Clutter can affect a person’s mental wellbeing. Alas, for many of us, it can be really difficult to throw everything away in order to have a minimalistic looking space, especially if we are staying in a smaller scale home like an apartment or a condo. There are various essentials (such as printers, home diy tools, first aid kits, photo albums, and whatever else that you need in your home) that are much needed in the household. However, they can be quite unsightly and will make your home look really cluttered if they are not stored away properly.
In this article, I will share 14 ways you can increase storage in your home stylishly, so you can make more space in your home.
With these 14 tips, your home will look and feel clutter-free, and yet you will still have everything you need.
1. TV console storage
A great way to increase storage is to use your tv console as a cabinet. My preference is to have a built-in cabinet. A built-in cabinet keeps your space looking sleek and stylish and also allows for ample storage. In my own built-in cabinet, I also specially requested to place my printer in it. I love how the printer and all the other knick-gnats are all out of sight when the TV console cabinets are closed, as the entire space just feels super clean.
2. Under chair storage
There are some chairs out there that have storage space below the seat! As of this writing, I am still on the lookout for a good chair-with-storage for my Mother-in-law’s vanity table. I’ll be sharing the following chairs with her for her to choose! You may find one or two chairs-with-storage that you like below!
3. Storage bed
Storage beds are a holy grail in my household! I love how much space storage beds have. I store my travel gear, beddings and whatever else that I do not use too often in my storage bed. So convenient!
4. Coffee table with storage
I was pleasantly surprised when I was online shopping and came across a coffee table with storage!
Of course I purchased it and it is now sitting happily next to my sofa. It is such a convenient way to store items like pillow covers, throws, books or electronics. I also dressed my coffee table up with a table runner and I love how homey it looks.
5. Maximise wardrobe space
A floor-to-ceiling wardrobe not only optimises the storage space but is also more sleek to look at, as compared to a free standing wardrobe. It also helps to make your room look bigger and can also help to reduce the cleaning effort. Therefore, I highly recommend you to get a built-in floor-to-ceiling wardrobe, especially if you have a small space.
6. Under toilet sink storage
Not only does having a storage cabinet under your basin sink help to store things, it also helps to prevent water from getting on the items and therefore the items always stay dry and clean.
There are plenty of under basin storage that you can buy online these days. In fact, I purchased the entire basin set in my master bathroom from a toiletries and hardware store!
7. Storeroom racks
If you have a storeroom, maximise the space by adding racks. Without racks, your storeroom will likely look like a mess and you will constantly need to spend unnecessary time finding things.
8. Add shelves to existing cabinets that have a load of space
If there are any existing built-in cabinets that have a lot of space, consider asking your carpenter to add in some additional shelves to the cabinets, so they can be more functional. My home came with this cabinet and I added some extra shelves to turn it into a shoe rack!
9. Add pull-out drawers to deep shelves
Do you have any deep shelves that are really impractical for storage because you need to constantly remove whatever that is at the outer part of the shelf in order to get what’s inside? This leads to inefficient use of time (every second counts) and you may also forget what you have stored at the back of the cabinet. To resolve this issue, you can place pull-out drawers into all those deep shelves that you have.
10. Counter-top stands
Counter-Top stands help add more storage on your counter tops and also can look stylish too. You can also display your frequently used products like your rice cooker, blender on your counter-top stands so you do not need to constantly dig for them in your cabinets. When done right, they can also make countertops look even more stylish! Here are a few good ideas:
11. Corner shelves
For awkward spaces, try adding corner shelves. You can store things that are pretty to look at on your corner shelves. In the kitchen, you can place your various condiments and ingredients on these shelves. In the living room, why not place your favourite books, plants or key pieces on the corner shelves for display purposes. Just make sure that you do not clutter up your corner shelves with things!
12. Sorting organisers for your cabinets
Add organisers to the space within your cabinets to maximise the space and allow for more items to be stored neatly. There are plenty of cabinet organisers that you can easily find online these days. Here are a few of my favourites.
13. Bookshelves
If you have books that you want to display proudly, instead of getting bookshelves with open shelves that can attract plenty of dust on the shelves and on the books, why not get bookshelves with glass doors instead? This way you can still display your books proudly and also minimise the amount of dust that can easily accumulate over time.
14. Bedside table(s)
A Bedside cabinet is an essential to have in your bedroom. It is where you can place your bedside essentials, such as the book you are reading at the moment, a mug, and your phone. If you have more things to store (such as your skincare, more books, or your accessories), get a bedside table that has cabinets, so you can hide all these knick gnats out of plain sight and keep the space next to your bed clean and tidy.