Make the most of every inch of space when go bespokeMost off-the-shelf kitchen units and bedroom wardrobes finish about an arm's length from the ceiling, leaving all of that potential storage space largely redundant. And, if you do decide to use this space to store suitcases in the bedroom or display rarely used jugs or vases, for example, in the kitchen, all of that stuff will require frequent dusting. Opt instead to always take your kitchen units and wardrobes right up to the ceiling. Even if it means spending a little more and going bespoke, the extra investment will pay off as it will make your home function so much more effectively. Be sure to build right up into the corners too, especially important in rooms that are in the eaves. Read on to discover why handleless units work best in a small space here
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Storage boxes with lids are particularly useful because they are stackable and dust proof, here are our favesThe best storage boxes with lids are easy to open, so that you can get to the contents quickly and easily; are reasonably light, but not so light that they are liable to go flying across a room if they're accidentally knocked; and are stackable, so that you can pile up a few if necessary without taking up too much floor space. These Sorting Boxes from Tidy Books cover all of these bases and they can be personalised. They are perfect for storing toys, paperwork, arts and crafts materials or scarves and gloves. Hailing from Germany, the Tafelbox is an incredibly versatile piece of storage kit. Available in two shades of stained Oak and several sizes, it comes with a chalk board at the front and back sides, so you can label the contents and never forget what's inside. And, it's available with an optional serving tray top, which makes it ideal for placing alongside a sofa or in the kitchen, ready for serving drinks, perhaps from the bottles stored with in. Or, maybe place two or three alongside each other to create a cheap and stylish coffee table. The rustic-style box lends itself just as well to toy, magazine and shoe storage too. Each box arrives oiled and sealed with wax, so it should age beautifully. These metal chests are perfect for storing bedlinen, towels, shoes, toys and games. The small one measures 52cmx26cmx20.3cm and the larger one 60cmx36cmx24.4cm. Stack them in the bathroom, bedroom or hallway. Give your fridge a makeover by investing in a a few of these see-through Smartstore boxes from Homebase. They make it easy to access and see everything that you have in your fridge and instantly make all your food look a whole lot more appealing. With the box and lid costing just just a few pounds each, they are extremely good value. How cool are these Lego storage bricks from Red Candy? Available in cubes and rectangles and in a rainbow of different colours, they stack just like real Lego and, of course, are ideal for storing those little Lego bricks, as well as other tiny toy pieces, photographs and paperwork. Stack them up in your children's bedroom or play area. Despite the world going increasingly paperless, letters still come through our doors. Don't store them in dreary filing boxes. Go for some mood enhancing colourful patterned box files. Cambridge Imprint do a host of beautiful box files in a range of sizes, colours and prints. They work well for storing stationary too. Essential for any smart desk. See why every little home needs a few baskets
We didn't have a hallway. Our front door opened smack bang into our dining and living room. As each family member abandoned their trainers, wellies, heels; and, even roller blades, our lounge used to look like a shoe shop by the end of every day. That changed when anything that had to be deposited on entry had to be put in this basket. A good storage basket can make a huge difference to mess levels. Here are some more of our favourites.
Stackable baskets are great for children's bedrooms and playrooms. Open baskets work well for dressing up clothes and those with lids are great for hiding those brash and ugly toys that you don't want on show.
These wire baskets from Mustard Made could work with toys, magazines or paperwork, anything that's attractive enough to be on display and that needs to be found quickly.
There are lots of other things in our house that this Dokot Natural Seagrass Belly Basket could contain. Perhaps the collection of knitting wool, the dog's accoutrements or all those scarves, hats and gloves.
Check out these stylish ways to display bits and bobsWhen you live in a small place, you may find that you have more stuff than you have space to store it away. So, hide away everything that really is ugly and then look for interesting ways to display everything else. Before you go out and buy another new bland container to hold the kids' crayons, kitchen utensils or toothbrushes, think about whether you already have something that could do the job, and in a much more visually interesting way too. In our kitchen, I turned this giant wine glass into a funky container for serving spoons, etc. And when the last occupant of this fish bowl swam off to new shores, our hair accessories moved in. This vase now contains our crayon collection. So much more attractive than the old ice-cream container that they used to live in. And this cute light bulb vase looks great filled with colourful buttons and knitting needles. Things that would normally take up space in a cupboard or drawer, become almost a piece of artwork in their own right.
See how to style those nooks and cranies to get the most out of themWhen you live in a small space, you're always looking for new hidey holes within which to store things in. There are always some pieces of furniture and parts of buildings that can be made to work so much harder once someone puts their mind to it. The staircase in our house had many reincarnations. It was originally a lowly broom cupboard, but we opened it out to create a mix of hidden storage in the form of deep cupboards and drawers and open shelving for the TV and books. It then became the focal point of our lounge. I took down the ceiling in part of our home to reveal the loft space above and this area became a book shelf and perch for storage baskets and the kids' artworks.
Think creatively about how you could put your redundant spaces to work. See why avoiding handles will help your small home feel that little bit largerIf you live in a little home, you need to minimise all the obstacles with in it. Where ever possible lose those knobs and handles. Chests of drawers, wardrobes, kitchen units, bathroom cabinets, if you're buying choose handleless. And, although more often than not, handleless styles are contemporary in nature, you can find some more traditional looks if you search hard enough, particularly with the current fifties trend so prevalent. In dinky homes, handles and knobs are just another thing to knock yourself on and catch your clothes on, aside from internal doors, which you need to get a firm grip on, avoid them. The latest push to close and automatic close handleless doors are very safe and effective. They also have fewer dust traps and produce a much cleaner, streamlined look, enhancing that feeling of space that you're forever chasing. You can take handleless to the extreme and even opt for mugs and cups without such protrusions, you'll get more space inside your kitchen units as a result! Check out this clever alternative to an ironing board, which is a fantastic space saverAn ironing board is a cumbersome thing to store. If you don't have a tall broom cupboard, you need to be creative about hiding it. Maybe tuck it away behind a door, under the bed or beneath the sofa. On those all too often busy days, however, it just gets left out at the foot of the bed, in front of the TV or taking over the kitchen, as you've had to quickly decrease something before rushing out of the door. Well, now you might be able to get rid of the thing all together. Brabantia sells this ironing blanket. Spread it over any surface - work top, kitchen table, desk - and you have an instant ironing board. It has a non-slip back to keep it in place whilst in use and will protect the surface beneath from heat and steam. The underside of the blanket can reach temperatures of up to 80 degrees celsius, however, so you need to check that whatever you are ironing on can withstand this heat. When not needed, it folds away into a neat little rectangle, which you can slip into a drawer or it has a hook for hanging in a wardrobe or on the back of a door. * Brabantia sent us this ironing blanket, but it has only been featured because we've tested it and feel that it is particularly well suited to a small home. Our stairs went through lots of design transformations over the years. When we moved in they were one side of a narrow corridor, the bannister was covered in 1970's-style wallpaper and a door beneath led into a storage vacuum. Scroll down to see how they were then transformed into various under stair storage units.We pulled down the internal wall, separating the stairs from what was the kitchen, replaced the broken stairs with a whole new staircase and a banister that brings more light on to the stair treads and hallway above, and then I designed a storage unit under the stairs for what became the lounge room. A mixture of deep cupboards and drawers offered great storage for toys, board games, art materials, chinaware and tech equipment, while the open shelves helped what became the lounge room feel a lot more spacious, and the books and ornaments added colour and pattern. This unit served its purpose for several years, but following our extension the room became the kitchen and the stairs had to be repurposed once again. When the stair space became part of the kitchen, the bulk of the unit remained the same and the fridge/freezer and larder cupboard, which we had in our existing kitchen in what was to become the lounge, were fitted above the drawers and painted. It helped that fortuitously the unit was divided into 60cm sections, the exact same width of standard kitchen units. Then I found two basket kitchen drawers at B&Q, which fitted right into what was open shelving; and I left the top shelf free for books. More under stair design ideasSince I have made over my own stairs several times, I am always interested in other people's under stair design ideas. I recently did a magazine shoot of a very small home, where they tucked a desk under the stairs and then snuck a TV under the piece of artwork there too. Want to see exactly how the TV got hidden? Discover how to Hide a TV with art. |
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