Expert Advice: A Well-Organized Home Starts with a Well-Planned Storage Space
Keeping a home tidy is a source of daily stress for many – when you step through the front door after a work day and your eyes first fall on chaos and clutter, the joy and contentment that home should bring disappears. Liven, a real estate developer, creative director Alina Kester offers advice on how to plan storage spaces and pantries so that every item finds its right place and stays there.
„It is clear that the more residents in a home, the more things accumulate. Everyone has their personal belongings, hobby equipment, or toys. Over time, interests and needs change, and so this so-called cultural layer inevitably starts to slip out of control," said Liven AS creative director Alina Kester.
According to Alina Kester, plenty of cabinet space is helpful in any case, but an even better solution is a separate utility room or pantry. This is worth planning already during the home design phase, while thinking through both the use of the space and the items that need storage in the family.
„When planning a utility room, it's worth moving from larger items to smaller ones – first you should decide, for example, the locations of the washing machine, dryer, or ventilation unit, which take up a lot of space and also require additional water and electricity connections. It is important to leave room for servicing and using the equipment – for example, consider whether the washing machine is really easily accessible and whether there is enough space to move comfortably when you have a large load of laundry in your arms," explained Alina Kester.
Tip: The utility room door should open outward, and when choosing a suitable door, definitely consider its sound insulation. A working washing machine or ventilation unit will inevitably make noise!
„In a smaller utility room, it is not practical to tile the walls, as with tiled walls, adding every shelf and hook is quite tedious. In a larger room, where there is also a sink, ceramic tile can still be practical to prevent water from damaging the walls and to make cleaning surfaces easier – some prefer ceramic tile for the visual result as well," noted Alina Kester.
When it comes to pantry or utility room lighting, the rule is that more is better. Here you don't need cozy mood lighting but rather quick-find-things lighting.
„If the utility room is not very large, consider motion-sensor lighting. For quickly grabbing things or taking laundry to the washing machine when your arms are full of dirty clothes, it's very convenient if the light turns on by itself and switches off when you leave the room. This way you don't have to worry about a forgotten light and you also save electricity," added Alina Kester.
Once large items and their use have been thought through, Alina Kester recommends planning the storage room shelves next. In this case, it's a good idea to make a list of all the larger items that need storage and even measure them. The more precisely you know how much space items like suitcases, sports equipment, or a vacuum cleaner need, the more efficiently you can solve the pantry.
Idea: Pinterest can help with planning, and now also has a new AI-based solution. Just ask the right question and you'll get a very detailed selection of different options. And why not discuss with Chat GPT how to group items in your household!
„All shelves should have adjustable height, because over time needs change and the initial arrangement may not work after a few years. You should definitely check the weight capacity of the shelves – with larger and lighter items there's no problem, but if you keep many small items on a shelf, they add up to considerable weight and then it's worth choosing a stronger solution, as sagging shelves are neither pleasant nor convenient," emphasized Alina Kester.
In addition to shelves, according to Alina Kester, you should also allocate space for hooks and other items placed on the wall. For example, it's convenient to take a vacuum cleaner from the wall and easy to quickly put it back there. Laundry racks or spare folding chairs can also be hung on the wall – this way you save floor space and don't have to worry about tripping over things when moving around the room. Vacuuming or floor cleaning is also quicker this way.
„When placing things on shelves, it's convenient to use storage boxes – transparent boxes are especially practical because you can see their contents and find what you're looking for faster. It's also good to add labels to the boxes, especially for rarely used items like Christmas decorations. A clear system and labels help every family member find what they need, not just the one who put the things away," suggested Alina Kester.
With plastic boxes, Kester recommends choosing a solution with a side-locking clasp, especially for higher shelves – this way you can be sure the box is securely closed and its contents won't spill when you take it from the shelf.
„Before heading to the store, check at home how many large and small boxes you need. Don't go to the store and scratch your head there trying to figure out if it will fit. Take the measurements of your shelves at home, so you can get the best possible result. It's also worth comparing prices, as exactly the same boxes are available from multiple sellers sometimes with double the price difference," advises Alina Kester.
