Not owning your home, doesn’t have to be a barrier to it looking great and operating efficiently. When it comes to storage, there are heaps of clever ideas and inexpensive pieces out there that can boost the functionality of your space without hurting your wallet or compromising your lease agreement. Read on for inspiration.
Source vintage pieces
Old metal trunks and suitcases make great storage and can often be found going for a song on auction sites or at car-boot sales. Stack them up so they do double service as a bedside cabinet or display space, too, and then take them with you – handily packed with clothes – when you move.
Stack and go
Storage that has no impact on the fabric of a home is ideal when you’re renting, so choosing a modular system like this is just the ticket. You can add to it as your storage needs grow, but also dismantle it and move it around for true versatility.
If you can get hold of some good-looking crates, these could also do the job well.
Bag it
This is a very simple idea that makes use of redundant space on the back of a door and the hooks that are typically fitted there. Instead of hanging a single item off a hook, hang up a bag to beef up the room’s storage considerably.
Peg up pics
Clauses in rental agreements often forbid the tenant from hammering nails or picture hooks into the walls of their temporary home. This idea sidesteps that problem. A length of string that can be tied from one piece of furniture to another becomes storage space for postcards, images and photos, secured using clothes pegs.
It’s a fun and flexible idea that won’t leave a mark on the property and will save you the cost of picture frames.
Jazz up some jars
Convert everyday glass jars into handy and attractive storage. Simply clean the jar and paint the lid. Gluing plastic animals to the top is optional, but certainly looks great!
Put up some pegboard
This wonderfully inexpensive material is super-useful, too. Fit pegboard to a wall, or simply prop it up to prevent damage to the plasterwork, then paint it a pleasing colour and have fun storing all sorts on it, using simple pegs to keep things in place.
From tools to toys, the options are limitless. This pegboard is hung above a vintage print tray. Its many compartments make this another handy storage and display option.
Try a Lego wall
Lego can work along the same lines as a pegboard, offering storage and hanging space for small-scale items. It also has an interactive quality, so you can play, leave Lego messages or create artworks at the same time.
Think of different locations
Sometimes, the key to creating more storage is thinking laterally about where to position it. The owners of this bathroom in a London flat have done just that, using the walls as hanging spaces for a buggy and bikes. These items are serial hallway hoggers, blocking the entrance to a home. Here, they are stored out of the way in an unlikely but inspired location, for just the price of a few hooks.
You may need to get permission to install hooks in your home, or at least be prepared to fill, sand and paint any holes left when they are removed.
Hook up
While putting up a full rail or shelf may be frowned upon by your landlord, the odd hook is usually acceptable. So squeeze max storage potential out of a humble cup hook by adding a butcher’s S hook to it and hanging pans here. Where possible, position the hooks high up to keep pans out of the way but within reach.
Promote a pedestrian piece
You may already own a piece of storage that could be better used. Take a humble freestanding bookcase, for example. Does it really have to hold books? Maybe it would work better as storage for other objects.
In this bedroom, it’s used to hold shoes, handbags and jewellery, but there are numerous other things a simple, unassuming and inexpensive piece like this could be used for.
Source: Houzz
