Six organising hacks to keep your home clutter-free

Erik Jan Middelhoven, Home Furnishing & Retail Design Manager at IKEA India says storage can play an important role in a well-functioning household. Whether you’re finding space in your living room or bedroom, or wanting to organise your book shelf, you can bookmark these creative and useful storage ideas that he has shared with indianexpress.com. Read on.

* First things first

Storage solutions need to be adapted to what is being stored and the kind of living situation. Many prefer closed storage due to the high levels of dust and the need to keep things safe from humidity. But, should there be solid doors, glass doors or drawers? Should it be high or low, or deep or shallow? If you want to hide what is inside, keep dust at bay and give a tidy impression, you will probably need closed storage. If you have some collectibles, memories, artifacts, you would like to put them on display, and you may want to opt for glass doors.

* Different ways to store

If you are looking for an overview of what is inside, open storage is your answer. Along with that, you can also aim for open and closed storage by fixing some adjustable shelves. Opt for flexible shelves which are a combination of deep shelves for big items and shallow shelves for small items. Drawers are easy to access, especially in deep storage. You can choose to group your belongings by function, all your electronics in various boxes, all chargers go together, the wires in another insert, and so on.

* Finding ease in storage in your everyday routine

Your day-to-day activities require equipment, accessories, clothing and more that need to be stored somewhere easy. The entrance to your home needs to be practical and should work for the whole family and preferably it must be welcoming and provide a positive first impression. With sufficient lighting, things like clothes, shoes and sports gear can be easily found. Clothes that are stored well require less care and are easier to find. And if there is not enough room for some furniture pieces, make use of empty wall spaces, where you can place some hooks or knobs for hanging. Along with that, baskets, drawers, hooks, rails, hangers and fittings can be used to customise the interior of open and closed storage.

Drawers are easy to access, especially in deep storage. You can choose to group your belongings by function. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)

* Seasonal storage hacks

Look around, under, over, behind or between furniture or in corners. A little hunt around your own home will result in new ideas for more storage space. We all have seasonal products at home — during winters, we can store our winter duvet and blanket with the help of underbed storage solutions. It is stored away neatly, airtight and in the space where you will need it later this year again when nights turn a little cooler again.

* When style meet storage

Ideally you want the style, colour and material of the storage to complement the overall expression of your home. It should be in proportion to the dimensions of the living space. The back of your sofa can be used. You can create a book display gallery wall just beside the sofa where you can spotlight your favourite reads. With classics in a display box, they’re out in the open and protected, but books with eye-catching covers can live on picture ledges.

* Store with the trend

Those living in smaller spaces store a variety of items across the main rooms — clothes may be stored in the living room. Communal and shared spaces are growing and flat sharing is booming in big cities. This creates new challenges in organising, hiding or showing off. Constantly-changing lives create the need to make a home out of any situation. People are wanting to move more frequently.

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