You know what’s big recently? Going small. Minimalism can be found in countless trends. In everything from cell phones, to computers, to cars, we’re going smaller, sleeker, and more efficiently powerful. Trends in interior design are no different. Contemporary styles are about form rather than ornamentation, and the beauty inherent in simplicity. This is great news for those of us who have less space to work with, but not so great for dealing with the inherent clutter that inevitably builds up in our lives. Chances are, even if most of the work you do is at the office or online, you still have a good deal of detritus that you need to find storage space for.
I don’t think some clutter is necessarily a bad thing; to me it makes a space look more like a home and less like a museum, but too much can definitely eat away at your peace of mind, not to mention your interior design. And if you don’t have much space, finding places to keep all your things can be stressful and anxiety-producing. Here are a few tricks for finding storage spaces that add to your decor, rather than detract.
Drawers and cabinets are a huge boon to storage space, but it can be tricky to find spots for them in a limited space, seeing as you have to make sure that you still have plenty of room to maneuver when they are open, and that they are out of reach of any small children or potentially inquisitive pets. I really like what the decorator in the above photo has done, both with utilizing the space under the steps that would otherwise go unused, and the way they have continued the theme of light colors and symmetrical shapes of the rest of the apartment. It reminds me of a tetris puzzle.
Another great way to go two-for-one on decor and storage space is with pieces that double as both. Shelves, stands, baskets, and cupboards can all come in varieties that can fit in with whatever theme you have going, like the wire magazine holder in the photo above. Pomeroy in particular has some great and creative choices for keeping things together and off the ground.
Storage places can often be turned into decorations themselves. I really like the artful way the designer and photographer have arranged the products on this sliding shelf. Obviously, your stuff isn’t going to stay like this from day to day, but it can make finding storage solutions more entertaining if you focus on what you can do to make it look cool, rather than just an annoying chore. I much prefer aesthetic organization to just straight-up clearing up.
Finally, my very favorite kind of storage: shelves. There is just something very zen about putting things on a shelf. If you have limited floor space, wall-mounted shelves are a great way to keep clutter off your surfaces. Shelves come in all sorts of varieties, from starkly utilitarian like in the photo above, to the funky and fanciful. Clearing up your workspace can enhance productivity and improve your thinking, in addition to just looking better.
Nowadays the struggle to keep from amassing clutter is constant, and can really wear on your peace of mind. No solution is perfect or a surefire way to clean up your space, but with a little creativity and careful arrangement, you can find a place for everything, and keep everything in its place.
