If your cluttered house is getting you down, and no amount of tidying seems to be relieving that sense of disorder in every corner of your home, it might be time to consider a radical departure into the world of minimalism – especially when it comes to storage!
OK, so maybe we don’t mean ‘real’ minimalism, where you own hardly anything – for people with busy careers and a family, this really is not a practical lifestyle at all. Of course, going down the minimalism road might mean we have to get rid of some things, but that shouldn’t be hard given that – if you really take an honest look around your house – you probably don’t actually use or even like more than 30-40% of everything you see.
But being practically minimalist isn’t necessarily about having less – it’s about showing less.
And a great way to do that is through clever use of storage furniture.
Even a properly minimalist room would still have walls, right? So seamlessly turn them into shelf and storage units – right up to the ceiling! Seamless wall storage leaves the lines of your home and furnishings as clean as possible, and you could even style some storage cubbies with trendy storage boxes to put those knick-knacks even further out of sight.
Be a parent and a minimalist? Impossible, you think? While it’s true that those dozens and dozens of toys that the kids love don’t exactly lend themselves to minimalism, it should be possible to seamlessly pack them away when playtime is over. So for kids’ rooms and the living areas, make sure there are toy boxes – and one great idea is to finish them off is with a simple padded top, meaning the toy box doubles as seating.
But tidy toy storage doesn’t always mean you have to hide them – try tidy cubbyholes with some toy favourites that are easy to spot, and colourful storage boxes for the things you would rather be able to shut away.
If you’ve ever been in a truly de-cluttered house, you may wonder ‘How is this even possible?’ The answer is probably hidden storage – the clutter is there, it’s just well hidden. An easy one, for example, is an ottoman with a hinged lid, which is the perfect place to put those little things you use every evening, like board games and winter blankets.
Minimalism is all about clear and uncluttered surfaces – so get those things off the surfaces and hang them up! There are so many ways to do it, so let your imagination and eye for interior design run wild with hanging shelving, magnetic utensil storage for the kitchen, baskets and bags, peg boards, bag and coat hooks, and everything in between.
In truth, there are a millions ways to head down the road to minimalism through clever storage and furniture ideas, so make sure to check out Icon by Design’s beautiful designer entertainment units and sideboards. We’d also love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments.