HOME TRUTHS: Storage: Get Organized!

Pack rats beware: Terence Conran asserts that ridding yourself of your possessions is just as important as finding places to put them.

Managing household mess demands more than clever storage—it requires owning less stuff and knowing where to put it. Or so suggests Sir Terence Conran. In his latest book, Storage: Get Organized (Conran Octopus Limited conranusa.com; $30), the English designer, retailer, and restaurateur admits that our relationship with the things we own can be complicated and surprisingly emotional. However, “When possessions threaten to take over” our lives, he writes, “it is not only daily routines that suffer, but also our fundamental enjoyment of our homes.”

So how do you break free? By examining what you have and getting rid of “redundant” items—those that haven’t been used in more than a year or that you own in multiples. (Do you really need more than one can opener?) After exhaustively listing pieces you can let go, as well as where you can donate, sell, or recycle them, Conran proceeds to tackle where to store what remains. Don’t just think about the object, he counsels, think about how frequently you use it, how much it weighs, and if it’s attractive. Items that you reach for daily should be kept in the room where they are utilized, stored at a height between waist and eye level so they can be located quickly. Heavy objects should be kept low to the ground to avoid strain and accidents. Pretty pieces can be left in plain sight if you’re running low on covered storage space.

For those needing more guidance, Conran shows his organizational concepts in action, breaking down their application to each room in the house. Through words and dozens of photos he suggests solutions such as built-ins, stand-alone furniture, and display ideas for favorite objects. Though the principles are common sense, they bear repeating: Hang what you can on the walls; use nooks over and around doors; and maximize air space by building floor-to-ceiling storage.

Appropriately clear and substantive, Storage: Get Organized gives instruction down to the smallest detail, such as the most hygienic way to stow your toothbrush (turn it on its side so that it dries out thoroughly). And, if by the end of this exhaustive book you are still itching for more tips on the subject, check out Conran’s recent tome How to Live in Small Spaces (fireflybooks.com; $30). —Domestic Miss

Meredith Gordon
Home Magazine, Associate Editor
aka Domestic Miss