· Make your own hollow “books” to store loose paperwork or even important documents. You can find these storage books at craft stores or create your own by carving a hollow from the pages of an old hardcover book and gluing its sides together. Paper the interior cavity and shelve or stack the book with other volumes.

· Create antique doorknob hangers. Mount reclaimed doorknobs from antique shops or flea markets for hanging jewelry, clothing, or coats directly on open wall space.

Stow It

Hiding accumulated clutter is inherently appealing, but you don’t have to resort to plastic bins or dilapidated cardboard boxes. Here are some more interesting ideas for keeping clutter out of view:

· Make your own sliding storage. Mount casters on shallow wooden crates to create under-bed boxes on wheels.

· Pack things up. Using decoupage or wallpaper remnants, line the interior of a vintage, hard-sided suitcase and use it to store craft materials. Slide the case into the linen closet or under a bed or coffee table … or create a pile of different-sized suitcases for an old-fashioned display in a living area.

· Compartmentalize! Organize your unruly junk drawer using old egg cartons to create discrete compartments.

Show It

Some of our belongings are too pretty to hide away or shove into a drawer. The key to organizing these items is to hide them in plain sight:

· Create a tabletop “display” for jewelry using antique jewelry stands, cupboard knobs, and other items.

· Use containers like pitchers or vases in the kitchen to house cooking utensils right on the countertop.

· Find ottomans that can double as benches. This will allow you to hide anything you might have not space for at the moment and also allows extra seats for guests when you are entertaining.

Shelve It

Adding shelves can be a quick fix for storing almost anything. Ready-to-hang wall shelving is available at most big box stores, but consider these other possibilities:

· Mount wooden crates or boxes on walls to increase your storage. Not only will stored items remain easily accessible, but unusual shelving options can liven up a room.

· Hang old and even mismatched drawers on walls to contain items that you’d rather keep out of sight.

· Used wooden pallets, mounted vertically, are a great storage option for garage space. Fill them with unwieldy lawn equipment like shovels and rakes.

· Be creative! You can hang almost any storage vessel, from glass kitchen canisters filled with spices and dry goods to wire baskets designed to hold paperwork.

Tote It

What to do with messy or disorganized items that we use all the time? Putting them in an inaccessible closet or shoving them in an overtaxed drawer isn’t an option. Here are a couple of other ideas:

· Invest in portable plastic caddies with handles to carry sewing supplies, reading material, or other hobby necessities from room to room.

· Pretty woven baskets are another way to get a handle on supplies that need to be portable.

Hopefully these ideas have inspired other fun and offbeat storage solutions for your home. When it comes to home storage, you’re only limited by your imagination!

Do you want to know more? Visit www.juliedolanrealtor.com for more information.

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