How To Maximise Storage With Your Furniture!

We’ve all got some variation of it, whether it’s a box miscellaneous of wires or a box of treasured family photos, sometimes we just end up with a collection of lost items looking for a home in the home.

But no matter how hard you try, you just can’t find a place to store them. Whether at the bottom of a wardrobe or in the corner of the bookcase, they just end up becoming more of a nuisance and an eye-sore, either from getting in the way or not fitting in with the supposed spot they’re meant to occupy.

In this blog article, we’ll discuss some ways you can fully utilize the furniture in your home to maximise its storage potential!

Shelf-ception!

If you look at any set of shelves in your home, take note of the dead space between the top of the items and the bottom of the next shelf. If it looks like you could probably fit a whole another row of items in there, then you’re not using your shelves efficiently.

Places such as Kmart offer a large variety of storage units designed to fit within any variety of furniture. From dividers for your makeup drawers to little shelves and cubbies for holding the spices in your kitchen. These help maximise the space, both horizontal and vertical, while also allowing you to better organize the items within.

Using storage solutions in this way can also be a great way to add style to your shelves too! You can give an extra tier to your bookshelf, keeping your novels on the bottom and photo frames on the top, or maybe you can split the middle cube shelf four ways to each show off a smaller ornament. 

Utilizing smaller storage solutions in this way can have you finding things in your home like a well-oiled machine, with a nook for every knick-knack!

Don’t Look Down On Looking Down

Notice how your furniture has those leg things to raise it off the ground? Imagine if you could use that space to its fullest potential. 

Buckets, baskets and boxes are your best friend when it comes to housing things things on the floor without making it look messy. Storage like this is perfect for things such as the basket of wires that “you might need someday” or a box of photos not quite special enough to make it into the photo album.

This way of storage can also be beneficial with the entertainment unit, since a lot of the time you’re going to be near the unit to access the devices or to grab the remote, so why not keep things such as extra cables and batteries tucked away underneath so you’re always ready.

Have a Sleep On It!

If you’ve got a bed frame with a lot of empty space underneath, this can make an excellent location to hide any variety of items while keeping your bedroom floor space clear to do whatever you’d like!

These low-profile containers are perfect for sliding underneath the bed while holding a large capacity of items whether it’s extra linens and woollies or a toy chest for in the kids' room. These containers make perfect homes for large quantities of small items, especially those that can be extra difficult to store otherwise like Lego or winter gear.

Additionally, if you’re in the market for a new bed frame, keep an eye out for frames with built-in storage. These are also great as they can provide a home for your clothes while removing the need for a dedicated set of drawers for said purpose. This then gives you more floor space in the bedroom for more extravagant pieces, such as vanities or standing mirrors.

How Does Your Stacking Stack Up?

The other thing to consider when trying to find places to store stuff is how you store the items in your home. How you stack can stack up, and if your piles aren’t efficient then this leads to your whole storing system toppling over!

Therefore, this next point requires digging back to 2019 and the Marie Kondo craze everyone went through. Start rolling your t-shirts and stacking those books vertically because if it takes up more space than it needs to, then it’s inefficient! This can also be a good time to take stock of the items you have and cut out anything unnecessary while keeping the ones that “spark joy”.

You can also refer to the first point on ways to better organise your items, it can be amazing how much a simple container can change the dynamic of a drawer. You can also look into vacuum bags for large items such as blankets and extra sheets, that compress the item when not in use to take up as small a footprint as possible.

Fill Up On Furniture!

Sometimes at the end of the day, the best solution is often the easiest! If you need a home for a collection of items, and you have the space to allow for it, then buying another piece of furniture is a great simple way to add more storage to your home.

Whether it’s another bookcase or a blanket box, it can be amazing the amount of storage just a singular piece of furniture can add! Even a simple upgrade of a piece of furniture, such as a larger TV unit can help accommodate more where you need it.

This also works the other way too! If a piece of furniture takes up more space than it needs to, then it could pay to get rid of it and replace it with a more practical piece. There can even be some alternatives to regular furniture that can better utilize your space, such as hall tables with added drawers!

Conclusion

Whether it was finding a home for those precious family heirlooms, or just another place to put those items you don’t feel comfortable throwing away because their time may be yet to shine, this guide should have helped give these items a place no matter their importance!

Your home should now be organized and ready for any occasion, with everything easily accessible in its appropriate room. Giving your room more than enough storage can lead to your home running more smoothly as anyone in the house can easily find what they’re looking for without the headache of searching through tubs of miscellaneous items.

FAQ

Where Can I Get Furniture To Store My Stuff?

If you’re in need of some new furniture to store your collection of anything, then great news! The site you’re reading this on is actually one of the highest-rated furniture stores in New Zealand!

If you’re outside of New Zealand however, our best advice would be to look for a business similar to us. As the world becomes more and more about things such as “fast fashion” and the mentality of “if it breaks, buy another”, furniture stores like us aim to provide long-lasting furniture that’s built for years, not months!

What Materials Should I Avoid When Storing Things On The Ground?

If you’ve just got a box of miscellaneous items you’re keeping on the ground, while you shouldn’t have an issue with most containers you can purchase at the store, we’d avoid placing baskets made from natural materials, such as cane or seagrass, on the ground.

The main reason you should avoid natural materials from sitting on the ground is that their material isn’t designed for durability. In most situations they should be fine, especially on a hard surface in the sun, but if they’re tucked underneath in the dark and damp, then their material is going to quickly get ratty as it wastes away.

The other reason also combines with the first reason also: dark and damp areas are often where insects such as spiders and silverfish hangout. As a result, the natural grass material often becomes a hive for insects such as silverfish and carpet bugs as it turns your basket into a bug buffet!