Storage is so important in our homes. Not only does it allow you to enjoy a clean and tidy space, but it gives everything a home – making it that little bit easier for you to find what you’re looking for. Storage solutions then should be altogether practical, effortless and helpful.
The arrival of a new season brings with it a new need for easy-to-implement storage tips. Inspiration on the best ways to declutter, ideas for universal storage solutions and easy hacks on how to keep our busy homes tidy, but lived in. With the Christmas season now in full swing, we find ourselves surrounded by decorations, wrapping paper, pine needles and gifts. We worry about the state of the spare room, whether the kitchen is big enough to prepare the festive feast, or if everyone will actually fit on the sofa post-Christmas lunch.
What about somewhere to store warm blankets to avoid cold knees? Will your in-laws have enough room to hang or fold their clothes in the spare bedroom? Let’s not forget the influx of rain macs and muddy wellies collecting in the hallway, or the need for ample firewood in the living room to keep everyone toasty.
While, no doubt, you’re thinking about those last few presents left to buy or pondering where to buy your turkey from, we think having a home that feels tidy, organised and welcoming is pretty important too. After all, it’s probably where you’ll be spending most of the festive season. Christmas is not just about giving gifts to those we love but giving them a feeling too. Creating a space where they feel warm, happy and content. It’s about giving them a home away from home, one that they’ll remember fondly and look forward to returning back to.
It doesn’t have to cost the earth either. Introducing a few practical storage solutions can make such a difference, and could be as simple as popping a chest of drawers in the spare room so your guests can unpack and settle in. Just because you’re buying it with the festive season in mind, don’t forget it will last for many years to come. So the next time you host Christmas, whether it be one or three years down the line, you’ll be that little bit more prepared.
Whether they’re set to arrive before, on or after the big day, the arrival of guests will always invite more shoes and winter accessories into the hallway. From hats, coats, umbrellas and wellies, give them all a practical home this festive season.
1. shelving – for utilising small hallways
Angus 5 Hook Coat Rack | Oakland Storage Shelf | Chester Grey 7 Hook Coat Rack
If your hallway is relatively small, or you find yourselves using the back door over the front, a set of handy hallway hooks will make a practical and convenient addition. Without taking up valuable floor space, guests will have somewhere to hang their coats and scarves without cluttering up staircase bannisters and chair backs. Our Oakland Storage Shelf is particularly handy with its individual cubby holes – perfect for keeping keys and wallets in a safe and easy-to-reach spot.
Meera Shelf Unit
We love the addition of our Meera Shelf Unit in this beautiful home. A simple addition that adds more storage potential to an otherwise blank space, it works wonderfully in the hallway, or equally in the kitchen too.
2. shoe bench – for banishing inevitable hallway clutter
Appleby Oak Small Storage Bench | Newark Oak Shoe Cupboard | Sussex Painted Four Drawer Shoe Bench
The hallway bench is a perfectly practical hallway addition. Something you didn’t know you needed until it’s sitting proudly in your hallway. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, painted or rustic, they’re ideal for this time of year when people are coming and going and the shoes start piling up.
3. baskets – for storing all manner of things
Grocery Box | Crispin Boot Rack | Kubu Umbrella Basket
A seemingly simple suggestion, it’s surprising the difference a basket can make – not just in the hallway but for every room in your home. They’re perfect for storing umbrellas, letters, shoes or dog toys, and for sitting on the windowsill, perched on a sideboard or standing by the door. Our wellie stands – able to hold between two and six pairs – will come in particularly useful for the traditional Boxing Day family walk too.
If you have guests staying this Christmas, you want to make them feel comfortable, relaxed and welcomed. You want to create a home away from home – somewhere they can retreat to after a busy day of unwrapping and Christmas pudding. From roomy chest of drawers, so they can unpack with ease, to blanket boxes for storing extra pillows and throws, it’ll feel like home in no time.
4. spare bedroom storage – for making guests feel at home
Chambery Grey Gents Wardrobe | Portland Grey Triple Wardrobe
Our painted furniture bedroom ranges – available in soft greys, warm creams and classic whites – are ideal for the spare bedroom. Bright, spacious and versatile, your guests will appreciate being able to unpack their belongings – even if they’re only staying a night or two – so they needn’t be living out of a suitcase during their stay.
Milton Oak Chest | Appleby Oak Chest
If you’re looking to add a little storage to the spare bedroom, we think one of our traditional oak chests will do the job wonderfully. With ample storage for guests to utilise, it can always be used for storing linens and towels throughout the rest of the year.
5. blanket box – for storing cosy throws
Large Storage Hamper | Malmesbury Painted Blanket Box | Lundy Stone Grey Blanket Box
Why not combat those inevitable cold evenings and chilly early mornings and leave one or two blankets as an unexpected treat for guests this Christmas? Our blanket boxes come in a range of colours and styles and are perfect for popping at the end of the bed to store spare pillows and throws should they be needed.
When it comes to Christmas, the family tends to congregate in the kitchen, dining room or living room. Whether you have a few people visiting for the afternoon, or the whole family staying for the duration of the festive season, there are many ways to make hosting just that little bit easier.
6. kitchen dresser – for displaying seasonal tableware
Bourton Painted Welsh Dresser
A magical time, Christmas always offers the perfect opportunity for decorating the house. Our kitchen dressers – a timeless country kitchen essential – are ideal for this. Have a switch around and proudly display your favourite china collections or seasonal tableware that is traditionally brought out at this time of year.
7. butchers block – for easy Christmas lunch prep
Westcote Blue Kitchen Island | Lundy Stone Grey Butchers Block
For all that extra prep in the lead-up to Christmas Day, make a little more space for the whole family to help with peeling the potatoes or crossing the sprouts with our practical Butchers Blocks. They’re ideal for popping in the middle of your kitchen for easy access. If you happen to be blessed with a little more floor space, our Kitchen Islands provide ample preparation room too. Not to mention additional storage space for holding favourite tipples and large platters for those seasonal cheese-boards!
8. display cabinet – for a clutter-free lounge
From the kitchen to the living room, we love our Burford Painted Display Cabinet for creating a little extra storage space. For popping the TV on so everyone can watch It’s a Wonderful Life on Boxing day, to storing books, magazines and DVDs, we think they make a terrific alternative to costly built-in cabinets, as Katy shows us here in her oh so cosy living room.
9. wood basket – for keeping toasty
Odella Iron Log Holder | Large Lined Storage Basket
Is there anything better than a warm, roaring fire at Christmas? Those few days between Christmas and New Year always present the perfect opportunity for catching up on a favourite TV series, reading a good book or playing board games. So, keep the fire well stocked and save yourself battling against the cold and trudging outside to gather more wood from the shed with our practical wood baskets – available in a variety of shapes and styles to suit all fireplaces.
Storage, at any time of the year, is designed to make life that little bit easier and your home that little bit tidier. The Christmas season, with all its magic and festive franticness, is the perfect time to introduce some simple storage solutions then – ones that, even when your family have waved goodbye and the last of the tinsel has been put away, will stand strong, sturdy and advocate an organised and welcoming home.
Just think, what a wonderful start to 2019 that will be!
