After you Marie Kondo your home, where does all your stuff go?

If you’re looking to incorporate minimalism into your home, or perhaps you’re renovating your very first home, clever built-in storage solutions and accessories are key to getting the most out of your space.

In 2020, we are following Marie Kondo’s motto of ‘if it doesn’t spark joy, throw it out!’.

This is in a bid to declutter our homes, and hopefully in turn, declutter our minds. This is especially great advice for those about to embark on that milestone life moment of purchasing your first home.

It’s no surprise to anyone that we have too much stuff. Most of our clutter is unworn clothes, and throwing them out isn’t always the best idea – it is estimated that 85% of our clothes waste ends up in landfill.

So in a bid to live a more sustainable lifestyle, to reduce our carbon footprint and to decorate our new builds with flourish, the key is to buy less in 2020, and responsibly dispose of our unwanted garments.

But what about all of the stuff that we do need? Or the stuff that the sentimental side of us can’t part with? We still need somewhere to put it all.

This is where our Netflix binge-watching comes in handy. Queer Eye interior designer Bobby Berk – you know the one who manages to transform entire homes in just two days – says if space is tight, multitasking pieces are key.

Try to invest in a bed that has storage inside. Store your belongings up high – Bobby recommends open shelving as a savvy storage option. He also says when mixing colours, textures and patterns pick ones that complement each other to create cohesion in a small space.

With that in mind, these are some of our favourite storage designs to incorporate minimalism into every room in our home in 2020.

Bedroom

Wardrobes take up most space in a bedroom. According to designers and furniture makers Komandor, folding and sliding doors on wardrobes are optimal ways of maximising space in a bedroom.

You don’t have settle for a block wardrobe that sits against your wall, taking up a huge amount of space. Wardrobes can now be installed in a recess, occupy the one wall in the whole room or fitted as a corner wardrobe to maximise space in those tricky area. It all depends on the size of the room and the position of the walls.

Komandor designers believe the wardrobe’s front should stylistically match the room design. When it comes to bedrooms, Komandor recommends bronze or graphite tint mirrors which give a darker, moodier finish and reflect less light – ideal for when your room is messy but you don’t want a constant reminder in the mirror!

Komandor offers a wide variety of composite of door panels in different grades of wood, colour and texture. Other ideal and interesting choices for your wardrobes are eco materials such as rattan and bamboo.

Furniture in your bedroom should be kept minimal and practical, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have statement pieces. Queer Eye fans will know Bobby Berk focuses on textures and patterns once he’s worked out a colour scheme. His tip for bedroom decor is to dress the bed in white sheets and add a throw in a neutral shade. This will provide enough texture without relying on bright pops of colour, which can make a small room appear cluttered.

If you’re lucky to have a large bedroom, or a spare bedroom in that new build, a walk-in wardrobe with partition doors or suspended doors will clearly divide your sleeping space and your dressing space, say Komandor designers.

The dressing space – as seen below – fully organised with hanger rods, shelves and drawers, will serve as a storage space and will not encroach on your sleeping area.

Living Room

Ultimately, you want your living room to be a relaxing space where you can kick back after a long day at the office. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the clutter that doesn’t spark joy, à la Marie Kondo, you still have large investment pieces like a sofa, a TV,  a display cabinet or bookshelf.

Komandor offers hidden storage, bespoke cabinets, living area storage solutions, entertainment units or a mix of all even sliding door cabinets for living rooms, which can be made to match other furniture in the room. It is not necessary for the storage space to occupy the whole wall area in the living room, and can therefore be complemented by matching bookcases or shelves which will additionally give a feeling of lightness and cohesion to the whole structure.

Sliding doors with glass surfaces make the room look more modern and the reflective colours and light give it a feeling of depth and warmth at any time of the day. The furniture front can be designed using a large selection of panels in a deep grain of wood and then combined with glass to give a beautiful, timeless and rich feel to the room.

If you feel like you’ve successfully decluttered your house to a point where you don’t need as much storage in your living room, Komandor also builds bookcases designed in a special column system. If you are looking for openwork creation or you want to design a clear partition between walls, you can opt for a column system that fits to the ceiling. To make the structure even more attractive, Komandor can design a glass panel, or shelves.

Attic

Most new builds these days come with an attic conversion, which is great if you want an extra bedroom, or space for an office or even a home gym. Attics are almost always the trickiest space in a house to design due to the narrow struts and low ceiling beams.

Komandor offers solutions which allow you to work around these problems and turn them into a workable, desirable and useful space. Sliding wardrobes can be fitted under the slants with bespoke fittings inside to accommodate those slants.

Komandor often creates walk-ins in attics, both classically made from laminated panels and designs based on a column and rod system. A bespoke shelving system, which can be easily fitted under the slants, is also a good solution for the attic.

And Komandor designers say don’t let the tight space of an attic put you off – the attic can be stylistically different from the rest of the house, giving you an opportunity to really explore different colours, patterns and materials to put your own stamp on your new home.

Komandor has been a market leader for over 25 years, designing, manufacturing and installing bespoke furniture. Its designers are leading producers on the market of bespoke sliding door and walk-in wardrobes, bespoke furniture and movable partition walls and Aurora walls. To book a free consultation, visit here.