Super Storage: Get organised with pieces that look sleek while cutting clutter
Make the best of a spare room or under-stairs study spot with modular wall storage. Elfa Décor combines classic modular rails and shelving with touches of white or birch laminate to warm the look. Adapt the area effortlessly with movable elements and a brand you can build on. Look out for economic signature bundles for utilities, garages, small office layouts to entry-ways and clothes storage using Elfa systems; €162-€1660, organisedstore.ie and equipashop.ie.
Storage makes sense of our homes. It clears our spaces back to serenity, trims our time and motion, and categorises the things we use every day that quietly mean the most to us. Introduce some springtime zen with macro and micro-storage solutions for every corner of the house upstairs and down.
Think about how and when you need your stuff to hand, be it your favourite Japanese chef’s knife or your everyday outfits. What would make a serious difference in terms of accessing the domestic ballast, putting logic on even your stranger habits?
Trending for 2024? Versatile furnishings — dressers, statement wardrobes and settle-seating crafted with integrated storage elements. These multi-talented masters have a heritage stretching back centuries, and with an increasingly luxuriant flair, they are now sorting our future spaces.
In kitchens, living walls of storage cabinets will feature open pantries with an area designated to a working desk and/or coffee machine, bringing a sophisticated barista vibe to the centre of most Irish homes. Warming timber shelving can carry glass jars and canisters in coloured and reeded glass — offered everywhere this season to put dry goods on a delightful show.
in the kitchen, there’s been something of a turn away from wall-mounting to slender counter-standing cupboards with pocket doors physically connecting upper and lower storage.
Think very carefully before introducing even modest storage pieces to solve storage problems. With fixed cabinets, vast wardrobes and primary shelving, it’s settled wisdom to add 30% more room than you think you need.
Tiny house fans will be on the hunt for beds to inhabit weird nooks and oddly inclined walls. The Plane bed range from designer Felix Stark for the celebrated German brand Mueller is designed on 'planes' of plywood. It incorporates ledges, bedside shelves and an optional bed box at the foot handling storage and display for alarm clocks, bedside lamps and bedding; from €1,470, see muellermoebel.de for stockists.
Simplehuman takes this essential dry pet food storage out to the kitchen floor with a range of dedicated feed bins with clamp lids and BPA-free buckets. Available in three sizes, they take up a small paw-print and keep the kibble clean, dry and accessible with a firm, rubber gasket seal. There’s even a lid-mounted measuring scoop which attaches magnetically inside the unit; €169.95-€189.95, simplehuman.eu.
When Joseph Joseph introduces an ergonomic bit of brilliance, you wonder why no one had thought of that detailing before. The Tota range of tweedy grey laundry baskets features separating tote bags and would look smart in any laundry or on the landing. The latest Tota includes three 30l compartments and a lid to lock away wash-day woes; €149.99, eu.josephjoseph.com.
The stylish Helsinki Bag Holder designed by Helena Matilla (shown in Copper) sits on the floor as a dedicated hanger for bigger shopping bags, their handles threaded over the top of the unit. Terrace three for everything from waste separating, to storing magazines or laundry; €39.10, finnishdesignshop.com
Rumble it out to the patio, or sit it proudly by your home office. The BarBoy from Verpan is an iconic piece of mid-century design from 1963, by the late, great Verner Panton, best known for his lighting. Three round metal drawers/trays swing out fully from the tower to utilise every surface; €1046, smallable.com. Knock-offs abound. For a budget, vintage bedside solution, pick up a Componibili by the Italian house of Kartell, from €145, c.1949, various suppliers.
Quality and multi-function are two vital concepts for this season. This Esun shelf mirror by British maker Tom Raffield, known for his environmentally sound products, is made of sustainably sourced, steam-bent ash. Beautiful in a compact bathroom or to hold a couple of family photos in a busy hall; €459, tomraffield.com.
The sideboard family has some naughty inclusions as we embrace art deco decadence. Inspiration for a crafty summer upcycle? This wild Delphine credenza by Jonathan Adler combines antiqued glass, and a polished brass base with two double-door compartments that open to reveal a bright robin's egg blue interior, €4,908, sweetpeaandwillow.com.
Open a world of storage possibilities from coffee stations to home offices and sleek pantry areas in any size of kitchen. Pocket doors disappear without intruding on your floor plan. The reeded timber panels used here with these long and counter-standing cabinets are a signature story for 2024; kitchen by McNally Living, mcnallyliving.ie.
Small storage pieces left on show can be as characterful as you are. Littala Taika ceramic jar, designed in Finland, €129, various suppliers.
Nimble, lightweight and useful in a hall or bedroom, the Woud Tojbox shows off the skeletal remains of a wardrobe without the bulk. Unmistakable Danish design by Made by Michael, from €799 in black or white oak, wouddesign.com.
Walk-in wardrobes are on the wane (if Dermot Bannon is to be believed). Organising your clothes either on open rails or behind closed doors could be as life-changing as any Carrie Bradshaw dream. Think seasonal and edit your wardrobe. Modular boxes look sleek when you dispense with doors and use a curtain. Pax wardrobe frames from €80, ikea.ie.
There’s something rather 1920s about this Eileen side table with magazine rack by Dutchbone, as art deco continues to jazz us up for 2024, woodesign.com.
"Shutter shelves" appears to be a short phrase that lacks context. Can you please provide more information or clarify in what context you are using this term?We love the collection of shelving at the Irish design outlet Home Street Home, which selects pieces primarily in reclaimed and recycled wood. These Shutter Shelves are reimagined from vintage Asian shutters and carry the original paint and patina, €120, homestreethome.ie.
Make the best of a spare room or under-stairs study spot with modular wall storage. Elfa Décor combines classic modular rails and shelving with touches of white or birch laminate to warm the look. Adapt the area effortlessly with movable elements and a brand you can build on. Look out for economic signature bundles for utilities, garages, small office layouts to entry-ways and clothes storage using Elfa systems; €162-€1660, organisedstore.ie and equipashop.ie.
Freestanding, bespoke kitchen furniture is making a return, and we love the dresser base styling of this magnificent deeply pigmented Henley cabinet by Neptune, €3,295. Saffron yellow paint, €65 for 2.5l, neptune.com.
