New Year, New Storage

Take your time

Once you’ve decided that a much-needed de-clutter is in order, it can be very tempting to get carried away! However, biting off more than you can chew can prove disconcerting, daunting and time-consuming. The best way to avoid de-clutter burn-out is to tackle one room at a time, but if even this seems too much, tackling a single drawer is better than nothing.

Another great idea is to set yourself a time limit: put an hour aside to re-organise the chest of drawers in your bedroom, for example, and if you haven’t finished after an hour, leave it until the following day. Rationalising and breaking down de-cluttering into small, manageable segments not only makes it seem so much more achievable, but also means you’re more likely to do it properly! 

Display what you love, hide what you don’t

Re-organising and de-cluttering offers a great opportunity to fall back in love with your favourite things and choose some to put on display. For things you need but you don’t want to have on show, well-organised cupboards, drawers and wardrobes are a must.

Display cabinets and open shelving units are perfect for displaying much-loved precious items. Here at Shimu we have a wide range of ever-changing antique shelves, perfect for showcasing everything from books and ornaments, through to glass wear, ceramics, collectables and more – the list is endless! We also offer a selection of beautifully made new furniture which includes display cabinets and shelves, perfect for re-creating the style and elegance of oriental interiors in your own home.

Anything you don’t want to have on display is easily organised on shelves and within drawers using storage boxes, baskets, dividers and organisers. Storage furniture doesn’t have to be boring or functional though and rather than making a beeline for your nearest Scandinavian flat-pack furniture showroom, why not consider a Chinese apothecary cabinet to store CDs and DVDs for example? Our clever range of storage furniture also includes elegant oriental sideboards, designed to house TV and music systems, through to sideboards for the dining room or living room, elegant wardrobes, chests of drawers, cabinets and armoires.

Imaginative storage

It’s also worth bearing in mind that a wide range of items can be used as storage, even if they weren’t necessarily intend to be! Wooden boxes and woven baskets, for example, are perfect for organising bathroom clutter or magazines, whilst rolled up towels will fit perfectly between the legs of a low stool. Ceramic jars such as Chinese ginger jars make stylish kitchen storage, or why not use a wooden trunk or chest to safely store photo albums, books, clothes or blankets?

Don’t forget that antique pieces are great for thinking outside the box – no pun intended – when it comes to finding unusual storage solutions! Our collection of antiques offers a range of stylish ideas for stowing away clutter such as wooden hat boxes, lacquered baskets, rice measures, reed baskets, vintage wine buckets, wooden basins and pillow boxes – the choice is almost endless!

Transform your home with stylish storage

Not only does de-cluttering offer a great way to transform your home into a tranquil and tidy haven, it also provides the perfect opportunity to create stylish design touches. Re-organising your home doesn’t have to be stressful or overly time-consuming, provided you take it step by step and make the most of some of the many storage solutions available.