There is one word that starts a New York conversation – ‘storage’. It is still the city I have lived in that really gets it and has come up with a range of wardrobe, packing and lock-up solutions. Other cities need it as well as many of us live in smaller spaces whilst living in a shopping world that entices us with stuff. There is a reason that tiny houses are popular and books on minimalism are constantly being highlighted. Check out the Container Store, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Home Depot in the USA or if you are living in other places, IKEA, Bunnings in Australia, Leroy Merlin and Carrefour in France and, don’t laugh, Tupperware or your local DIY!
Wardrobes
If you are on a budget, get creative. There are online sales of cupboards and wardrobes. In the past, I have bought portable clothes racks and hidden them behind curtains. You can repaint old wardrobes successfully and even use wallpaper in panels.
Obviously IKEA, Maison de Monde and other places have normal options but consider wine crates stacked for shelving. Look in your local hardware store. There are often lovely pieces of raw wood for sale and usually you can ask them to cut them to your measurements and even bevel the edges. Then either stain, varnish or paint. You can quickly make a table by also buying the legs to screw in or buy the work-bench foldable legs. Use bricks or solid boxes to layer shelves if you can’t use nails in the walls.
Kitchen
I lived in a shabby, not chic, French apartment that had had a major water leak from the apartment above – one week before I moved in. I got permission from the landlord to paint the four different kitchen cupboards all white. I ripped up the old Lino floor and painted the concrete a soft grey with cement paint and bought a washable rug. I bought lovely cheap jars from of all places, a garden centre. I filled them with spices.
Our Berlin kitchen was delayed by six weeks after we had moved in – don’t ask! We bought three worker benches from Bauhaus DIY – a place we seem to visit frequently! They folded up and had a handle. You could adjust the height as well. They cost €150 and we sold them six weeks later for €100, still cheaper than eating out for that time. A portable induction top and we were good to go. Kind of chic and industrial in style.
Get Creative
If you are on a budget, obviously look online but also look in supermarkets, garden stores and flea markets. Can you paint, strip or re-model it? Some DIY stores are even selling tables legs you can use on IKEA tables to update the look. Change door knobs, cut off legs, put hooks or baskets inside. Think ‘outside of the box’.
