When researching storage products for the bedroom, bathroom and living areas, look for multifunction furnishings that combine standard funiture with hidden storage.  Also think about out-of-view areas where you can add hooks or railings.

Hooks, hangers and railings

Mount hooks on the inside of doors in the bedroom and bathroom to hold clothes and towels. Consider over-the-door hangers, which are easy to mount and can hold a few shirts and pairs of pants. You can also buy over-the-door pockets that hold multiple items.

Hooked On:

• Mount hooks on the inside of cupboard doors in your wardrobe to hold clothes.
• Mount hooks on the inside or outside of kitchen doors to hold tea towels.
• Mount hooks near your kitchen cooktop to hold pots and pans – this also adds an aesthetic element.
• Mount hooks underneath floating cabinets to make use of the available space.

Buy multi-purpose hangers for your wardrobe that can store a shirt, pants, and tie on one hook. They’ll save you wardrobe space.
You can also buy tiered hangers that store a few shirts or pairs of trousers on the one hook, and a railing that hangs in your wardrobe below your shirts to double your hanging space.

Look for multi-purpose solutions in the bathroom as well, such as multiple towel racks that hang below shelving. There’s a range of adhesive tape-backed hooks that are much easier to install than a screw-in product. For a more versatile, reuseable solution, go for a product that attaches to walls using suction.

Use heavy-duty hangers to order your garage, holding up everything from ladders to lumber. Make use of your overhead space by mounting hangers on the ceiling. You can even get a two-in-one shelf and hanger.

Boxes and chests

Store small and large items in matching boxes. Use small boxes to store loose items and place them on shelves. Use airtight plastic containers in kitchen cupboards, aesthetically pleasing metal, glass, or ceramic containers on your benchtops, and more decorative boxes in living areas.

Hidden hints:

Hide your kitchen bin on the inside of the door below your sink. Where bins are visible, consider the look of colour-coordinated plastic or stainless steel.
Use a wicker laundry basket in your bathroom for dirty clothes or go for the plastic option out of sight in the laundry.
Make use of the space under your bed by using a box on wheels as a pull-out drawer to store occasional items and extra linen. Some manufacturers such as Freedom have drawers that match the finish of bed frames. Use labelled boxes to store unused items like old books out of the way on high shelves or above wardrobes.

Multifunction furniture (tables, beds, couches with storage)

A coffee table with storage space below the tabletop will hide remote controls and other knick-knacks. Storage below a table might be a shelf, drawer, a box for larger items or you could use a table with a removable lid.
Make a sturdy storage box into a chair by placing a cushion on top of it.
If you’re living in a studio or small space, ‘store’ your bed when you’re not using it as a couch. Multi-function sofa beds and futons are a great solution.
Some bed frames contain storage below the bed, at the foot and head of the bed, or even integrate bedside tables and sliding shelves at the side of the bed.