SPACE PLANNING AND STORAGE

DESIGN Space Planning & Storage

Esther Taylor is the founder of Esther Taylor Design – a London based company which has successfully designed a vast array of places worldwide. For more daily interior design tips follow her on Instagram @esthertaylordesign.

The moment you walk into the sanctuary of your home, you want to shake off the day and be welcomed by a serene and calming environment. Tripping over a plastic toy and seeing a mountain of coats piled on the banister is not the ideal and it’s certainly not going to set you up for a relaxing evening. When designing and planning the layout of a home, storage space, and ensuring that every item has its own specific place is number one on the list of importance. When planning a space for a client, we always look at the individual family’s needs and how these can be catered for. For example, for a client who loves to cook, we can ensure that there is plenty of space to keep all of their herbs and spices together, or a fabulous decorative crate to home their herbs on the windowsil

Living Space

Nobody wants their bannisters and stairs to be cluttered with coats and shoes. Of course, the ideal would be to have a cloak room but when space doesn’t allow this, having some decorative hooks on the wall with a lovely shoe box underneath can be a good substitute. Alternatively, putting some hooks on the inside of the door of an under stairs cupboard is also a great way to Hide messy coats and keep them out of sight.

Apart from being unsafe, having keys lying around on a console table is the quickest way of losing them, so having a decorative or antique box with hidden storage will keep them safe and secure whilst you are at home. A decorative box or crate is perfect for storing that big blanket that you snuggle up on the couch under or your current favourite book or magazine. Stacked either next to the couch, in a corner, or under a coffee table, it can make a feature out of your storage space as well as being very practical.

Bedrooms and Wardrobes

Depending on the size of your bedroom, there can often be a lot to fit into a small space. Items such as make-up, clothes and shoes often clutter up rooms, but it is important to maintain a serene sleeping area where you can unwind at the end of the day and have a restful sleep. There are a few things that you can do to maximise the space available. Having a dressing table with as many drawers as possible will help to eliminate too much clutter sitting on top of the table. There are also some beautiful decorative glass or Perspex organisers and trinket dishes to keep it looking like a Hollywood dressing area. If, like me, you love your shoes, I’d recommend an ottoman with under bed storage. Being able to store your winter shoes away in the summer and vice versa means that you will get a new ‘shoe wardrobe’ every season. A matching bench at the end of your bed is also an ideal place to store bed linen and throws when not in use, and easily accessible for when needed.

Playrooms

Storage storage storage! The key to keeping it organised and tidy for as much of the time as possible (before little fingers empty everything into the middle of the room!) is storage and areas. Bespoke joinery will always be an attractive option as it will allow you to make the most of every corner available to ensure that all toys will have a home. However, this can be a costly route and there are plenty of other less expensive options which will create an organised and yet fun space for your little ones.

Having a reading area with books displayed on the wall, and a bench or some oversized cushions or beanbags underneath will look nice and neat, and also create a cosy reading corner where the children can read and relax. Ikea have some great storage solutions which are designed for any space and are a great way of keeping little toys out of sight. For those who love arts and crafts, we know how hard it can be to keep track of pens and paints, prevent play dough from being stomped into carpet, and cuttings from being scattered across the house. Having caddies to home these items keeps them together and, where necessary, on a higher shelf away from little fingers.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home and more and more, it is becoming the hub in which we eat, drink, socialise and relax. Therefore, it is ever more important that it is also practical and useful, and it is kept in good order. When planning your kitchen, ensure that you factor in as much storage as possible. Given that it is no longer a place solely for cooking, remember to leave space for crockery, serving dishes, napkins, tablecloths, candles, and decorative items. Always ensure that your cooking area which comprises the sink, oven and fridge are not too far away from each other, so that when you are cooking your walking distances are close. In a kitchen, drawers are always easier than cupboards for storage, as when you open the drawer you can see everything in one go instead of having to rummage through a cupboard. Corner cupboards with pull-out lemans ensures that you can use the corner space in a kitchen efficiently, and are very useful for storing larger items in it. Drawer organisers are a must-have in any room in the house, ensuring that your drawers never become overflowed with a mess of things. For those who are not wine connoisseurs, it is all too easy for wines to be slotted and stored here and there, which can often lead to spaces becoming messy and disorganised. Having a wine-rack mounted on the wall can offer both a practical solution as well as creating a nice feature. Those awkward spaces that you may be inclined to write off and leave... don’t! They could end up being your best friend, and house more than you think. A narrow space could be perfect for slotting in baking trays or chopping boards, and putting a simple pull out inside will make a good home for t-towels. These little spaces can also be a good place for cling film and foil where they can slot in easily. Utility Space

Despite the utility room being the room that the least amount of people will see, it is also one of the most hard-working spaces in the home with the potential of becoming a dumping ground. You can use beautiful canisters to store detergents and sponges, and shelving provides a great and practical option for making these items easy to reach. One tall broom cupboard is essential in every utility room to house not only the broom, but the mop and hoover, and to keep them all together. Putting mini shelving inside the cupboard will also allow you to keep all of your cleaning bottles and products together in one place and neatly stowed away.

Under Stair Storage

I find the area under the stairs can easily be wasted and become a dumping ground – I like to make the most of under stair storage and very often I will disguise the storage elements with a continuous flow of cupboards and pull outs so it can be used to its full potential In today’s busy lives and hectic schedules, whilst juggling children, work, after school activities, and social arrangements, it is all too easy for things to fall into disarray. With some advance planning in your home and making the most of what seems like awkward nooks and crannies, those messy areas can soon become a decorative and practical storage solution. As I tell my clients when planning their homes, ‘At the end of the day a house is not a museum but a home’, and as long as there is designated storage for day to day items, once the children go to bed the spaces can be easily organised and tidied so that they can fully enjoy the beauty of their homes.