Tell me if this sounds familiar. You are renovating or buying a new home. You have been living in something a fair bit smaller than is ideal in the meantime, and you long for your brand-new long island bench, your gorgeous new hardwood dining table and those cute little tables with interesting trinkets that actually don’t serve a purpose, but that look gorgeous all the same. You can see the long, smooth, new surfaces so clearly in your mind you can almost touch them and you have your ‘home reveal’ Instagram photos scheduled in your head.
Then, reality happens. You move into your new space and suddenly, like some unexplainable event, you realise that just because your home has had a facelift, it doesn’t mean that your lifestyle has. You still have clutter that manages to pile up more and more through the week. All the bits and bobs, keys, drawings on scrap pieces of paper that your children have brought home, flyers from the mailbox and sunglasses all find a way to set up camp on every new surface of your living spaces.
A common problem people face when designing their new space is not how to coordinate colour, cabinetry or whether to choose a gas or induction cooktop, but rather where to store the real life mess that makes up our everyday lives. Don’t sacrifice your beautiful new space with the contents of your handbag and centre console all over your kitchen island bench and dining table.
When it comes to designing your future storage, you need to plan, have a reality check, and plan some more. Think about all the items you need and utilise on the daily, that don’t necessarily have anywhere to go- or, if it’s just your handbag you need to worry about, where will that go?
Features of a modern and functional home should utilise areas on the floor plan for an entrance mud room, or at least some concealed cabinetry or storage drawers to hide our secret life mess. Shoes, school bags, wallet and car keys all need a seat at the design table to allow us the best possible chance of making our dreams match reality.
Island bench – plan to set aside a drawer of your island bench at the closest proximity to entry to the kitchen or some open shelving. This is no doubt, one of the most common dumping grounds for junk.
Entryway – choose furniture such as a buffet or table with drawers, or a concealed cabinet at your entranceway where your junk can hop off the train at the end of the line. No need to drag anything else through with you. This will be your dining table’s saving grace.
Mudroom – this is the ideal scenario (space permitting!), where, especially if you work a ‘dirty’ job or have children, it’s a place where you can hide away the steel cap boots and school bags. As an added bonus, you will always have a place to store your shoe wrack, umbrellas and handbags.
Coffee tables with hidden storage – wouldn’t we all love a coffee table featuring nothing but the latest editions of Architectural Digest and Vogue? But instead we have homework, drink bottles and iPads littering the space.
Any furniture with hidden storage is always great…just don’t forget to clean it out every once and awhile!