Design Tips With DC Interiors – Thinking Outside the Box

Written by: Subi Shehaan

Space is one of the most desired factor in a home, especially when there is more than one person living in it and all are expected to share whatever little of it that exists. Some of us can never have enough no matter how big our storage availability is and some of us can barely fit all our belongings in a tiny dwelling. At other times, it is difficult to keep allocated regions free of clutter when there are kids also fighting for a play place of their own. Whatever the case may be, there are many ways to maximize existing space and create a cohesive zone without compromising style.

When it comes to hiding small items away enclosed neatly but with easy accessibility, the simplest options out there are baskets, and tons of it. Nowadays, these pretty babies come in a variety of colors, sizes and style. They fit into almost any decor and into any room of the house. When it comes to smart design, versatility, and portability, Ikea is my favorite go-to place to acquire any type of storage that fit our lifestyle, and not to mention, our budget. Baskets and space for them go hand in hand at this store and there are many ways to display and use them. Whether you choose to display them in an array of colors or shades of taupe throughout, that is entirely up to you. There are many options for you to create wall to wall units that house these baskets that will hide small toys, sheets of your kid’s doodles, and pencils and crayons that usually lie around all in all corners of your family room.

Image Source: http://colormob5k.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/storage-baskets-for-shelves-ikea.jpg

If you have kids and all your toys and surrounding furniture items are far from monochromatic in color scheme, a simple solution is to choose a style that is all about color, mismatched patterns, and where symmetry and order are in the background. If this sounds like a place where you can proudly tell your friends you actually meant to decorate the place this way, the decor style right up your alley is called Bohemian. You can see in the picture below that anything goes, and the foremost importance this style shares with your lovely kids is color. Color in all tones and shades, and the brighter the better.

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Image Source: http://www.predictomobile.com/bohemian-decorating-ideas/

This is where you don’t have to hide away your kids’ colorful drawings of disturbing images in baskets, but rather frame your daughter’s doodling of bright fishes eating purple leaves off a grassy tree and proudly call it art. Your son’s drawing of the yellow sun on top of a black dragon breathing out fire onto unsuspecting people can be hung right next to it, without anyone wondering why two different subject matters would be next to each other. Create a collage of wall hangings framed in different frames. There is nothing cohesive or orderly about a Bohemian styled-space, and you might even encourage your kids to paint everything in the brightest pastel color they could find.

I’ve personally loved and used dividers to section off open-concept rooms. You can visually create a physical division between two areas, and infuse a little practicality into it when you double up the function of that divider when you choose to section off with shelves. For instance, if you have a Great Room where the living room walks into the dining without a wall between them, you can create your own partition by including an elegant bookshelf as high a console table. This can serve as a makeshift buffet next to a dining room, or as a storage for living room knick knacks.

Image Source: http://homeinterpict.com/bookshelves-room-divider/

Image Source: http://homeinterpict.com/bookshelves-room-divider/

Instead of side tables next to sofas as is the norm, think about using small bookshelves beside or behind them. People erroneously believe that by placing furniture against the walls, they create a larger usable space in the middle. This is not the case. Try moving furniture away from windows and walls, where you form a cozy enclosure around a fireplace, a tv unit, or simply a feature wall. Drawing sofas away from windows and walls gives you the space behind it to hide a small narrow storage area to house toys and books.

In some cases, we have the space to accommodate all our things, but what if we want a minimal modern decor where we may not want to use so much space to fill it up with unnecessary items for show? If our budget is on the high end, and we can afford to do with some renovations to create hidden storage within easy access in the vicinity of where we need them to be, let’s explore the following options we sometimes overlook, often forgetting that things we see on the surface as one thing can actually multifunction as another.

Image Credits: http://dornob.com/stair-into-space-5-custom-under-staircase-storage-systems/

Image Credits: http://dornob.com/stair-into-space-5-custom-under-staircase-storage-systems/

In this example, an underused stair area gets a practical facelift to accommodate some of our cluttered knick knacks. These can also be built with locks so that they serve as secret storage, which can be achieved with eliminating the obvious handles and instead opting for push open cabinets.

One of the other rarely-used areas in our homes area long narrow hallways. The beauty of this space is that we only use them as a quick transition walkway to get from one room to the other, so we can afford to further narrow it down with additional storage without it being too claustrophobic.  You can opt to build shelves on either side if you have a fairly wide hallway, or opt to go for built-ins. Install track lighting in this space to give off a gallery-type ambiance and to provide attention to a space otherwise ignored.

Image Source: http://getideasforinteriordecoratinghome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/ideas-for-corridor.html

Image Source: http://getideasforinteriordecoratinghome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/ideas-for-corridor.html

I touched up on shelves as main type of storage in this article, and their various practical use in any space, but there are also many other unique ways to tuck away the unwanted clutter. I came across these particular images a while back and have been meaning to somehow incorporate this either in our backyard or somewhere in a corner of the house where my daughter can have fun climbing in and out of it to get to stored-away toys.

Image Source: https://www.google.ca/search?q=tire+storage&biw=832&bih=371&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI3tKSksf6xgIVyxKSCh1NjgS4#tbm=isch&q=tire+storage+in+homes&imgrc=2kmKIULomCKLoM%3A

Image Source: https://www.google.ca/search?q=tire+storage&biw=832&bih=371&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI3tKSksf6xgIVyxKSCh1NjgS4#tbm=isch&q=tire+storage+in+homes&imgrc=2kmKIULomCKLoM%3A

This past year, I bought a whole new set of winter tires after one of my TOYO set I bought three winters ago bubbled up and practically died. Three tires are a hard-sell no matter how good the brand is, so I decided to keep them tucked away in the garage. After seeing these pictures, I was glad I kept them. These can also be stacked on top of each other, painted in any color you desire, and used in basement areas as part of a play place.

As a interior decorator, I am often asked how to choose furniture in such a way that they serve as a multi-function piece. One of the ways I have worked around this is to use a timeless idea that have over-served its purpose: The Ottoman. You’ll see at least one ottoman in the rooms I decorate or stage. The rooms below are classic examples of how you can use an ottoman as both storage as well as seating. This can be done in children’s rooms as well as window seating, in bedrooms placed at the foot of the bed, in foyers to house scarves or mitts, as well as in many other rooms of the house.

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These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to practical storage with stylish solutions. There are many more options that will probably take many more pages to cover all the possibilities. I got into the business of decorating after finding out that I love turning old into new, and using trash to turn them into some sort of treasure. So let me end this article on a note that will have you looking everywhere for inspiration to turn mundane things to usable and multifunctional items (ie. turn old doors into coffee table ottoman that form a box on castors to store magazines or books inside; use old dining tables by partly chopping their legs off to transform them into low seating area with storage you can build to house under the table and perhaps custom-making a cushion to secure comfort on top). These are some of the creative ways of making use of what you currently have that will save you money in the long run (this is leading into my subsequent article write-up titled “Trash to Treasure: Turning Junk into Art). Stay tuned for more decor inspirations next month.

Author

me professionalSubi Shehaan is the award winning founder of Design Contours (DC Interiors) established in 2008 which specializes in interior designing, home staging, and renovations in Toronto. Her company is catered towards residential owners – simple residential room decor to large interior renovations and basement finishing. Apart from residential projects, she has completed commercial projects including law offices, restaurants, home builder’s sales offices, real estate offices, and college reception area. You can see more of her work on Design Contours or DC Interiors.

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