The word minimalism has become a buzzword, with many people embracing a minimalist lifestyle. But what does that mean? A minimalist lifestyle is a way of living where you try to intentionally reduce the amount of possessions you own and focus only on the ones you absolutely need.
Minimalist lifestyles have fed into new trends in interior design. Minimalist design is distinguished by the use of clean lines and simple colours to create light, airy and uncluttered spaces. This intuitive design style has become popular because of the relaxing atmosphere that it creates in the home. However, our busy lifestyles are often opposed to the principles of minimalism and mean that maintaining a minimalist space can be a challenge. Kids, hobbies, jobs all make it difficult to minimise the amount of items in the home which is a key component of minimalist design. How, then, can you square a minimalist design with a maximalist lifestyle? The answer is simple: storage. But what kind of storage will suit your home, and create the extra storage space you need without taking up more room?
Invest in a storage locker
One solution is to take the clutter out of the home: using a storage facility away from the home, such as a lock-up, could be a fantastic way of removing clutter. Obviously, the main drawback of this idea is that the items stored externally are not readily available and can be difficult to access, so this solution is not the right course of action for everybody. Parents with newborns, for example, would not be able to store their extra baby products away from the home. For people who are looking for somewhere to store hobby equipment, especially equipment that is not used on a daily basis (e.g. extreme sports equipment or outdoor pursuits equipment) it might be a much more viable option.
Outside space
Another way to create more storage space and declutter your home is to utilise any outside space on your property. This may mean a shed, a garage or an outhouse. This is closer to home and much more easily accessible than a storage locker, so it allows for the storage of items that could be used everyday and is often a more popular choice. For many, however, it still presents a number of issues. Many people do not have outdoor space where they live, making this solution unviable. For new parents, the lack of hygienic surfaces that an outside storage space might present would make it unsuitable for baby items such as bottles. There is also the risk of exposure to inclement weather – this can cause damage to items stored outside, and may present problems if you need to access these items in difficult weather conditions.
Utilise a storage room in your house
To mitigate the inconvenience of an outside storage space, it is natural for people to look inside their homes for a solution. Often, people will utilise a room within the home as a storage space so that they can use the rest of the home without the clutter of everyday life. A room inside the house means that the convenience of the storage space is improved, as is the hygiene. There is, however, the issue of losing the space that you use for storage. With the average UK house size decreasing by 16% over the last 5 years, losing a whole room to storage is a serious compromise for most people, and ultimately means spending a lot more money on a house that is bigger than you really need. Looking long term as well, it is not an addition to the house that will add value.
Get innovative with space
The option that ticks the most boxes is to get innovative with space. This is ideal for people who want to declutter their living area without limiting the ways you can use your home. What does innovation with space mean? By being creative with existing storage space in the home, you can increase the available space without compromising on convenience or affecting the rest of your home. This could mean using designs that have multiple functions (e.g. chairs that also act as storage space) or making use of spaces that you hadn’t previously thought about, such as understairs storage. This gives unappreciated areas of the house new life and gives the home more utility.
Ultimately, the storage solution you choose will depend on your needs and what your home is like. If you are inundated with space or have the time to go to alternative storage spaces, that will change your approach to the problem of clutter. For many, however, convenience and space are key metrics when thinking about interior design. One thing is certain, however, for most of us if we would like to marry the relaxing uncluttered feel of minimalist design with our busy everyday lives, storage is an essential component.
