Family homes can be packed to the rafters with people, belongings and furniture. Whether it’s right now or sometime soon, you’ll need to maximize space and reduce clutter eventually. Here are a handful ideas to do just this!
Use the top of your walls
We have many items that we want to keep but only use once a year or so. Books are a prime example of this. A fantastic alternative to bookshelves and cupboards is erecting floating shelves around the top perimeter of a wall. Make sure you don’t go so high you can’t fit a book standing up, you’ll save space nearer the ground for other things. These items can be things you use weekly or monthly or even daily. Top perimeter bookshelves also look great in a room.
Be savvier with your beds
Bunk Beds might spring to mind quickly when you think about saving space in kids bedrooms. But why stop at two beds? Triple bunk beds are a fantastic option too. If you have three kids, perfect. Then you’ll have lots more space in their bedroom for other pieces of furniture or toy boxes! Even if you only have two, you can turn the top level into a secret den! String up some curtains and fairy lights for them; just make sure you know the password to get in at dinner time! When it comes to your own bedroom, consider beds with storage underneath. In some beds, this storage comes via drawers. In others, you lift up the mattress to find space underneath. Having a headboard that doubles as a chest of drawers is another option.
Install a wall unit
Wall units are very handy because of how high up they go. In the front room, for example, you can use yours to store and display a number of items. You can use the central section to display your TV and any related equipment. Areas around the outside can be used for things like books, DVDs and speakers. You can also have dedicated sections for your kid’s belongings, like toys and electronics items. Wall units can look really big when they are standing alone in the shop, but once you get them home and fill them up, they won’t be so domineering.
Turn your stairs into drawers
Shoes, brollies and boots cluttering up your hallway? Turn your bottom step into a drawer. Canadian Home Workshop have written a guide to turning the whole flight into one huge drawer-fest!
Find a space for an office
Perhaps you want to start working from home, or need to work from home occasionally? Or maybe you’re sick of trying to send emails from the kitchen counter. If this is the case, and you don’t have a whole room for an office, make an alcove. Build upwards rather than outwards. This will help you keep all of your items together. Have your computer and laptop at eye-height, your printer at your feet and any documents and stationery on the shelves above you.
