Creative Storage Solutions for Your Home
Have you ever considered that the ideal creative storage solutions in your home may be hiding right under your nose?
That in fact your biggest home storage problem may be too many possessions or the wrong storage for the items that need a home. Whatever your storage problems are, there are five important guiding principals that will direct your course of action so you can choose the best, most attractive and functional creative storage solutions for your home.
Do you need more storage or do you need to declutter?
The first guideline is to ask yourself a very important question and to give a very honest answer. Do you need more home storage or do you need to declutter?
What can seem to be a fantastic new storage solution can quickly turn into a trap to accumulate more clutter and fill up the extra space you have. Hundreds of dollars and hours of time can be saved by streamlining your possessions first before you buy storage solutions that turn into storage nightmares
Decluttering will allow you to create more space for what you really love and motivate you to sell or donate the storage and the clutter you no longer have a use for. You can create space, let go of the storage items you don’t love and generate some extra money by doing this. Decluttering by nature is a creative process and will always inspire great home storage ideas.
Assess the home storage you have
The second guideline is to do a home storage needs assessment to accurately assess what home storage you need. This is a very practical exercise where you need to take a realistic view of the size of the room, the amount of stuff you have and how you will store it. The BeFree Organizing Key of everything must have a home fits into place here. This is a basic mathematical formula you need to do or what ever storage you have will never work.
Clutter free questions to ask
- So the questions to answer are:
- What storage works well in your home and what doesn’t?
- What home storage makes your life easier and what adds extra work?
- What storage looks great and what storage looks awful?
- What storage is too big or too small?
- Are there places in your home where items pile up because you need to have storage?
- Grab a paper and assess what you live with now and rate it for beauty, function and right place. If some of your storage rates poorly what home storage ideas can you generated that would work better for you?
- This simple exercise lets you focus on your home storage ideas while you get rid of clutter.
What storage would you love to own? Be Creative
The third guideline to consider is on the creative side.
What home storage would you love to own? This is where you get to come up with creative storage solutions that look fantastic, work with your lifestyle and make your home function better.
These choices can range from small storage items such as baskets and containers to large storage items such as furniture. The way to get creative is to clarify what you think is beautiful and create some visual happiness while improving the function of your home.
This exercise may entail buying a few home magazines and cutting out some pictures of storage options you would love to have or would suit your space or possessions. Don’t be practical, use your imagination and go for what you really want. This is a wonderful way to get clear on what you love and use the Law of Attraction to bring the opportunity of finding the perfect solution to you.
Play and have fun with this, you’ll be amazed at the creative storage solutions this activity can generate.
Which brings me to an important point, make the storage you have now add to the beauty of your home.
Setting this intention releases your creative energy and allows you to see opportunities for creative solutions that you haven’t thought of before. This intention is a great motivator to declutter and get rid of storage items that are lacking in the visual happiness factor, get organized with the items you love and to choose storage options that work well and look great.
Clutter Free Decsion making Keys
Use the Clutter Free Decision Making Key of, “Do you love it?” as a guiding force with your storage. If you don’t have that feeling, don’t buy it and if you need to use storage you don’t love, focus on what would be attractive, fit with your décor and be something you would love to use or see every day. Its amazing once you tune into this attitude how great storage bargains and opportunities seem to come your way.
Any storage whether it is furniture, baskets, boxes or smaller containers function better if they are attractive, fit in with your décor and most of all is something you absolutely love to see and use. Why is this so important? It’s important because choosing to live with what you love will lift your spirits, create feelings of contentment and allow you to fashion a home you feel really good in.
Create your Dream Home where you are now
By taking care and choosing items that you love to look at, fulfill their storage purpose perfectly and are easy to use simply means no matter what your circumstances are you are creating your dream home right where you live now. This is a powerful affirmation in matching your reality with your dreams. Your home storage solutions can add to the style of your home or detract from it. They can be a visual reminder of your dream home or not.
Closed or Open Storage?
The fourth guideline to generate more home storage ideas will clarify the concept of open and closed storage which can be the difference between creating home storage solutions which are functional and attractive or creating more clutter.
Open storage is used to store items that are attractive to look at or in attractive containers. This storage will add an artistic focal point to the space they are in. Think jars of beautiful sharpened colored pencils, art books in a beautifully woven basket or open white shelves with framed family pictures. Open storage is meant to showcase the object as well as the container and adds an element of interest to any room while adding to the beauty, function and comfort of the surroundings.
Closed storage is more utilitarian aspect to it. This storage houses the items that do not enhance the décor of the room and are containerized and placed in a cupboard or drawer.
Although these items are hidden they are still organized into categories and containerized for easy accessibility. Items such as A4 folders, plastic containers, cleaning or office supplies or clothing are often in closed storage.
Closed storage facilitates a feeling of calm and peace by removing items from surface areas and clearing floor space. This supports a minimalist décor where empty clean lines are important and all possessions are spaciously stored behind closed doors whether a cupboard or a closet.
Take a look around a room in your home and decide what items could add personality to your room and be suitable for open storage and what items detract from a room and need to be containerized and stored. Just becoming aware of this guideline will change how you see your possessions and what needs to be stored where and a few changes will instantly make your home more comfortable and attractive.
Trial your storage choices to see if they work for you
The fifth guideline is to trial any new storage solution to see if it works for you and your family before you make any big changes or spend money. Many expensive storage products have been bought sounding fantastic in theory but failing in practicality. Before you make big changes take the time to trial your new system and home storage idea to see if it works for you.
Discover home storage that make your life easier
Discovering the home storage ideas that make life easier will help you to continue to brainstorm your individualized storage solutions so every item in your home is well cared for and more importantly at your fingertips. Just considering a few new storage concepts can be the key to unlocking the home storage ideas you need to shift your thinking so you are open to ideas and possibilities that you hadn’t thought of, as well as discovering the fantastic creative storage solutions that work well for you.
Copyright ©2009 Jane Alais






