5 Clever Home Storage Ideas

There’s no such thing as too much storage, at least according to most home buyers. In fact, the majority of buyers surveyed by the National Association of Realtors mentioned that they would have preferred more storage in their homes, in addition to more or larger closets. Fortunately, it’s easy to add storage to your Central NJ home with these creative home storage ideas.

Make Every Square Inch Count

How full are your kitchen cabinets? Chances are there’s plenty of unused space at the top that could be put to good use. Clips attached to the bottom of wire shelving add hanging storage for snack bags, bagged dry pasta and other lightweight foods in your pantry cabinet.

Add another shelf to your kitchen cabinets with small shelves that clip on or slide over the bottom of the existing shelves. Clip-on shelves are ideal for holding dish towels, pot holders, trivets, aluminum foil or extra rolls of paper towels.

If there’s a gap of at least a few inches between the shelves and the door in your pantry cabinet, attach small metal or wooden bins to the wall. Place condiments, pudding mixes, extra tea bags or coffee filters in the bins.

Create a Special Storage Area for Your Mixer

Mixers make preparing meals much simpler but finding a place to store the appliances can be a challenge. Stowing them above cabinets or across the room in a pantry cabinet may seem like a good idea -- until you try to retrieve the heavy mixer.

Rev-a-Shelf has solved the problem with a mixer lift that attaches to your kitchen cabinet. When you’re ready to use your mixer, open the cabinet door, pull up the shelf and plug in the mixer. After you’ve mixed up a birthday cake or a batch of sourdough bread, the mixer slides back under the cabinet.

Add Built-Ins to Your Garage

After spending thousands of dollars on your new home, it doesn’t make sense to put cheap metal or plywood shelving units in your garage. Flimsy shelves bow or break when you put heavy objects on them and can’t hold oversized items easily. Why not hire a carpenter or cabinet maker to make custom-made, built-in cabinets created to fit the dimensions of your garage? The cabinets are much more attractive than ready-made options and offer more storage than shelving units.

Does your workbench take up too much space in the garage? Consider adding a folding workbench to your custom storage unit. The bench flips up in seconds when you need it and can be closed when it’s not in use.

Install Pegboard in Your Craft Room

Pegboard keeps your crafting supplies corralled and can be surprisingly attractive. Before you attach it to the wall, add a coat of colorful paint, then attach hooks and small baskets to hold scissors, paint brushes, sewing supplies or ribbon.

Paint isn’t the only option for improving the appearance of pegboard. Cover it with wallpaper that matches your décor, then expose the holes by inserting nails through the paper.

Add Creative Storage Solutions to Your Walk-In Closet

Walk-in closets often seem much bigger before you actually fill them with clothing. Fortunately, a few modifications can extend your storage space and keep your closet much neater. Storage options include:

An Island: Islands aren’t just for kitchens. Adding an island to the center of your closet greatly expands storage and gives you plenty of space to store socks, lingerie, belts, scarves and jewelry.

A Lazy Susan for Your Shoes: Shoes are often relegated to the darker bottom area of your closet. Improve their visibility with a revolving shoe stand that displays multiple shoes on each tier. Buy a ready-made stand or hire a carpenter to build a floor-to-ceiling stand to take advantage of the space in your closet.

A Bulletin Board to Store Jewelry: A bulletin board offers an excellent storage solution for jewelry if you have some blank wall space in your closet. Drape necklaces and bracelets over tiny nails pushed into the board. Cover the board in fabric or paint it to match your closet.

Is storage a problem in your current home? It may be time to consider building a new home that will include the perfect amount of closets and storage space. Contact us today to learn more about Country Classics' new home communities and current availability in Central NJ.