Smart storage

There's no denying it, being an eventing competitor, volunteer or fan requires a lot of necessary equipment. Coats and shoes for every weather possibility, tupperwares for the picnic, a multitude of bathroom smellies to scrub off the (not so) sweet smell of a long day eventing... so we have had a look at some of the ways you can use the space in your home with storage ideas to put away or display.

Clutter is rather a dirty word in many homes and keeping control of your possessions can be a chore. Beginning with the right storage means that you are halfway there – if everything has a place to go, it’s less likely to be left lying around. When attempting to corral the clutter, it makes sense to go room by room, assessing where your storage works and where it is lacking.

 

Whether you are a bookworm or a neat-freak, keeping an ordered study is vital to working productively. ‘Order’ does not necessarily mean hidden and, although hidden storage within cupboards and cabinets can be a useful way to disguise messy files, open shelving provides inspiration. Try a sleek modular shelving system laden with your favourite books, objects or family photos to keep you motivated as you work and keep everything easily accessible.

 

The living room fulfils many roles and can be tricky to manage when it comes to storage – a mix and match approach is key. Look for storage that suits the style of your home, but that also does double duty – a footstool with space for magazines for instance. Storage doesn’t always have to blend seamlessly with your other furniture either – as long as you like how it looks. Mix and match items such as cabinets and shelves to create an individual look, but maintain a constant colour palette to ensure the space doesn’t look too busy and all pieces tie together.

 

One area where good storage can make a world of difference is a child’s bedroom or playroom. Providing children with eye-catching and easy to access storage will encourage them to tidy under their own steam. Children’s storage can be very quirky and attractive. Make sure your children’s storage is both robust and practical but equally will look great as a stand-alone piece of furniture. 

 

These rooms work very hard in any home and therefore need as much storage as possible. If space allows, a painted dresser makes both decorative and useful storage space in a bathroom – place towels in the cupboards and attractive perfume bottles on display. In the kitchen, you may think that storage ends with the cupboards and shelves built in to your kitchen units – but are you really making the most of the space? Hooks on the back of doors, high level shelves and hanging pan racks are all useful ways to store kitchen equipment without taking up much-needed worktop space.

 

Many houses have plenty of wasted space that can be turned into useful storage. Under-stairs storage is one area that has recently been transformed with some excellent ideas. Try adding drawers under the stairs that slide out to the side – perfect for bags, shoes, scarves and everything else that clutters a hallway. If you’re really up for a challenge, try building storage into the actual stair treads for a very clever way to use wasted space. Also consider cupboards under window seats, modular storage mounted on to walls or used as a stylish and useful room divider, and floating shelves under the eaves of an attic room.

If a tidy home means a tidy mind, then healthy eating means a healthy body - click here for our healthy eating tips.