How to go from maximalist to minimalist (or close to it)? The answer (as for most problems in life) is shelving. Shelves are your friend and will save your life.

A common reason people cannot seem to minimize their things is that they don’t think they have room to store them. My solution is - really look at the walls in your rooms. Are they being utilized properly? Could shelving be added to any of these unused or improperly used walls? If the answer is yes, you need to call OFab - but in the meantime, here are some tips on how many things you can really store on shelves.

You need storage for your:

• Collections  

If you love your things and do not have a museum-sized home (and even if you do), there are 3 ways to tackle these beloved yet inconvenient items. 

Our recommendations are:

1. Honor it: Find a space where you can have all your “pretties” in one place so you can truly enjoy them and feel they are properly displayed. Editing is still a must in this case!

2. Store it: Store your precious things properly so that they don’t collect dust or get ruined by other items stored nearby (grilling and gardening equipment etc.)

3. Let it give joy: If you cannot honor or store your collection properly (see above), we advise you to let it go and let it give joy to someone else. Donations to schools, museums, or specific non-profits are a great place to start. 

(See our previous blog, “Are Your Clients ‘Collectors’?” for more details on how to handle this issue.)

• Household/multi-use shelving (including garages)

For garages - even though it can be a pain, consider re sizing or reconfiguring the shelving, as most garage shelves are movable. For instance, if there’s a 20” opening between your shelves, you could lower the upper shelves so that you can fit your heavier bins on the lowest shelf (or underneath the shelving, if there is space.)

Additionally, for the upper shelves, you may need to break them into two levels so that you can fit the right sized bins for your smaller or heavier items.

For kitchens/pantries and laundry rooms - as we’ve noted, there’s a new trend of using open shelving in new builds in homes. The idea behind this is to use open shelving to do away with upper cabinetry to make a cleaner, more open concept look. Pantry shelves are leaning more towards open concept as well, which can be a real nightmare. 

(See our previous blog, “From Open Shelving Nightmares to Heavenly Solutions” for details and product recommendations for tackling the open shelving trend in garages, kitchens, pantries and closets.)

• China/decorative items/serving ware etc

I understand people wanting to display these items, but it doesn’t all have to fit in one china cabinet. Again, could you use bookshelves all the way around your dining area to display your beautiful things?

Could shelves go around the top of your kitchen, like a border? Not only are you displaying your things, but also using every inch of your walls for storage. (Make sure to leave a half inch lip to protect breakables from falling.)

Is there a kitchen window that could have shelves on either side or above the window that could store items?  Could you create a butler’s pantry out of a blank wall or a wide hallway, just by adding shelves?

These are some of the ways OFab can help maximize space while minimizing clutter, and still allow you to feature your collections, store your household goods and display your favorite items without overwhelming your spaces!