What’s the most important space in a house? The living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the family room? Believe it or not, it’s … storage space! In the planning of a new house storage space is usually given the lowest priority. Often it’s completely forgotten, until of course, you move in. To your unpleasant surprise, dishes must be crammed into the kitchen cupboards, towels jammed into the linen closet, and the bedroom closets – they’re absolutely impossible!
There may very well be lots of leftover space in the basement, but that’s exactly what it is, and it’s completely useless for the variety of smaller storage spaces needed throughout a home that make life more bearable. Good news! The clutter syndrome can be avoided. Simply plan your storage space in conjunction with the overall design of the house. Don’t layout rooms to suit just the furniture, think of all the other things that are used in a space and need occasional access.
Take the vacuum cleaner for example. Does it have a permanent place of abode in your home, or does it wander aimlessly about all over the house? Awkward vacuum hoses and accessories require space somewhere. Preferably out of the way, yet near the messiest areas. Provide a special closet for the vacuum cleaner and related equipment. Even better, install a central vacuum system. The vacuum canister is permanently mounted out of the way in the basement, and a system of hoses is concealed in the walls and floors. Outlets are conveniently located around the house for connection of a hand-held hose.
Then there’s the ironing board! Don’t let it dominate your kitchen or master bedroom. Install a hinged ironing board on the laundry room wall. The ironing board folds down when needed and clamps up on the wall when not in use. Wide shelves in the laundry room are useful for folding clothes and storing detergents. These shelves can also be fold-down type similar to the ironing board.
The kitchen is perhaps the most used area of the house and ample storage space is a must. Kitchen cabinetmakers normally supply standardized units which may not suit everyone. Upper cabinets can be too high, and lower cabinets can be difficult to access. However, most suppliers are willing to modify kitchen cabinets to suit the owner’s preference. A rotary, lazy-susan shelf in corner cabinets reduces the need to bend and reach. Pull-out drawers can be used rather than standard shelves. A full height pantry with double loaded doors, similar to fridge doors, makes food stores very accessible. A broom closet opening off the kitchen is good for quick cleaning of accidental spills.
Bedroom closets can contain built-in storage units with shelves, drawers and hanging space. This eliminates the need for dressers which take up valuable floor space, particularly in often undersized children’s bedrooms. A study desk with shelves above can also be built-in, and will probably be more durable than loose furnishings.
It’s not cheap to build space. Many houses have wasted space in unused areas, and a shortage of space in heavily used areas. How can this be prevented? By design. Get more out of every square foot you build by planning the total house with space efficiency in mind. If renovating, a rearrangement of existing spaces can make more effective use of the overall floor area.
When planning the details for each room, think about everything you will use in that room. Where will it be stored? Is it easy to reach? Providing specialized storage space throughout the house increases the usable floor area of each room. Remember the disadvantage of having one large storage room for everything – what you’re looking for is always at the bottom in the farthest corner!
