When you undertake a home extension or renovation it’s a fantastic opportunity to add features such as storage. Period properties were not designed with storage in mind and the original designs often lack considerable storage solutions. One of the top requirements that our clients request is more storage within the home and there are tons of clever ideas and techniques to maximise storage and ensure all areas of the home are utilised efficiently.

Here at Home Tales, we believe in showing loads of details in our floorplans including utility areas, cloakrooms, cabinets etc. No detail is too small – we’ve even created dog snugs and drawn in Peloton bikes. It’s important you understand how the space is going to work to ensure each area is used in an effective way. We thought we would talk through some of the most common storage solutions we explore with clients during the design development phase.

Cloak rooms

Cloak rooms and boot rooms are becoming more popular, and we often find ourselves experimenting with them within the design options that we present to our clients. Shoes, coats and bags take up lots of space and it’s nice to have an area to keep everything organised. Benches to sit on are also very helpful and they are often designed with storage underneath to make sure all areas are used efficiently. We designed this beautiful cloakroom which led to both a utility area and ground floor WC in this property in Dulwich.

Utility rooms & pantries

Homeowners often like to keep their kitchens free of clutter which has resulted in the demand for pantries and utility rooms becoming more and more popular. Utility rooms and pantries don’t necessarily need natural light so it’s also a good solution for the back of the kitchen or the ‘middle room’ of the property, which is often a bit of a question mark for the period mid-terrace and semi-detached properties. We designed an extension on Pulborough Road, SW18 in Wandsworth and incorporated both a utility room and a pantry into the design. Both rooms sit at the back of the kitchen and are fantastic at keeping away unsightly items such as the coffee maker, jars and cereals and the washing machine and tumble drier.

Under stair storage

There are lots of ways to utilise the under-stair space within your home. Lots of clients will consider putting a ground floor WC within this space. If you decide to utilise the space in another way another option is under-stair storage. This can come in varying complexities and options. You can simply convert the space into a tidy cupboard and add some doors to access the area. Another option which is becoming increasingly popular is to use a carpenter or specialist company to segregate the area into sections and add numerous drawers and shelves within each section. This can house shoe racks, shelves, cupboards etc. There are companies that do this in a basic for approx. £800, or you can use more well-known companies like Hammonds & Sharps who charge approx. £2000 for a typical Victorian staircase unit with 4 to 5 panels / doors along a single stretch of stairs.

Kitchen cabinets

We do discuss your broad kitchen design within our architectural design phase as it’s important you understand how the layout will work to design the rest of your kitchen extension. Our floorplans show your oven, kitchen island (if you’re having one), fridge/freezer, cabinets, wine fridges etc. We often design a double unit dedicated to a utility area which house the washing machine and tumble drier. This keeps unsightly items out of the way without having to dedicate a large amount of floorspace to a specific utility room or pantry.

Open shelves

Open shelves are popular and are more often use for decorative purposes, but they can also store helpful items such as extra crockery, books, utensils and plants etc. We love the use of this open shelf in our Pulborough Road project. The LED light at the bottom helps to draw the eye to this feature too.

If you want to discuss your home extension or renovation project and how you incorporate storage into your design, call us on 0207 043 2378. You can also email us at hello@hometales.co.uk. We have a live diary which enables you to book a consultation directly here. We look forward to hearing from you!