For a house to feel like a home, you want to add your personal touches throughout, which is typically done through the use of personal belongings. From your furniture and decor to pictures and artwork, the items you gradually collect over the years shape your home into a comforting, familiar space that reflects you and your family.
Of course, over this course of time, it can be easy to accumulate more belongings than you anticipated. When this happens, you may need to sit and think about how rooms and spaces within your home can be rearranged to fit everything you own without becoming cluttered. This can be a tough process - especially when you don’t want to part with certain items.
Thankfully, there are a few options available to you when you find yourself in this position. We’ve put together this helpful guide offering you tips on how you can maximise the space in your home to accommodate your needs, along with the benefits of self storage services when you’re still in need of that extra helping hand.
Ways to Maximise Space in Your Home
Under Stairs Storage
The cupboard under the stairs isn’t just the address for a certain well-known wizard, but it actually acts as a great little nook for storage - or even another purpose if you think creatively.
If you’re in need of extra storage space, whether for shoes, shopping bags, kids’ toys or dog accessories and other miscellaneous items, then if you have a cupboard under our stairs this makes for the perfect solution. To maximise its storage potential fully, you could even consider installing some shelving inside the cupboard and some hooks on the back of the door, offering you different levels of storage opportunities within the same space.
Alternatively, you could even convert it to act as a practical space within your home that serves a different purpose. The area under your stairs is full of potential; by fitting units into this space, you can achieve a small yet innovative area that can serve multiple potential purposes.
For example, you could create bench seating with cushions that either doubles up as an ottoman or has cubby holes underneath for storage baskets, perhaps with fairy lights as a final touch to create a cosy little reading nook. Speaking of reading, you could also integrate a bookshelf into the space.
Another option would be to create a fully functional office space, complete with a seating area and workspace, shelving, cupboards and drawers. Or, perhaps you have a dog and their bed or crate takes up a lot of space in the living room or kitchen - you can give them an area of their own by turning your under stairs cupboard into an accessible dog house for them, whilst freeing up space elsewhere in your home.
As you can see, maximising the cupboard or empty space under your stairs in this way is great for meeting your storage needs, acting as a functional space and repurposing other areas in your home that can now be used in a different way.
Utilising Your Basement and/or Loft
If you have a loft, as most UK houses do, or even a basement, then these spaces are incredibly useful and you should take full advantage of them. A particularly popular option these days is to opt for a loft conversion. Whilst these can be a costly investment, they certainly cost less than upsizing to a new home.
Converting your loft or basement into a usable room is a great way to expand your home without undergoing a physical expansion. Whether you’re expecting a new baby and need a new bedroom/nursery space, have started to work from home and would benefit from an office area or would simply appreciate an extra room to make other rooms feel less busy, a loft/basement conversion is ideal for meeting your needs.
Of course, your loft or basement also acts as a storage goldmine. If your home lacks built-in storage spaces and you find that storage units such as drawers, ottomans and cabinets take up too much space and make your rooms feel smaller, then the loft or basement will be your saving grace.
They are ideal for storing items that you don’t require easy access to all year round, such as seasonal decorations, memorabilia, camping gear and even your summer clothes. You can use them to store almost anything that you want - just remember to keep things in sealed storage boxes to A, keep them organised and B, stop them from becoming damaged.
Use Multifunctional Furniture
Making the most of your space is all about innovation and thoughtful maximisation where possible. A useful way to ensure both of these is through the use of multifunctional furniture.
Like most people, it’s likely that you want to strike the right balance between meeting your practical needs without excessively encroaching on floorspace. Multifunctional furniture allows you to achieve that balance - especially in smaller rooms. For example, if you need storage space in the bedroom, then consider a bed with drawers underneath, or if you have a seating bench in your hallway, then consider swapping this out for an ottoman.
This can work in the kitchen, also. If you have a cosy kitchen and no dining room, there are fold-out dining units complete with chairs inside that would be ideal, or you could install a Murphy bar on your wall to double up as a spice cabinet and provide you with extra worktop space when you’re cooking.
Consider Open Plan Settings
Whilst walls act as great guidelines for furniture placement, this can also be a hindrance. Instead, open plan settings allow you to play around with furniture placement without having to conform to such guidelines, which offer you less options to work with and are more likely to leave you with areas of unused space.
If you have two rooms that could feasibly be conjoined, such as kitchens and dining rooms or kitchens and living rooms, then it may be worth knocking down any walls between the two and turning them into one open plan space. Even if you find that the differences this offers in practicality are only slight, your space as a whole will at least
feel much larger and less cramped, allowing you to find new creative ways to play around with storage without feeling as limited.
The Benefits of a Self Storage Unit
If you still feel like you’ve exhausted all your options for maximising space in your home, then you could benefit from a
self storage unit.
Self storage units are secure units offered by storage facilities on a hire basis. They typically come in different sizes, so you can choose to store as much or little as you need, which also means you will only ever pay for the amount of space you require for however long you require - meaning you’re getting your full money’s worth.
They are a great temporary solution when decluttering your home, offering you somewhere to store items that you are yet to decide what to do with (especially those you are hesitant to part with!), yet allowing you to free up space in your home while in the process of considering these decisions.
You will also have peace of mind that your items will be safe and secure; the majority of self storage facilities offer lockable units, providing you with a padlock and key personal to your unit so that no one but you will have access to it. The facilities themselves often operate 24/7 CCTV and additional security measures, so you can sleep easy knowing that nothing will happen to your belongings.
Where to Find Local Storage Services
If self storage sounds like a solution that suits your needs, then it’s time to find your local storage services. We’re sure you’ve heard of some of the big names when it comes to storage companies, but we recommend sticking with a local provider for a more personable and comprehensive service that’s closer to home.
If you live in the South West, then you can utilise the services we offer here at Rose Removals, located in Devon. Our purpose-built containerised storage facilities have 24/7 CCTV in operation and are fully alarmed and linked to the Fire Service and Police.
Storage Container Hire with Rose Removals
Let us help you find the right solution to your storage needs here at Rose Removals. We offer both short and long-term furniture storage in Exeter and our containerised units can accommodate any size of storage, so you can decide exactly how much space you need - all for an affordable, competitive price.
Are you looking for help managing your storage? Not to worry - we offer a complete
storage to your door service, which includes collecting your goods, storing them and returning them to you when you're ready.
So,
get in touch with us today to discuss your storage needs and for advice on the solutions we can offer you.
