Ever wonder why the homes you see on websites and in top home and design mags look so clean-lined and spacious?
These people with nothing out of place understand the importance of good storage. Whether that means a pantry full of labelled Tupperware or an attic full of stuff the kids have outgrown, it's the difference between your house and theirs.
Take a look around. Do you accumulate clutter on the edge of your bench?
Can you even see your bench? Are there magazines stacked on tabletops, small piles of hair-ties, paper clips and coins dropped randomly into bowls? If so, then you are an obvious candidate for a crash-course in storage.
Here are Ten Top Storage Tips:
1: Be ruthless. How come you save the used Xmas paper every year, then go out and buy new paper anyway? If it's taking up room in your drawers it has to be necessary.
2: Take a look at the kitchen. The more cupboard space you have, the more junk you will find to fill it. On the other hand a lot of airspace is wasted in kitchens. Nobody needs all that air up there, so why not fill it with cupboards that go all the way up to the ceiling?
3: Look for ‘forgotten' or ‘dead-space' in your house.
Free space under the stairs looks great, but if you need extra storage space think about closing the space in and building in drawers or cupboards.
4: Small bedroom? Think French.
By the time you've got a bed into it there's not much room left for anything else – so, do what the French do – build the bed on a platform double your floor space. It’s ideal for storage or a study area underneath. This is a great idea for kids who suddenly have more homework and more clothes than you ever thought possible.
5: Sit on it!
Bungalows got it right – with those big window seats complete with hinged lids and squabs on top. Open the lid, stuff it in, close the lid and sit on it.
6: Build it in.
Fold-down or pull-out ironing boards like they have in hotels are a great idea.
7: Box it.
Working from home means no commuting – so how come you still never have time to clean your desk? Open wall-mounted shelves are a good solution. Store things in clearly marked regular-sized cardboard filing boxes and you can see what's where – without it falling on you.
8: Reclaim the bench.
Think of all the money you paid for that beautiful bench top – and now you can barely see it for the bills and bits and pieces! The first rule of clutter is that any flat surface is a magnet for paper. Break the pull of the bench top by investing in a bulk pack of plain brown manila folders and file all your stuff into them. Keep a file marked 'kitchen litter' and stick all those little bits of paper into it. Keep it in a kitchen drawer and review it twice a day or more if you have to.
9: Close the Door on it.
The beauty of the spare room – you can stick whatever you like in it, shut the door and maintain the semblance of living an ordered, minimalist and clutter-free life. The same principle applies throughout the house – if it's not going to look good on display, then shut it away.
