It’s a new year, and I’m willing to bet that many of you have made resolutions to be more organized in 2020. Am I right? Getting organized involves two main aspects – decluttering and creating more storage opportunities. I’m gonna let Marie Kondo help you out with the decluttering part, and I’ll help with the storage solutions. There are tons of storage ideas out there for organizing every space in your home, but let’s be honest…they aren’t always the most attractive solutions. I mean, don’t get me wrong…organization is beautiful, but rainbow-colored plastic bins in your living room is not a designer-approved solution. So let’s talk about some attractive and stylish storage solutions that can help you get organized in the new year.

Window Seats

If you need a little extra storage for games or toys in your living/family room, kids room, or play room, this is a great solution for you! Adding a window seat bench with storage cubbies is not only functional, but it creates a cozy seating area, too. Fill the cubbies with baskets, create a seat cover with a foam pad, add some throw pillows, and you’ve got a stylish little nook that everyone will love.

stylish storage solutions window seat bench with storage baskets

Source: tonic living

 

window seat bench with storage baskets

Source: decorpad

You can build in a custom window seat, but one of my favorite inexpensive options is creating a bench from IKEA’s KALLAX shelf unit – especially for kid spaces! 

ikea kallax storage bench for kid spaces

 

Wall Shelves

When you’re short on storage, you’ve got to think vertically! Any bare wall can be transformed into a storage haven by adding wall shelves, floating shelves, or a hanging wall system like Elfa’s Decor Bookshelves. Wall shelves are perfect for any room of the house, but I especially love to use them in the living room, office, kitchen, hallway, and even the bathroom (over the toilet).

 

 

wall shelves for bathroom or kitchen

Source: Wayfair

Cabinetry in the Laundry Room

There’s just nothing pretty about a builder-basic wire shelf in the laundry room. It doesn’t hide the mess, and it doesn’t make good use of the vertical wall space in your laundry room. By adding a wall cabinet (or two), you’ll be amazed by the amount of storage you’ll gain, and the aesthetic improvement is well worth the expense! Check out the difference adding cabinets made in our laundry room. And the best part? I was able to store 3 times as much stuff, neatly hidden away behind cabinet doors.

laundry room cabinets before after

While cabinetry can get fairly expensive, there are some inexpensive options from Home Depot that are perfect for the laundry room. 

Built-ins

I am a complete sucker for built-ins, and have added them in every home we’ve owned. If you have a home with limited space, built-ins are a great solution. Not only do they provide more storage, but they add so much character, and completely elevate the design in a room!  Yes, built-ins can be expensive, but any designer will tell you that they are one of the most efficient ways to add more storage to a home, and one of the most beautiful. I’m sure you’ve seen gorgeous pictures of built-ins around the fireplace, like this one…

fireplace built-ins

…but just take a look at some other creative ways to incorporate built-ins in your home, that you may not have thought of.

Around Doorways & Openings

In the Office

Around a Bed

In the Dining Room

In the Bathroom

In the Hallway

Cloffice

Do you have a closet that’s somewhat under-utilized? Why not create a closet-office or cloffice? Closets can become a perfect little nook for a desk, computer, and some shelving. And, you want to know something else? They are a great little space to go bold with the design, and show off your personality!

 

Closet Conversions

While we’re on the subject of closets, coat closets are probably the worst offender when it comes to wasted space. You’d be surprised how much additional storage you can create in a closet by installing a good closet system, shelves, or dividers. Take a look at these examples for some inspiration.

coat closet organization

Source: Kelly Nan

 

If you don’t think you need much hanging space for coats, you should think about converting your coat closet into a cute mudroom instead!

 

closet mudroom

Source: Ana White

Laundry Sorters

Ah, the laundry…always piling up, and so often ending up on the floor. If your dirty duds are spilling out into the common areas of your home, or taking up valuable floor space in your bedrooms, you’ve got two choices. You can either a) do laundry more often, or b) increase the size of your hamper. Of course, option a) sounds like a smart choice, but may not be practical for you and your family. So, let’s take a look at how you can get more storage for your dirty laundry, while improving the look of your space.

There are hundreds of laundry sorters out there that are great for the inside of laundry rooms, but did you know that there are also some that look like a beautiful piece of furniture? Just take a look at this gorgeous tilt-out laundry hamper from Etsy.

tilt-out laundry hamper

Source: Lovemade14

Medicine Cabinets

If you have a small bathroom, and just a simple wall-mounted mirror above your sink, you are missing out on a huge storage opportunity! Installing a wall-mounted medicine cabinet is an easy (and stylish) way to increase your storage space in the bathroom.

wall-mounted medicine cabinet how to get more storage in bathroom

Source: Wayfair

Kitchen Walls Systems

What do you do when the drawers and cabinets are all full? Use the walls! There are some great wall hanging systems out there that can add much-needed storage, and bring a charming, rustic feel to your kitchen. Take a look at these next two kitchen wall systems for some inspiration.

kitchen wall system how to get more storage in kitchen

Source: Pottery Barn

 

Decluttering is a necessary first step to getting organized, but once that’s done, it’s important to add more storage solutions to your home to neatly tuck everything away. Not all storage solutions are pretty, but hopefully you’ve gotten some great ideas and been inspired by the beautiful and stylish storage solutions I’ve shared with you today. Best of luck on your 2020 organization goals!