Jennifer Sheahan reveals your home's hidden storage spots
A 20cm wide kitchen cupboard that would otherwise be panelled over.
If you are a new reader of this column, a critical thing to know about me is that my house is (almost) 60 square metres large. Or should I say small? That meant that designing enough storage was a challenge. I’m happy with how much I packed in, but I still browse Pinterest for clever storage ideas, both for my own interest and to help my clients organise their homes. I love coming across clever and inventive spaces, and I especially love hidden storage, which is a great way for small and large homes to stay clutter-free.
Having a few smaller, hidden spots dotted around the home rather than large storage rooms that inevitably become clogged and hard to access means that you have the items you need close at hand. There is a place for everything, and everything has its place. Tidying things away and staying organised becomes much easier. Here are five clever storage areas hiding in your home that are often overlooked — some of which I have myself, and some of which I plan to install in the future.
I have banged this drum before, and it’s probably because I regret not doing it myself (and probably will someday). The risers on your stairs — the vertical bits — are perfect places to install hidden drawers. They’re ideal for shoes, bags, belts, hats, gloves, scarves, dog leashes, and anything else that usually clutters up your hallway.
To turn your risers into drawers, you would need to cut out the riser, install drawer runners along the sides of the staircase, fit a drawer to the space, and add the riser back on as the front of the drawer with a discreet handle for access. If drawer runners sound like too much hassle, you could simply install a box and turn the riser into a door with internal hinges, so the space becomes a small cupboard rather than a drawer.
Any under-stair storage is fantastic, and many people install clever closets and drawers along the side for additional storage. But my staircase winds around my downstairs loo, so for those of you, like me, who cannot access the side of their stairs, installing drawers in the risers is an excellent way to access the hidden space underneath.
Most internal walls in Irish homes are hollow, made of studwork covered in plasterboard on either side. There is usually insulation and some mix of plumbing and wiring running through the space between the plasterboards, but often the space between the studs is a golden opportunity for hidden cupboards. Many people create alcoves in these spaces, which are perfect in showers or as display areas, but turning the alcove into a cupboard is ideal for hidden storage.
All you (or your contractor) have to do is cut out a piece of the plasterboard, add hidden hinges inside to turn it into a door, build a little box inside, and pop a handle on the door so that you can open it. I had this done in both of my bathrooms, just above the toilet, and they provide amazing storage space for cleaning products, toilet rolls, shampoo bottles, and whatever else is currently cluttering up your bathroom!
Kitchen units come in standard sizes, meaning there are often small gaps left between units or beside walls.
Usually, these gaps are covered with panels and never seen or thought of again, but I’m here to tell you that there is valuable storage in those gaps! I had a tiny gap of ten centimetres left between my fridge and my external wall, and my clever kitchen designer (Dawn in Savvy Kitchens in Thurles) came up with the idea of turning it into a tiny storage cupboard.
I cannot believe how much I can fit in that tiny space! I installed hooks along the sides where my long items go, such as brooms and brushes. I also hang my dog’s little jackets and jumpers in there.
Finally, I installed two tiny shelves, which hold all of my dog food and shopping bags. It is an invaluable space, and it goes to waste in most kitchens!
Much like stair drawers, this is another wasted space in the kitchen that I have not (yet) utilised. Kitchen cabinets are raised off the floor on legs to prevent moisture from seeping up through the floor and to account for any uneven flooring. Kickboards (aka toe kicks) are the panels that run along the bottom of your kitchen to cover the legs and enclose the space, leaving plenty of room behind them going to waste! Similar to stair drawers, you could install drawers here, which would be ideal for storing flat items such as sweeping brushes, baking trays, chopping boards, and more.
I’m really on a roll here with panels that can be turned into cupboards or drawers, and my next target is the bath. You may not have a bath, or you may have a lovely freestanding bath, in which case, congratulations — you have reached the end of the column! But if you have a built-in bath, the panels along the side are hiding space that could be used for hidden storage.
The process would be the same as the wall storage — bath panels are usually made of some type of water-resistant MDF, and it’s easy to cut out a door. You could add internal hinges at the bottom and install slim holders along the inside for slotting in shampoo bottles or cleaning products. Invisible!
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