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Do you ever wish you had more space at home? Over time, we fill our houses with lots of stuff we don’t actually use, and it seems the only way to accommodate it all is to buy a bigger house. Bigger houses mean bigger mortgages though, so getting organised to maximise storage is a much cheaper solution.
Think Vertical
There is lots of space high up in rooms. Think of walls not as art gallery spaces, but as storage opportunities. Open shelves are fashionable now, in kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms. You could either go for a ladder arrangement with one shelf above another, or opt for a single shelf that runs right round the room at picture rail height. Books, ornaments, trinkets and collectables can all be stored and displayed, freeing up cupboard space and clearing lower surfaces.
Go Seasonal
Seasonal storage extends beyond packing away summer clothing during winter and vice versa. Whilst that’s a solution for less cluttered bedrooms and closets, there’s no reason why the concept shouldn’t extent to other typically cluttered rooms.
Take the kitchen. Recent trends towards more open plan living make this room more on show than it’s ever been, so we need to find new ways to keep it clean and tidy. And this isn’t just for the benefit of guests. There’s more than a grain of truth in the old saying that clearing the clutter also clears the mind.
Take a seasonal attitude towards the kitchen by packing away equipment or appliances you know you won’t use for a few months, such as ice cream makers. Other small appliances that you don’t use all the time, such as waffle makers or popcorn machines, should also be packed away.
Make Furniture Earn its Floor Space
Hard working furniture is anything that does double duty, providing storage alongside its main function. A few instances include coffee tables with built-in drawers, ottoman beds with lifting mattresses, kids toy chests that double as bedroom seating, and portable kitchen islands with cabinet space below a worktop.
Much of the clutter we gather comes from things used everyday, like TV remotes, personal electronics and their respective chargers and games controllers. Having somewhere to store all the little things helps keep surfaces clear, which in turn creates a harmonious, spacious atmosphere.
Rent an Extension
You don’t need to move house to get an extra room. Self storage as an everyday solution is a relatively new concept that lots of people are catching on to. Renting a storage unit is far cheaper than moving house, and allows you to keep all the stuff you love but don’t have space at home for.
Seasonal living becomes easy, expensive sports equipment is safe and secure and easy to get at when needed, valuable collections or family heirlooms are preserved. Having a storage unit is like having a house extension that allows you to fill your home only with the things you use daily, and swap those things around as and when you need.
You can take short-term rentals from a week or longer periods for a more permanent solution to home clutter. Convenient town locations and extended opening hours also make retrieving items in store quick and easy. If you’ve got more belongings than space, it’s the open secret that makes it possible to live large in a small house.
