You are bound to experience a storage problem at one point in your life and luckily these days, there are a variety of ways to tackle it. For instance, take a look at the companies that specialize in storage san francisco area because they are one step ahead! You can even flick through your own stored items in catalogue form. Anyway, in most cases, this won’t be necessary and some smaller-scale storage options might be needed. But are you forever searching for the remote, tripping over toys or pushing stray objects to one side to work or eat at the table? If so, your storage could probably do with an overhaul, and we’ve got some ideas to get you started.
Dedicated Furniture
In nurseries – instead of having a changing table and a chest of drawers, use the top of the chest as the changing surface and store spare nappies, creams and lotions in one or two of the drawers.
In living rooms – If you can get your TV on the wall, it frees up lots of floor space. If that’s not an option look for a TV unit that has plenty of storage for games, dvds or games equipment.
In kitchens – Invest in one or two of the clever storage solutions offered by kitchen designers. Tall, slide out storage racks, carousels in corner cabinets and deep, sectioned drawers for neat pan storage are just some of the options that don’t require a totally new kitchen.
In kids’ rooms – Beds with drawers underneath, or ottoman-style beds with lift up mattress bases provide hidden storage for sports or other bulky equipment. Cabin beds are still popular with smaller children who like the adventure aspect as well as the desk and cupboard space. Put up shelving for book storage, and fix colourful hooks for coats, dressing gowns, painting aprons or gym/sports bags.
Vertical Space
We waste lots of valuable storage space by ignoring what’s above eye level. Create extra storage with high open shelving. Look for underused areas, such as alcoves for shelving and turn it into a feature with LED lighting.
Dedicated Areas
It’s easier to keep track of possessions and equipment when you know where it is, especially in open plan homes.
Earmark separate areas under these broad categories to get started:
- Homework
- Relaxation
- TV and games
- Eating
- Entertaining
Having a plan helps you figure out what type of storage each section needs.
For instance, homework areas need:
- A flat surface to work on
- Storage for pens and paper
- Shelves for books
- Space for a computer or laptop
Relaxation and TV areas need:
- Convenient tables for cups or lamps
- Storage for video games, consoles or TV remotes
- Adequate, comfortable seating
- Storage for hobby stuff or magazines
Without somewhere specific to put all the bits and bobs of life, muddles quickly creep in.
The (Almost) Empty Nest
A recent study showed that around 39% of grown up kids leaving home expected their possessions to stay just as they left them. This isn’t quite what most parents expected, as they were probably looking forward to more space for themselves offsetting the lonely feelings of the empty nest syndrome.
The commonest items left behind are books and clothes, with sentimental possessions running a close third. These little used items are ideal candidates for self storage solutions. It’s the best of both worlds for everyone – parents get their spare room back and kids get to keep trinkets and possessions safe and sound while they find their independent feet.
Organising a home and family takes a bit of effort. Things rarely fall into place on their own. When you’re organising your storage, take things in stages room by room to make the job a bit easier. Trying to do it all at once gets overwhelming, but tackling it bit by bit creates an organised home faster than you’d think.