Three Space Saving Secrets to Beautify Your Home
A calm and restful home is a beautiful thing. Glance through magazines and you’ll find plenty of inspiration for sumptuous spaces that promise rich living. Reality is often a different animal altogether. Daily chores, going to work, organising family schedules and bringing up kids, leave little time for beautifying the home, let alone relaxation.
We could do with an effortlessly way of keeping things tidy. Short of pushing the walls back a few feet, we need to use available space more effectively with storage that works and furnishings that do more than just look pretty.
Controlling Possessions
Sometimes having a good clear out revitalises the soul, and other times it feels like you’re tearing holes in your heart. Things with sentimental value, those that invoke memories, high value items we love but struggle to find space for… they’re things we need to keep, and there are alternatives to home storage.
When you’ve got more possessions than space to keep them in, an option that gives you the best of both worlds is self storage. Some solve the space dilemma by putting out of season items (anything from garden furniture to winter clothing or sports equipment) into self storage for a few months, then rotating them as the seasons turn. Others store valuable heirlooms, allowing them to hang onto antiques that don’t fit into small, modern homes.
Having figured out alternative storage solutions for things that don’t need to be constantly at home, it’s time to get creative with storage for the rest:
Creating Space in Bedrooms
The bedroom should be your personal oasis of calm. Here are some ways to create space and still have plenty of storage:
Use sliding doors instead of swinging ones on closets, and if there isn’t room for a full-length dressing mirror, consider having at least one mirrored closet door. Mirrors bounce light around a room and make it appear bigger. Another space saving idea if you don’t want a built in closet, is a freestanding wardrobe with drawers beneath the hanging compartment.
Choose tall chests with more drawers rather than low, wide ones. When space is really tight, the top of a tall chest can double as a dressing table if you adorn the top with a free standing mirror.
Have divan beds, ottomans or bed frames with storage beneath. These are great for storing linens and duvets or blankets, and in kid’s rooms are brilliant for toy storage.
Fitted floating bedside tables (instead of freestanding ones on the floor) allow more light to circulate the room, giving the illusion of more floor space. Small and neat, there’s room for one of these where a traditional bedside stand may look too cramped.
Creative Shelving Everywhere
Not so long ago we considered open shelves old fashioned. Now, shelving has come of age with modular units and ladder-style designs, or complete wall hung shelving units. Shelving can also become a focal point when it’s wall to wall or floor to ceiling, lined with books or family photos and treasured collections.
If that’s too much, simply make the most of alcoves. Either side of a chimney breast or tucked into awkward corners, they’re prime areas for a bit of shelf magic. Paint floating shelves in the same colours as the main decor for a minimalist look, or draw attention to them with lighting or mirrors.
Shelves fit in every room, from kitchens and bathrooms to kid’s bedrooms. One tip, decide what will be displayed or stored on shelves before you fit them. By choosing the type of display first, you can install only as much shelving as you need, rather than putting up too many then being tempted to display everything you own.
Every home needs some storage, but as a place to keep items we love and use handy and in good condition, not as a hidden space to hide things we’ve outgrown or that no longer give pleasure.
Guest post by Drew Davies