Turning a Catch-All Room Into an Effective Storage Room and Pantry
Do you ever find yourself rummaging through endless piles of memorabilia, supplies, and other miscellaneous items? At this client’s home, this was a common occurrence. A once organized shelving unit of craft and photo bins with a place to store luggage had become a dumping ground where the door could be closed and the mess forgotten.
When Covid-19 hit and we were forced to stay home, spaces like these became more and more packed with cans of beans, Lysol, or toilet paper rolls (remember those days when we thought we were preparing for an apocalypse?!)… With just a weekend of work, we managed to transform a space they dreaded to enter into a room where each item has a place it belongs.
With the purchase of a wine fridge (something long overdue, 16 years post-renovation still never creating the cellar they had wanted), some cabinetry and shelving, we managed to meet all their required needs for storage. That being said, you do not need to spend a paycheck to achieve this – not everyone can afford to have all their storage look like Khloe Kardashian’s!
Here are my top tips and simple steps to transform your storage nightmare.
Remove everything from the room.
Go through it all (yes, this may take a while but it’s well worth it). Decide what you need or what has sentimental value. If you haven’t used it within the past 6 months to a year, it’s likely you won’t touch it a year from now. *Bonus: for anything that is still in good condition, DONATE! Craft supplies and board games can be used for after-school programs, old lamps and other household items can be given to places like Salvation Army, etc.*
Categorize items. For example, pantry, household, sentimental, etc.
Designate an area of the room for each category.
Decide how you want to store your items for best accessibility (bins for cleaning supplies and open shelves for pantry is what worked best in this situation).
Divide what you have decided to keep into the correct bin/storage solution.
Put each bin in the correct category area.
Enjoy never having to search for something again!