If you’ve found yourself struck by Spring Fever and have undertaken a deep clean of your home to wash away winter blues, then you might have realised you’re lacking some much-needed additional storage space.
In an age of overconsumption, meaningful (and meaningless) stuff can easily accumulate. So, sorting through your personal belongings to give them a home can help keep things tidy and clean in these warmer months.
From grand bookshelves to mobile units, discover our favourite storage and shelving options from our Design Directory to inspire your spring clean and declutter!
Lovelight curtains. Globewest Felix Pebble Modular Sofa. SBW Halo Chair. Olivia Bossy Trading Lounge Armchair. Vintage table and monstera from Tom’s grandfather. Wall shelf unit from Smith Street Bazaar. Lightly rug. Curio Practice blanket. Quarez Saint Denis 98 print from Letitia Morris. Home of Tom Ross. Photo — Tom Ross.
Vintage brown modular lounge made in Brunswick in the 1970s, via Facebook Marketplace. Vintage 1970s Bauhaus tubular chrome chairs, via Facebook Marketplace. Tiger cushions, via op-shop. Vintage Cuban tobacco documentary poster on left, purchased from a market in Havana. Pao Portable Lamp by HAY. Blue rug by Miss Amara Rugs. Vintage 1970s Guzzini bar cart designed by Luigi Massoni. 1990s Enetri shelf by Niels Gammelgaard for IKEA. Home of Josh Reed and Meg O’Halloran. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Sarah Hendriks.
Framed photo by Daniel Temesgen. Shelf from RJ Living. Lamp from Ethiopia. Home of Daniel Temesgen. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Sarah Hendriks.
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These shelves are an easy way to breathe life into an empty wall, and a lovely opportunity to let your personality shine through.
Style them with treasures collected on your travels, artworks, a small lamp, candles, books, or a leafy plant to bring the outdoors in.
And perhaps the best thing about them? They’re easy to change. Rotate in those forgotten treasures gathering dust at the back of a cupboard, and suddenly your home has a fresh new look — without buying a thing.
Mirror by Joshua Space. Storage system from IKEA. Crates from HAY and AyKasa. World from Treetop Toy Shop. Eur Shelving in Terracotta Speckle from Living Edge. Hot Deals and Have a Nice Day from Bargain Bodega Series by CJ Hendry. Home of Kim Lai and Tom Orton. Photo — Caitlin Mills. Editorial Styling — Sarah Hendriks.
Original brick pillars, floating cupboards, amber light fixtures, and doorbell. Red 1970s mirror, via Facebook Marketplace. Vase by IKEA, via op-shop. Mid-century shelving cabinet, via Facebook Marketplace. Home of Josh Reed and Meg O’Halloran. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Sarah Hendriks.
If your wallet isn’t ready for bigger storage items, consider refining and re-organising your existing storage. You might start by reflecting on Marie Kondo’s words and asking, ‘Does this spark joy?’ to decide what to keep or give away.
After this initial sorting process is complete, baskets and boxes, like the Restore Felt Basket from In Good Company or the ever-practical Colour Crates by HAY, will be your new best friends. They work best in bathrooms and laundries to tuck those less glamorous items out of sight.
Your kitchen pantry could also benefit from a similar system of organisation (spice racks, shelf inserts and attachable baskets) because there’s nothing better than cooking in a tidy kitchen.
Invest in compact storage units, like the Kartell Componibili Round Storage Unit, for smaller, everyday items.
Cream S-Fold curtain from Clearview Sun Control. Noguchi Akari pendant. Herman Miller Story Bookcase from Living Edge. Bac One chair from Capellini. B9 Le Corbusier chair from Thonet. Hay DLM side table. Muuto Ambit Pendant. Caringal Flats in Toorak. Photo — Amelia Stanwix.
Home of Kelly Cloake. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Annie Portelli.
Opinion Ciatti Original Ptolomeo Bookcase. Antique rocking chair by Arthur Umanoff from Nicholas & Alistair. Hardwood timber display unit by Dion Hall. Antique Japanese timber Kokeshi dolls purchased in Tokyo. Vintage petrified wood bookends. Ceramic jar + incense ceramic sculpture by Szilvassy. Brass Egg Sculpture by Fourth Street. Glo Ball by Jasper Morrison for Flos. Home of Shari Lowndes and Dion Hall. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Sarah Hendriks.
A bookshelf can anchor a room, define zones within an open-plan space, or become a feature in its own right, with built-in, floor-to-ceiling shelving making use of every inch of vertical space.
Taking storage upwards keeps floors and surfaces clear, while giving books a considered place to live.
And storage doesn’t have to be purely practical. Pieces like the Opinion Ciatti Original Ptolomeo Bookcase take a more sculptural approach, turning book storage into a design feature. Its slender, freestanding form allows the books to become part of the visual story — a clever solution when you want to declutter without losing character.
Anibou USM Haller sideboard. Flower sculptures by Peter D. Cole. Sculpture by Angus Gardner. Red vase by Dinosaur Designs. Home of Lily Mora and Jonathan Rands. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Sarah Hendriks.
All products and artwork from Fenton & Fenton: Apollo Glossy Entertainment Unit in Spice. Bosa Vessel in Ocean Blue by DGianna Studio. You Belong and Crossfade Blue by Xander Holliday. Fenton & Fenton’s Brighton East House. Photo — Dave Kulesza.
Fin Dresser by ELLISON STUDIOS. Vase by BZippy. Rug by West Elm. Photo print on left by Gareth Sobey. Flowers artwork by Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher. Mirror by McMullin. Home of Lisa Mortimer-Halaliku and Brenton Halaliku. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Lucy Feagins.
Buddy Cabinet by Karo. Photo — Adam Gibson.
Beyond simply maximising space, multi-purpose joinery and closed storage offer another clever way to keep a home feeling organised and considered.
There’s something extremely satisfying about having somewhere to tuck things away when the house needs a quick reset — particularly when guests are on their way and there’s no time for a full declutter. A proper spring clean should take care of most of those forgotten odds and ends, but there are always a few things that escape the sorting pile.
This is where concealed storage comes into its own, keeping everyday clutter out of sight while maintaining a calm, considered space.
A great example is the understated Buddy Cabinet by Karo, which can be paired with any mirror from their collection for a streamlined piece of integrated storage that doesn’t add any visual clutter.
Artwork on back wall by Joseph Blair. Drinks trolley sourced from Ma House Supply Store. Home of Nicole Williams and Ethan Wairau. Photo — Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling — Annie Portelli + Sarah Hendriks.
Finally, we have mobile storage units with a simple appeal: they’re so easy to reposition!
Whether they’re doubling as a bedside table, bar trolley, or decorative living unit, the flexibility of these multi-purpose storage items suits smaller living spaces.
Want to see more? Visit The Design Directory to discover our top picks in flooring, furniture, lighting, tiles, paint and more!
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