6 Instagram-worthy storage solutions to maximize your space
Storage solutions are not the most thrilling of interior-design topics, however when done well, they’re not only practical, but utterly Instagrammable, too. Here, five experts share their favorite tips for tidying, organizing and making the most your space – from aesthetically pleasing kitchen drawers to a home-office hack
The home-office upgrade
For those without a separate studio space at home, there are clever ways to incorporate a discreet office area that is also visually appealing. “We created our home office behind tall wardrobe doors so it can easily be closed and hidden at the end of the day,” say Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead, the creative duo behind 2LG Studio. “The biggest impact of this design feature for us is the bold Yves Klein-inspired blue color we used to define this storage solution, which is something you can easily recreate at home.”
The book shelves
“I am a big advocate of high-level open shelving in any room,” says Sheena Murphy, founder of London and New York-based interior-design studio Nune, of her preferred technique to display books and objects in a striking but efficient way. “You can create a lot of linear storage by wrapping a shelf around a room, or even just along a stretch of wall. Add some hanging plants [to create] interesting shapes and you have a practical but good-looking storage solution.”
The kitchen drawers
A satisfying method often deployed by Instagram organizers to achieve a pristine kitchen is to use picture-perfect refillable containers. “Our favorite and most Instagram-worthy storage solution is definitely a beautiful spice drawer. Decanting and labeling spices in sleek glass jars is simple to do and makes it a breeze to find what you need and then replenish when necessary,” shares Ashley Murphy, co-founder of home-organizing aficionados Neat Method. “This is an ideal way to have all your ingredients in the kitchen displayed, so you are always prepared for your next recipe inspiration.”
The low-level hideaway
For the items that you don’t want on show all the time, Murphy suggests adding in low-level closed storage that blends in but with enhanced attributes. “This is great for hiding a multitude of sins, without taking up the entire wall with heavy joinery,” she says. “To minimize a heavy visual, paint the fronts the same color as the wall and use some nice hardware to elevate it.”
The loft room
Maximizing space is all about making the most of even the most awkward areas, which can accomplish a sleeker finish, too. For instance, “if you have a room in the attic of a house, the lowest point often becomes unusable, [but] even putting in shallow joinery here can make the space work harder for you, and provides a much more attractive visual,” adds Murphy.
The tech fix
As our homes become more taken over with tech items, the aesthetic doesn’t necessarily work in every room, so it’s worth mastering the art of disguise to keep useful items out of sight if they don’t fit with the overall visual. “Use an open basket on a table or shelf to conceal your items, while keeping the functionality of them,” says Jamie Hord of Horderly. “This way, you can use any basket that you love and that keeps to your style. (Tip: you might need to poke a hole in the bottom or the back of your basket to fully hide the cords.)”