Over time we all tend to gather a mountain of belongings, whether these are trinkets, mementos, gifts or simply home decorations. Unless you are an established minimalist, it’s likely these things continue to take up space in your home. Creating less storage space for necessary life essentials and leaving less space for you to live comfortably. While there are plenty of advice going around now about ‘decluttering’ and ‘getting rid of the things that don’t bring you joy’. There isn’t much advice available for those that just want to rearrange, rather than recycle.
Making Space Where There Was None
Picture your standard living room; in the room you might have sofas, a one-seater chair, a coffee table and an entertainment unit. Coffee tables are the perfect place to store bits and entertainment units tend to include cupboards and drawers for hiding away TV boxes and games consoles, with dedicated storage for films and games. While a small room is already going to feel slightly cramped, there is plenty of space that is not being used efficiently. Rather than considering available room as free floor-space, many people overlook the space that they could be making use of vertically.
Wall mounted storage can save on plenty of space and offer a practical place to display your personal effects without worrying about taking up table space. Square display shelves and floating shelves offer a tidy and modern appearance, or you could go full-DIY and mount some different types of storage units including hanging baskets and storage boxes.
Making Furniture to Suit Your Space
Going back to the standard living room, there’s another alternative option for saving space that can make a room feel much bigger without losing necessary surface space. Ditch the coffee table and instead install shelves behind the sofas. You may need to pull your sofas away from the wall, but this is a fraction of space compared to the floor space coffee tables tend to take up. You can always combine the two for further storage space beneath the table, while using the shelves as a place to put drinks and room decorations. Go the extra mile and cut a section out of the middle shelf to insert an extension lead and no longer will you have to go hunting for a spare socket when you need to charge your phone while watching the TV.
Another fantastic way to save space with bespoke furniture is to utilise the space beneath your stairs, often this is an awkward shaped space that doesn’t really serve any purpose except as a place to dump items. Installing shelves or building a cupboard to fit the space is a perfect way to make the most of the spare room and contributes to a neater looking hallway or entryway in your home.
Investing in Unusable Spaces
Do you have a basement or attic in your home that isn’t getting any use due to being unsuitable or unsafe for habitation? The possibilities are endless when you invest in either (or both) of these available spaces. Add an extra bedroom to your property, turn it into a room for entertaining or simply use it to safely store items. Attic conversions are quite commonplace and plenty of people have extended upwards into their loft space to add further rooms to their property. Beneath the home, if your basement is a considerably damp and poor ventilated space, you would benefit from seeking services for tanking out a cellar. This will seal your basement room, making the area waterproof and fit for use.
We’ve all had moments where we are simply sick of the sight of our own belongings, especially when you are trying to have a clear out but find that everything ‘brings you joy’. Rather than throw something away now that you’ll miss later, get clever with your storage space and make it work for you rather than against you.
