When it comes to our belongings, there’s just about nothing worse than stressful storage. Crockery stacked high. Cupboards stuffed with… well – stuff! And not forgetting the infamous floor-drobe (which even the most organised of us are guilty of from time to time).
Okay, maybe we’ve overdramatised that a little! But for the Monica Geller in all of us, life seems to flow that little bit more smoothly when our “stuff” is a bit more organised. Actually, you know what, we think we owe ourselves some extra storage. And not just simple, but some innovative and stylish solutions too.
Hallway & Entrance Hall Storage Ideas
From furniture to accessories, storage can be integrated into all areas of the home in different ways. On entry to the home, what’s the first place we come to? The entrance hall or hallway of course. And just because it’s not one of the main rooms of the home, that doesn’t mean that it can't be beautifully stylised with some storage.
Shoe & Coat Racks
First things first. Having somewhere to perch and remove/put on shoes is a must. The Huntley Storage Bench combines storage with seating in a charming piece for country and contemporary homes. Its hinged top provides a great place to stow away hats, scarves and gloves that you will want readily on hand over the autumn and winter months. As well as shoes, it also worth thinking about umbrella stands and hooks for wet brollies and winter coats. Tall, traditional coat racks are a welcome addition to a hallway, however if you don’t have room for a standing option, wall-mounted coat hooks work just as well. Plus, they come in a range of designs to add a bit of life and love to your entrance hall interior.
Console Tables For Storage (& Style)
If you have room for it, the narrow dimensions and streamline design of a console table are perfect for a hallway. Not only will this provide a safe and logical place to put car keys to avoid them going amiss, but some consoles come with drawers too. This will give you a little extra storage space for… well, whatever you like really! Just make sure to consider the width of your hallway when choosing your console table. Make sure that it won’t protrude too much into your interior. Go too big and you risk your hallway feeling cluttered. Style with wall art, a clock or a mirror to create a lively and on-trend feature.
Living Room Storage Ideas
Living room storage is about keeping things as simple as possible. At the end of the day, your lounge, snug or family room is a place you go to relax. TV cabinets, coffee tables and side tables are all perfect storage options for the living room. But we think there are other ways you can revolutionise your storage too.
Stylish Firewood Storage
If you’re lucky enough to have a log burning fire, firstly – we’re a little bit envious of you – and secondly – you’re going to want somewhere to put those freshly cut logs ready to stoke on the fire. Natural wood can bring a really autumnal ambience to a living space. In fact, we've seen lots of rustic and woodland schemes on pintrest and instagram that use natural wooden blocks as an interior feature. You can blend the two by making a decoration of your logs using a basket or an alternative storage piece.
Hidden Hideaways
Lift-top footstools are perhaps one of the most versatile pieces of storage furniture. Disguised as merely a simple footstool, storage footstools are great for resting feet and provide hidden storage. This can be a perfect place to hideaway books, films and games that you don't want on display or interrupting your interior scheme. Their padded tops also make a comfortable perching place for times when extra seating may be required but are also firm enough to hold a tray if wishing to use as a temporary coffee table.
Dining Room Storage Ideas
Kitchen or dining room - wherever you entertain on the weekend or sit to eat your dinner each evening, it is always a good idea to have a designated place to store tableware, table linen and crockery. But that's not all the dining room is limited to.
Sophisticated Drinks Storage
If you're quite the connoisseur of tipples or a gin-enthusiast, you're going to want a storage space that lives up to the magnificence of your cherished collection. We're talking drinks cabinets with specialist storage and ambient internal lighting. The drinks cabinet above by Jonathan Charles is one of our favourites for its stunning design. The birds and floral pattern on the front are painted onto the cabinet doors entirely by hand. In fact, it's so beautiful that your guests will hardly believe that it's a drinks cabinet! If you're more limited on space, why not choose a drinks trolley? This will create a sophisticated display of your favourite tipples. Drinks trolleys also have the added versatility of movement, meaning you can transfer your drinks selection to another room of the home if desired.
Stylish Sideboards
Sideboards should be practical, but not so much so that they are no longer stylish. Fortunately, the range of designs on the market for modern, traditional, Scandinavian, retro, industrial - you name it! - interiors means that you can choose a sideboard suited to your scheme. Again, as a beautifully functional piece, sideboards are available in a variety of sizes so you can almost certainly find something to suit you home. They are also a great addition to kitchens, should you have the space.
Bedroom Storage Ideas
There are some great go-to storage options for the bedroom, including chests of drawers and bedside cabinets. Better yet, bedroom storage furniture often comes in matching sets so you can create a complete scheme with ease. If your bedroom is on the smaller side however, it can be difficult to know which particular pieces to pick.
Innovate Your Wardrobe Space
Wardrobes come in all shapes and sizes but we'd particularly recommend the one from our best-selling Cotswold collection. As you can see, it is much more than just a wardrobe, offering a rail to hang clothing and internal shelves that are great for blankets, bags and shoes. What makes this one so great for the smaller bedroom is the mirrored double doors. This saves having to find room for a mirror elsewhere in your interior - which is especially great if you can only fit in a wardrobe for storage. Open wardrobes are very on-trend at the moment. You could use this style to make a casual display of your most frequented clothing or highlight some of your favourite formal outfits.
Under Bed Storage
Put the empty space within your divan bed to use with the addition of some clever storage. Vispring and Hypnos offer a selection of under bed solutions to innovate your storage. For those with a small bedroom, divan storage is a perfect option. You can team a wardrobe with under bed drawers, hideaway cubby holes or what Hypnos like to call 'Superstorage' to make the most out of the space available in your bedroom, without having to add extra drawers that will cut into your living space.
Home Office Storage Ideas
In an ideal world, your home office would be smart, stylish and organised to a tee... but, we know that that's not always a reality! We can, however, select some storage options that might make our lives easier (or at least take the first step).
Desk Organisers
Whether you are paying bills, working from home or wondering where to start with your latest novella, having a cluttered desk isn't going to help much with your paperwork or creativity. Organise your desk with simple additions like letter trays, ring binders and a pot to put your pens in. If your desk is limited on space, simply placing a paperweight on a pile of 'To Do' paperwork will help you to get your things in order. Organisational accessories are great for desks without drawers built in.
Bookcases & Filing Cabinets
Often, when we hear the words 'filing cabinet', those commercialised grey metal filing drawers come to mind; the kind that might be used more commonly in large corporate offices. Of course, in terms of function, they are superb. But in terms of style - not so much! If the home office is your designated space, you're going to want a filing system that pairs both function and form. After this, if you're seeking more storage-come-display space, look for a bookcase or shelving unit. We bet you're almost certain to have some ornaments, figurines or books you'd like to put on display. A bookshelf offers space for all these things, as well as any work-related items like ring binders and box files. If it's an open-sided bookcase or a single wall-mounted shelf, don't forget to find some bookends that match the aesthetic of your study to keep everything in place.