We need more storage!
A classic statement which forms part of nearly every brief for an extension or house refurbishment. But can you tell me...
“What for?”
I’m not being facetious. I need to know whether we are talking cleaning cupboards or family archives, kids toys, camping gear or a collection of rare Hello Kitty memorabilia?
It is especially a factor if part of the brief is a loft conversion and the loft is currently too full for anyone to do more than stick their head and shoulders through the hatch and have a look around. This not unusual and nothing to be ashamed of but it will have to be addressed if you are serious about converting your loft. Even installing a decent loft hatch and access ladder can take some preparation - check out the storage tips for the website below which are super down to earth and also lighthearted.
So are we designing storage areas for all this stuff or just some of it? There are books and websites and even podcasts on how to prioritize what to keep and what to move on. I think this is very personal and seems to carry something of a social stigma now which I am not interested in. Just remember - architects and designers are not magicians, we can't make stuff disappear.
And
There will be a financial cost to making new space for that stuff, whether it's whole rooms, garden sheds, lining out roof spaces or building in cupboards. So you need to ask yourself:
"What is the real, as well as the sentimental value of that stuff?"
Once you've identified what it is you need to store, decide how often you need to access it.
Every day?
Every week?
Seasonally?
Once a year?
Never but I don't want to get rid of it.
This will really help you and the designer make efficient decisions about the kind of storage you need.
I've put together a list of common stuff that householders need storage for in what I would call the shared or public parts of the home, rather than in private bedrooms.
Which leads me onto where to put it?
Aspirational storage spaces which are usually missing from the average British house include:
Utility room / Laundry
Boot room / Coats
Walk-in wardrobe / Dressing Room
Built-in bookshelves/cupboards
/Library
Larder / Back Kitchen
Is this what you mean when you say you need more storage? Or are we talking
Many of the ideas above can be combined and hopefully room can be found in your scheme to accommodate everything that you need. My next point may be a bit more controversial - put the storage where you have space not where you think it ought to go.
If you have ever spent time on a live-aboard boat you will know that stuff needs to go where it will fit so if the board games are next to the pans or the tool box is under the couch, that's ok.
I would like to propose we adopt this approach more often with our houses. Most recently I tried to convince some clients that we could build a wall of cupboards in their new living space which would look, to all intents and purposes, like living room style cupboards but could in fact house all the camping equipment, Christmas decorations and other things that had been cleared from the loft to allow for the loft conversion. Here's a little Sketch-up video I made of what I mean.
They didn't go for it.
My last thought on 'Where to put it' has to do with the public v private spaces in our homes. It expands on my thoughts above because my issue is with the amount of stuff which one expects to accommodate in the public areas, versus the amount of space in the private areas. In particular I'm talking about kids' bedrooms. Separate bedrooms for children are another aspiration and often a driver to work on existing houses. What if more shared stuff was routinely stored in bedrooms? I know that personal space is important, especially to tweens and teens but as long as some boundaries are put in place, I feel there are merits to children understanding the need to share some room for family storage. I'm talking about a laundry cupboard, or a winter coat cupboard or maybe the family store of wrapping paper and selotape.
Alternatively, just make it their over-spill stuff so you don't need as much room somewhere else:
a fresh set of bedding and an extra towel
the winter/summer duvet
additional coats, wellies, most shoes
a travel bag / suitcase
even, when the kids are older, a cleaning spray and a cloth
I know, I’ve got to be joking, I have a teenage daughter, but we can dream.
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