Getting creative on storage space
Storage pieces are not what they used to be. Changes in home design and technology mean that boxy, old-fashioned armoires, dressers and china hutches are being repurposed or are making room for cabinets, shelving and sideboards in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles.
Today’s decor embraces an eclectic look, and rooms might serve more than one function. Walk-in closets and wall-mounted TVs are hot; formal dining rooms are not.
All of these trends mean there’s more freedom in choosing storage pieces, including “wow pieces” that make a statement, said Sarah Winslow, merchandising manager at Terrasi Living & Scandia Home in Kansas City, Missouri.
“The furniture police have left the building,” she said.
Adam G. Tilley, senior vice-president for product and marketing at A.R.T. deadly to pets. In addition, small puppies or kittens can drown in toilets. Keep all toilet lids close when toilets are not in use.
· Keep potentially harmful items out of pets’ reach. Household cleaners beneath the kitchen sink are not the only items around the house that can be harmful to pets. Medications should always be stored on high shelves where pets cannot reach them. In addition, make sure all laundry room items, including detergent Furniture in High Point, North Carolina, said his company and others are offering new takes on cabinetry, including interesting shapes, finishes or embellishments that can work within traditional furniture groupings. The units might house barware, electronics or other household items.
A.R.T. offers the “chesser,” for instance, a cross between a chest and dresser. It also has a sofa with a built-in bookcase.
“These are fun accent pieces that are orbiting around that centre core of a suite of furniture,” Tilley said.
Many of the new styles offer a mix of storage and display space, Tilley said.
“More and more people desire to spend their money having experiences, and the way they decorate their homes has become a reflection of that,” he said. “They are drawn to furniture that showcases the memories that were made, the knowledge that was acquired, or objects that bring those experiences home.”
For example, the popularity of craft liquors and fancy cocktails has increased sales of swanky bar cabinets, said Adam Young, who with his wife, Emily, owns Brass and Burl, a furniture store in Hackensack, New Jersey, and New York City.
They also sell stand-alone buffets, console cabinets and shelving units, among other items. Customers are drawn to pieces that create interest through metal accents, unusual stains or interesting inlays, and fill them however they see fit -regardless of what the pieces were designed to hold, he said.
“I don’t think people care about convention at all anymore,” Young said. “At the end of the day, people need function -some place to store their stuff.”