Small, simple and fun storage ideas for decluttering your home

Jars, boxes, and baskets are your best friends when it comes to decluttering and organizing a home. Blogger Kasia Rutkowiak shares her best storage solutions for clearing the clutters, hiding small treats, and displaying the treasures.

“EVERY HOME NEEDS STORAGE. A lot of it. Especially, but not only, when you have a bigger family and a lot of things.

Although nowadays more and more people turn towards more conscious buying practices, most homes are still filled with all kinds of items, bigger and smaller. And as we aim to combine the practical with the pretty, we look for small storage solutions that will help us organize, tidy up, hide, or store different items in a nice way.

I have gathered some of my most recent small storage solutions to show how I approach this topic in my own blog, My Full House.

Hidden in jars

When it comes to small storage, most of us usually think about functional boxes and containers, but it could also mean decorative items. In our apartment, these small, pretty objects often hide sweets or snacks. Ever since our children got older it became my way of hiding away “mama's treats”, as I learned that all kitchen cupboards are continuously scanned for sweets and plundered.

That’s why very often pretty jars or containers serve me as my special hiding places. These can be chocolates, all kinds of nuts, cookies, or small packages of candy. As a precautionary mother, I always make sure that a decent portion is hidden away.

I don’t always use small jars exactly the way they were meant to be used by their designers. I can store nuts or candy in a container meant for coffee or tea, or, on the contrary, use see-through glass containers meant for kitchen storage in the bathroom, just to make the space look nicer.

“After all, there are no rules that say that we can only use things one way.”

After all, there are no rules that say that we can only use things one way. Very often we discover that our new use of certain details works perfectly well and makes more sense to us.

Baskets in all sizes

Another great small storage solution is all kinds of open baskets. Again – we can use our imagination to make them serve us in different ways. Who says that a magazine rack cannot be used in the entrance as a storage solution for hats and scarves from fall to spring, and switched for terrace use in the warmer months?

Smaller baskets can also serve us in many ways. Some of the purposes for which I use them are storing candles — we have all kinds of candles literally everywhere — and for makeup and cosmetics. Although the majority of things have their own places somewhere out of sight, it is good to have a supply of the most frequently used products gathered and easily accessible at all times. For this, open baskets are great!

“It is good to have a supply of the most frequently used products gathered and easily accessible at all times.”

Bigger baskets are ideal for keeping blankets and throws neatly stored in the living room or bedroom. They are also super helpful for people who like to tidy up fast but are not particularly meticulous or pedantic.

Playing with boxes

Lastly, there are all kinds of boxes. Wooden, paper, or plastic. The latter kind is not as popular anymore, which is great. Whenever I do buy plastic, which is not often, I always check where it comes from and what I can do to purchase a recycled one.

Boxes are amazing for hiding things away, while still having them easily accessible. I love wooden boxes for my small details and accessories such as makeup or frequently used jewelry, and bigger boxes are absolutely perfect for storing papers and files on open shelves. They make space look neat and clean and at the same time are right next to me whenever I need their contents.

Speaking of boxes, I have noticed that my children like using them as well. Some of them combine playful design with beautiful craftsmanship and are a great way to help children transition smoothly into more grown-up interiors. Another win is that my children get to easily hide things from me if they need to, and that’s only fair enough. As long as they stay away from my hidden chocolates, I am fine with it!”

Kasia Rutkowiak is a Polish-born freelance interior stylist, photographer, and writer of the Scandinavian interior and lifestyle blog My Full House, which has followers and readers from all around the world. She is a mother to three Danish-born children and has lived for over twelve years on the island of Bornholm in Denmark. Currently, she resides in Warsaw, Poland.

See also:

• More storage products at Finnish Design Shop >

Text and photos: Kasia Rutkowiak