Four clever home storage ideas you haven't considered
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Do you ever feel like you’re running out of space? If your cupboards are crammed full and your bookshelves are bursting, there are some less conventional ways to approach the problem.
Here are four imaginative ideas that a creative carpenter can easily put into action.
Kitchen kickboards
Under most people’s kitchen cabinets there’s not much more than dust and spiders. But this concealed space is a perfect opportunity for storage.
A carpenter can add invisible drawers into your kickboards, which you can easily open up with a hidden handle. They’re ideal for flatter kitchen items like baking trays and cake tins, freeing up your cabinets for the items you use all the time.
Or for a more off-the-wall idea, you can convert these kickboard cavities into a docking bay for a robot vacuum cleaner. It can live under the cabinets and charge up, then come out whenever it’s programmed to clean.
Post your kitchen kickboards job
Under-seat storage
The space under a bench seat has prime storage potential.
Lately we’ve seen a lot of people adding banquette seats to the dining table. They’re compact and space efficient and if you build in a lidded seat, they make for perfect storage.
You’re not just restricted to the dining room, though. Reading nooks, bay window benches, seats in the hall: if you’ve got a bench you can sit on, you can turn it into storage to swallow up those items that don’t have anywhere else to live.
Post your under-seat storage job
Stair storage
Everyone’s heard of under-stair storage, but how about ‘within stair storage’?
It’s a great way to make use of lost space. A clever carpenter can hinge some of the treads and risers so they lift up on a hinge, like the top of an old-fashioned desk. Add in a hidden handle and a couple of support struts so it won’t fall down, and you’ve turned empty space into essential storage.
Bear in mind that your stairs take your weight every time you walk up and down, so you’ll need to make sure your carpenter makes things strong enough. This isn’t a job for the DIY-er!
Built-in TV units and media walls
Media walls and TV units can transform your lounge. They’ll easily house your media, from CDs and DVDs to books and vinyl. But they also give you space to store all other bits: toys, board games, bottles, games consoles and the rest.
A good carpenter can advise on what’s best for your room. You’ll want to think about where you want your TV, any cables you want to connect, and any soundbars and speakers. Then you can decide what sort of storage you want: drawers, cupboards or a mix of the two.
Once it’s done, just sit back and enjoy a calm, peaceful and uncluttered living space.