[AD] 6 simple storage solutions for new build homes and small spaces

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid partnership with Ecoworld London. Styling and photography: Cate St Hill

It’s no secret that our homes are getting smaller – the UK has some of the smallest properties in the world, and I think it’s especially problematic in cities like my hometown of London. Often when decorating small spaces and apartments it’s like a game of Tetris – there’s almost an art to trying to slot everything in and find a home for each object. You can never have too much storage! I often get clients asking how they can tidy away unsightly clutter, give an illusion of space and enjoy a tidier, more organised home. If you’re not blessed with a basement, loft or endless cupboard space, you have to be a bit more creative with what you’ve got.

For my second post, in collaboration with developer Ecoworld London, I’m sharing some simple tips for maximising storage solutions in a new build home. These ideas could really apply to any home, no matter the style or period, but I think they’re particularly applicable for smaller, compact spaces and open-plan layouts where almost everything ends up on show on a daily basis. Hopefully this post will give you some inspiration and help make your space work more efficiently for you. If you’re moving into somewhere new or giving your home a refresh, practical storage should be one of your first priorities – when conceived well, it should effortlessly blend into the background and allow everything else to sing.

– Make use of your wall space
Instead of just thinking about furniture that is placed directly on the floor, look up and make the most of your wall space, especially if you’re lucky to be blessed with tall ceilings. That’s what we did in our kitchen – we installed an extra row of cupboard space above the top cabinets so that we could store items we don’t need to access everyday. It creates a clean look and gives us much more storage space. If everything is already built-in you could use that space between the cabinets and the ceiling for baskets or beautiful Kilner jars filled with dry foodstuffs.

Lifting furniture off the floor and installing pieces on the wall will also help save much-needed floor space and give an illusion of space because the eye will perceive the floor area to be much bigger than it actually is. Storage solutions on a wall won’t appear like they’re cutting into the room as much as something more solid and on the ground. This could be a shelving unit that had an in-built floating desk, a sideboard for a TV unit or even a small bedside cupboard if you don’t have much space either side of the bed for a normal, wider bedside table.

– Look for flexible, multi-purpose furniture that serves different uses
Especially in a contemporary, open-plan space, you’re more likely to be moving things around frequently or using the same space for different uses – for instance, a living room that can quickly change to become a guest bedroom with the help of a clever sofa bed. Look for designs that can easily adapt, while not taking up too much space. This black trolley in our kitchen is particularly useful for everyday objects we need to hand – we don’t have much worktop space, so this is where we store the toaster, salt and pepper mills, napkins and a few cookery books.

Other ideas for flexible storage solutions include: a bookcase with a fold-out shelf where you can work from a laptop and close it at the end of the day, an extendable dining table with an extra leaf that can be used when friends come round, coffee tables where the top lifts up to create a surface to eat off, or anything on wheels that can be easily moved out of the way.

– Choose furniture with in-built, hidden storage
There are lots of clever designs out there with storage integrated into them, which you wouldn’t even know were there just from looking. Choose an ottoman bed where the whole mattress can lift up to reveal enough space to storage blankets, spare duvets and even suitcases. There’s l-shaped sofa beds where the chaise section opens up to storage the bedding for the bed and even footstools that contain a single-pull out bed for a guest. Elsewhere, you can get slim bathrooms mirrors with concealed shelves behind them.

– Use the space under furniture
When thinking of clever storage solutions, look to underused spaces that often get overlooked – such as below furniture. If you have furniture on legs – a sofa or bed for instance – utilise the space underneath them to store pull-out trays and baskets for children’s toys, books or magazines. You could also store a printer on a unit on wheels under a desk that could be pulled out when needed.

– Confine clutter to set areas
Instead of having lots of things everywhere, have defined areas for items. This will create a more soothing effect for the eye and help contain clutter. For instance, we have a tray on the dining table where we can drop our keys, phones or other small items to try to stop things spreading out and creating a mess across the whole dining table. On my bedside table I have another tray for creams and in the bathroom one for things like hand wash, toothpaste and toothbrushes. It just helps keep things neat, even if they sometimes become a magnet for stuff and need a sort out every now and then!

– Organise your cupboard space and make sure everything has a place
Make the most of the storage space you have by making them work harder for you. Often there’ll be some space in a cupboard to squeeze in a shelf or extra surface. For instance, in a kitchen cupboard you can get shelf inserts that mean you can double up the amount of cans or mugs you can stack. We have dividers in our kitchen drawers to separate pans from lids, which means we can store much more than we would be able to if everything was jumbled up. Under our kitchen sink we have pull-out bins and above them, another pull-out tray where we store dishwasher tablets and bin bags. In our wardrobes we also have a pull-out hooks for things like belts as well as the usual rail for clothes.

In my bid to be more organised, I’ve been Marie Kondo-ing my cupboards. The Japanese tidying expert recommends using trays to compartmentalise storage space. This has been particularly useful in drawers to help keep different items separate from one another. For instance, in one kitchen drawer we have different trays to divide up utensils, from rolls of kitchen foil, and from batteries or other bits and bobs. It’s handy too in the bathroom to know where the plasters are or where the paracetamol is, because each category of thing has its own tray and therefore allotted space.

You can also use the opportunity of moving into a new home to have a declutter. It’s the perfect moment to assess what you really need and what you could let go of. That way, as well as freeing up your storage space, you can make room for the things you really want in your home.

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting an interiors workshop with Ecoworld London at their Aberfeldy Village development, where we talked about some of these ideas and how you need to think of the foundations before getting the finishing touches right. I think it’s really important to consider how a space is used and how you want it to feel, before developing a creative concept and getting down to the styling. If you need a few ideas to get you started, make sure to head to Ecoworld London’s Instagram this weekend to hear my top three tips for styling new builds – I’ll be making an appearance on their Stories!

Check out my Pinterest board with more clever storage solutions for small spaces and new build homes: