Guidelines for Extraordinary Storage Space

Guidelines for Extraordinary Storage Space

Are you thinking about doing some big work on your house or building a new one? Are you trying to find some fantastic, yet inexpensive, additions to make? Help is at hand! In 1998, when we first started authoring books and offering advice to help people have truly unique but reasonable homes, we began collecting more than a thousand unusual, affordable convenience built-ins. Here are 10 of our most fundamental storage concepts and some of our favorite storage solutions. You can take your next project to the next level by including any of these elements.

First and foremost, well-designed storage spaces should facilitate efficient inventory management. Contrary to what your husband or teenagers may suggest, it is not just to bury monstrous messes so that they are forgotten or require a lot of effort to sort through whenever someone is seeking something! Make a complete inventory of your belongings, including sizes and regular locations.

A compartment designed to accommodate a rolling suitcase, complete with lockable wheels, can be installed in a base cupboard, island, closet, or even beneath a sink. Roll it beneath a counter, table, or desk for convenient storage. It can be used as a wagon or cart to move various items around the house to their proper locations, such as a laundry hamper or garbage can, a cart for tableware (from the walk-in pantry to the table and from the dishwasher back to the pantry), a set of file cabinets, a stack of drawers, containers for toys, equipment, gift wrapping, or craft supplies, an entire island, or just about anything else.

There should be enough space to keep all of your current possessions, plus enough to grow! If you plan to stay in the house for many years and raise a family there, you may need at least as much room as you currently occupy. If you tend to buy groceries or other necessities in large quantities, you may want to factor in some extra storage space.

The contents of bottom cabinets may be accessed quickly and easily thanks to pullout shelves, bins, baskets, and racks. Don't forget to install them under your sinks with the proper cutouts for the pipes. You no longer need to crawl around on the floor in search of something. These allow you to reach and make use of the area hidden at the back of your cupboards.

Third, make sure all of your storage spaces have the right hardware, divisions, etc. for the things you intend to keep there. Therefore, the storage requirements for your sporting gear will vary from those of your media collections.

Dowels affixed to the back walls or installed on a frame bolted to the side or bottom of pantries, closets, or cabinets are ideal for hanging table linens, as they allow for easy access while preventing creases and fold lines. You'll never have to empty a drawer full of folded linens again just to get your favorite tablecloth. And the days of using wrinkled sheets "as is" are over! Another benefit is that it makes effective use of a slim corridor.

Incorporate storage spaces into the design of every room. Everything should be kept as close as possible to the point of use. Using something is not worth the hassle of dragging it across the house.

You'll really appreciate having cupboards and closets, as well as the pantry, with lights that turn on as the doors are opened, just like a refrigerator does. (The ability to install lights inside of built-in cabinets is a major perk.) There will be no more fumbling around for light switches, especially if your hands are full or if it's raining. This is fantastic for children and those using wheelchairs who have trouble reaching the light switch in a closet. Magnetic contact switches, like those seen in home security alarm systems, can be utilized in place of refrigerators' standard plunger switches.

Fifth, make sure that the things you use most often are within quick and easy reach. Then, rearrange the remaining space so that the items you rarely use can be found easily.

Small appliances can be concealed from view and operated with less plugging and unplugging thanks to electrical outlets concealed within drawers, cupboards, or in appliance barns on counters. (Everything you keep in these areas should be used in close proximity to one another, eliminating the need for extension cords.) As an added bonus, no one will have to fumble with the plugs, which is especially helpful if someone is using damp or arthritic hands. Before settling on the final dimensions for these rooms, it's a good idea to take measurements of the equipment you intend to keep to eliminate any unpleasant surprises.

Don't store your bulkiest items up high or in a hard-to-reach nook; instead, make sure they're among the first things you see when you enter a room. Lightweight things should fill the remaining storage space.

When you have designated spaces in the kitchen for specific tasks like baking, mixing, chopping, cooking, cleaning, serving drinks, etc., you'll always have everything you need right where you need it.

Make sure your storage solutions reduce the amount of unused space in your home.

A removable hamper can be mounted on the inside of a closet door, a storage bench, or a pullout or tiltout lower cabinet door. Transporting laundry to the washing machine is a breeze with a cloth hamper on a frame, but you may also use a wire or plastic hamper. There will be no more clumsy trips to the washing room caused by dropped things. If you plan on keeping damp or wet clothes in the hamper for more than a few days, use a material that will enable air circulation.

Eight, ensure that no storage space is wasted since it is inconvenient to access.

Easily access all of your storage with full-extension drawers, pullout shelves, and file cabinets that roll out smoothly on metal tracks.

My ninth consideration would be the home's circulation patterns. Most people don't want to go out of their way to get what they need, so it's best to keep these products near the main thoroughfares of the house. On the other side, you can direct foot traffic through your home by placing frequently used things in high-traffic areas. In order to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic, it is recommended to relocate popular items to other areas.

Maintaining a comfortable walking distance around all open drawers, hinged cabinets, and appliance doors is essential for efficiency. Whether you're unloading the dishwasher, putting away groceries, working on a project, or anything else that requires you to open multiple drawers or cabinets at once, make sure you have enough space to do so.

To sum up, I recommend designing your storage so that as many parts as possible are detachable and customizable. As your demands evolve, you can make adjustments to the storage solutions that have served you well so far.

Having your stored items on open shelves, or without cabinet doors, allows you to see and access them quickly. Having more light surrounding stored items makes them easier to view, eliminates the need to physically open cabinets, and reduces the amount of trial and error necessary if you can't remember exactly where you put things.

Prefer not to read it? Then you'll enjoy our books, which are full of clever, low-cost storage solutions that improve both your comfort and your home's resale value. In addition, our website, www.extraordinaryhomes.com, features a free e-book titled "The 34 Extraordinary Home Principles: Plus More Than Seventy Amazing New Ways to Thrill and Astound Without Breaking the Bank.

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