Family Home Storage Tips

Collaborative post

Having enough storage space in a family home can make a huge difference to the practicality and look of your living spaces. This guest post has lots of home storage tips on how to get it right!

One of the most rewarding experiences is to watch your family grow. The problem with a growing family, however, is that sooner or later you’re going to run out of space in your home. As a family grows, so does the clutter!

Finding additional space within the home for your expanding family can be a tough task to handle. Here are six storage tips to help create more space in your home and use your indoor space more effectively.

Declutter

Regardless of the actual size of your home, decluttering will not only make your home feel significantly larger, but also open up additional space for storage. When decluttering, having a system can make the process easier. Categorise your items into two piles – ‘staying’ and ‘going’ – and make sure you get rid of the ‘going’ pile as soon as possible. Donating your unwanted items to charity is a great way to repurpose possessions and cut down on waste.

Try to declutter on a regular basis, especially if you are expecting another child or struggling for space.

Organise your space efficiently

An expanding family in a small space means you need to get organised. This can be as simple as laying out your furniture in a way that allows for more accessibility and freedom of space. It also makes sense to rotate clothes and toys, so that you’re dealing with smaller amounts of ‘stuff’ at any one time. Underbed storage boxes are brilliant for this kind of seasonal rotation.

Another really obvious thing to do is to get into the habit of tidying up, instead of leaving items lying around. Make sure every item has a place in the home, and is put back after being used, and encourage children to do the same.

Go the vertical route

When floor space is limited, you can go the vertical route by maximising wall or overhead space. Make use of tall bookcases or sturdy shelves to store toys and books. A vertical storage design can also be used to showcase sentimental items. If you don’t want everything on display you can go for cupboards with doors, this option is great if you want your storage to blend into the background.

Take advantage of self storage

So you’ve done everything you can to maximise storage in your home, but how do you store those items that you really don’t have the physical space for? One of the easiest ways to create extra storage space for a growing family is to take advantage of what self storage facilities have to offer. Self storage facilities are on the rise, and an increasing number of facilities in the UK are bursting onto the scene as more and more families are realising the benefits that the service offers. These facilities are conveniently located, easily accessible, safe and secure. Most of the reputable self storage facilities have units that are monitored 24/7 by CCTV and individually alarmed. If moving to a larger house or adding to your existing one isn’t an option, self storage can be an affordable and reliable extension of the home.

Choose multifunctional furniture

Is your furniture multi-tasking? Choosing multipurpose furniture that doubles up as storage is a great way to maximise your space. There is a wide variety of multifunctional furniture pieces that can serve more than one purpose. For example, an ottoman can hold items as storage and be sat on at the same time, or some beds have drawers beneath which can be used to store toys, clothes and books.

Transform underused spaces

When a new member of the family comes along it can really put pressure on your home’s storage, so it’s a good time to think about converting any unused areas into an alternative storage space. Perhaps you’ve got eaves in a bedroom which could accommodate cupboards, alcoves around a chimney breast that are ideal for shelves, or an unused corner downstairs that can be turned into a mini home office. Use simple structures in these areas, and try to maximise the usable space, as you’ll definitely be storing a growing number of toys, books and clothes!

What are your tips for maximising storage in a family home?