Stacks of ideas. Storage ideas.

Cupboards and shelves groaning? 

We’ve got some great ideas for you….

Admit it. Sometimes it feels like there’s simply no space left anywhere. There is nowhere in the place that’s capable of taking one more thing. Cupboard doors no longer shut properly. Drawers don’t close, which is possibly the most irritating thing in the world of course. Except that is for having to move five things to get to the one thing you want at the back of the dangerously overloaded shelf. Now that is really irritating.

And it doesn’t stop does it? If you’re new to having your own home you seem to acquire stuff faster than you thought possible. Or, maybe you’ve recently become ‘empty nesters’, because the offspring have flown. Strangely their departure has not resulted in a corresponding decline in stuff. Has it?

Together we can crack this. It’s a two stage process.

Firstly, stage one. It really is possible to get rid of some of it. Honest. Here’s what to do. Go from room to room and make a list of the things that you never use. If you haven’t needed it for months you don’t need it at all. Make a list of those items.

Now decide which of them can go to the charity shop. (Remember they do have rules preventing them from accepting some furnishings and electrical appliances, so do check). If it can’t be given away you’ve probably got quite a good clue that it needs to be thrown away. (This is where you do that thing about setting aside a Saturday morning and loading up the car for a run to the dump - sorry - recycling centre).

Now tick the items off the list as you dispose of them. List fully checked? Look around. Your place looks bigger!

But, and we’re just guessing here, you’ve probably still got more than you thought you would at this stage. Don’t panic. This is where we proceed to stage two.  Don’t get angry. Get smart. About storage.

Let’s start with the kitchen, because if you’re not tidy there, nothing gets done. Right?

Simple things first. Take a look at our Brabantia Stackable Glass Jars range. Simple, timelessly stylish, and very functional they’re ideal for keeping everything from pasta to tea bags in order and readily to hand. They look good on the work surface, and that means they also leave room in the cupboards where the aforementioned pasta and tea are currently taking up space in their packets.

 

 

For a more themed approach we recommend (because we love it) the Lovello collection. Bread bins, biscuit tins, utensil racks - they’re smoothly curved and rather retro (think Airstream). They’re storage made beautiful, and available in striking red, stylish black or sophisticated cream.

If cream is the colour for you, and you’re a bit more traditional than retro, you have to look at the Living Nostalgia range. The three tier cake tin is fabulous!

The Joseph Joseph nest of storage boxes is another really practical storage idea. The lids snap together and these useful boxes stack inside each other.

 

 

We’ve got stacks of ideas away from the kitchen too. How often do you despair over how, let alone where, to store linen? Look no further than the Round Linen Storage Boxes fromKaemingk. They come topped off with cork lids which is super cool, and bang on trend.

And then there are the blankets and duvets. You’ve been cramming them into the airing cupboard haven’t you? Release those shelves and add some style to your bedroom with a blanket box.  We have them - Romsey, Furniture Republic, Cotswold and in our own Suffolk Oak range.

The blanket box is a timeless piece of furniture that does what its name says, but also gives you a seat, at the end of the bed perhaps, and of course space for storing things other than blankets. (Careful! That’s not an invitation to slip back into your ‘old ways’!)

With nights drawing in (sorry!) now’s the time to buy our classic Wicker Log Basket. And whilst we’re in wicker world check out our Log Carrier and Newspaper Holder. It will sit well, in the creature comforts department, with the stunning Strappy Iron Wine Rack. We were thrilled to see this design, and after all that decluttering you deserve a glass.

Another design idea that’s really excited us is the Farmhouse Collection. In a combination of oak cases and wicker drawers these cabinets are a brilliant storage solution. 

And we have to mention the Royal Oak Monks Bench. Drawing on ancient designs but as functional as contemporary concept, this seat, with drawers, and additional storage space, is a statement piece for the entrance hall.

 

 

So, back to the beginning. Start with the check list. Then get rid of what you know you can do without. And then, have a look at these ideas, and all the other storage solutions we have in store and online.

You could find yourself living in a more spacious, more stylish, home. Without moving!

6th September 2017

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