One of the major things which clients need help with tends to be storage solutions … when you’re designing a home it is always imperative to keep in mind where things are going to be stored … ultimately as we move from home to home we collect more and more; and we need to find somewhere to keep it all!

The cure for clutter is to edit it; go through it and put it into piles of what you definitely need to keep, what you would like to keep, what you are unsure about and what you definitely don’t need. Once you’ve done this go through each pile and reassess until eventually you have worked up two piles – what you need and what you can afford to give away or throw out!

But what happens after you’ve gone through all of your piles? You have had enough of throwing out and giving away but you still have a pile of stuff that needs to be put away, right? This is when it is necessary to start looking into storage solutions …

I’ve been looking into some storage solutions for a client recently and I wanted to find out about some alternative + more quirky options which I can implement in future designs …I am bored of just suggesting rattan boxes in cupboards, for example, or putting up simple shelves … So I decided to look for some quirkier designs and this is what I found …

I like these Baroque-styled bookshelves. As a quirky storage design they look rather like picture frames than shelves.

I found this quirky idea on Freshome. Tassenkast is the name of this original project which is said to combine the furniture storage with traveling. The idea is that suitcases can store plenty of objects; not only your clothes and shoes. Tassenkast can also act as a shelving system – some of the luggage can be left open in order to easily access items. All the suitcases were made from wood and a special type of fabric in order to go well together and create an aesthetic looking wall.

Another unique idea for storage … this came from a Designer called Jephte Francissen and was appropriately called High and Dry. The designer used left over pieces of wood from a furniture maker to put together these wooden storage crates and hoisted them up to the ceiling using a clock spring. When the crates are raised upwards, the spring unwinds and the rope rolls itself up, while when they are pulled down the spring is used under tension. When you release the crate, it stays hanging where it is on its own. If you have lots of clutter in your home then this system could be perfect for you; imagine all of the stuff you could put away in these boxes!

At first glance this piece of furniture looks like a heap of wood … but Boris Dennler, a designer from Switzerland, has created this piece of furniture with the intetion of making hidden space for storing any stuff. Although this piece of furniture would only work in certain spaces, the idea of hiding the fact that it can be used for storage makes it a little bit more attractive.

I love this idea … a book tree. This design would be the perfect piece of furniture to add to a child’s bedroom or play area to add some inspiration and something a little different to the space.

Not quite stairways to heaven … but this example of storage highlights how you can use what you already have in your home and incorporate it into a multi-purpose piece!

The Design Fairy x