What’s The Situation With Storage?
What’s the situation with storage where you live now and what do you need to consider when designing your new home? We can safely say that there is no such thing as too much storage. However, it does need to be accessible and functional. Most new home designs will include standard cabinetry in the kitchens and bathrooms as well as a linen cupboard and robes in the bedrooms. That’s great you think … until you start looking at why you are looking to design and build a new home. Obviously your current home is no longer working for you, so why waste an opportunity to make your new home the best it can be.
Have a good look at what you have now and what drives you (a bit) crazy. Is it the corner cupboard in the kitchen where you have forgotten what’s in there because you can’t get into it? Is it that favourite outfit that you can never find because you have half of your clothes stored in another room due to lack of space? Knowing what you have now and what you want to take with you to your new home is key to getting your storage design right.
A few handy hints on storage …
In your kitchen, think about dividing your storage into the areas of cooking, serving and cleaning. Having a spice/oils/sauces drawer or cupboard next to your hotplate means you don’t need to keep going back and forth to the pantry while your cooking. Locate your plates, serving utensils and cutlery close to your serving area. The cupboard under you sink is also really handy for cleaning products. Another tip? Have your bin close to your prep area so that you can quickly and easily remove scraps. If you have a dishwasher in your scullery, it would pay to have a bin next to this as well.
Do you have a shoe collection that would be the envy of Carrie Bradshaw? Make sure you include some shelving in your robe so that you can easily choose and select the perfect pair to go with your outfit.
Always have an added storage area for ‘stuff’ that you need but don’t use often! In the garage, under the stairs or in the roof space … you always need an out of the way place to store those bulky items like suitcases.
