Conquer Clutter With Drawers: 14 Inventive Solutions
Thursday, January 2, 2014 at 10:31AM Article by: Lisa Higgins
For many years drawers knew their place in the home. They were filled with a jumble of junk in the kitchen, stocked with sweaters and shirts in the bedroom, and crammed with pens and rubber bands in the office. But designers have begun to recognize the flexibility of this design staple. There’s nothing like an easy-to-access drawer to organize — or hide — the essentials of daily life.
Consider these options to conquer the clutter in your home.
This narrow stairway features a truly ingenious storage solution: two of the risers are fitted with drawers to make a pile of shoes disappear in a flash.
Tired of tying up your kitchen outlets charging phones, tablets and laptops? Install a power strip in the back of a drawer and let your electronics recharge sight unseen. Just make sure the drawer is shorter than normal to allow room for the power strip’s cord in the back.
Make edibles a design detail: Display your pasta or legumes in glass-fronted drawers. Brightly colored varieties (think red beans and spinach pasta) look best.
Instead of wrestling the ironing board out of the closet whenever you need to touch up a shirt, get one of these nifty folding versions that fit into — guess what? — a drawer.
Wine lasts longer and tastes better if it’s stored away from the light. This drawer, with its handy wooden cradles, keeps vino safe and close at hand. Don’t put the drawer near the oven, though, as heat is also a no-no.
Even doggies appreciate their own dining area. Keep their bowls off the floor and out of the way with a pet-friendly drawer that slides out at mealtime.
Forget drying delicates over a shower rod or the back of a chair. These skinny drawers are fitted with water-resistant racks that allow air to circulate, so your clothes will be ready to wear before you know it.
Store clothes, sheets and blankets in drawers tucked under a platform bed. These beds work especially well in small rooms where there’s no space for a dresser.
To eke out storage in every last corner of your kitchen, utilize the space under the cabinets with kick drawers. (They’re tucked in behind the cabinet’s toe kick.) This one hides a folding step stool to reach those high shelves, but you could also use this space to hold trays or cookie sheets.
Clean up your entryway and keep track of outerwear by hiding it in discreet drawers. The ones here are faced with beadboard that matches the wainscoting.
Instead of there being a traditional ladder to access the top bunks in this kids’ room, a cleverly designed stack of drawers acts as a staircase.
Need extra space for guests? Add a bed in a drawer that disappears under a window seat when it’s not needed.
The pipes under a kitchen sink have always made it difficult to organize cleaning supplies. This drawer, with its U-shaped wire basket, is designed to fit around the piping, so you can easily access spray bottles, sponges and scrub brushes.
This airy kitchen nook not only provides comfy benches for seating, but the drawers underneath can hide kitchen equipment.
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