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Storage solutions to get your home more organised

From the Resene decorating blog

A place for everything and everything in its place – well, that’s the goal. Unfortunately, it’s easy, when life gets busy, to drop the ball and before you know it, you can’t find that all-important school notice, favourite handbag or much-needed warm jacket.

No matter how many people live in your household, it’s helpful to be organised in order to stay on top of things. It means you’ll know where your car keys will be when you leave the house each day.

Using colour to designate storage cubbies

Storage in a nursery

Storage cubbies: Let the kids claim a storage space by writing their names in chalkboard paint. A unique colour for each person provides a designated area for their items. These walls are in Resene Rice Cake, the floor is in Resene Mountain Mist, colour block stripes in (from left to right) Resene Cello, Resene Enigma and Resene Quarter New Denim Blue. Cubbies are in (from left to right) Resene Cello, Resene Enigma and Resene Quarter New Denim Blue, and coat hooks in (from left to right) Resene Cello, Resene Enigma and Resene Quarter New Denim Blue. Project by Annick Larkin, image by Bryce Carleton.  Nursery: House-box shelves in Resene Vintage and Resene Time After Time keep the small toys and trinkets in this nursery in order. The walls are in Resene Double Alabaster with scalloped dots in Resene Chelsea Gem, floor in Resene Merino, cot frame in Resene Rose Gold metallic, bedside drawers in Resene Merino (frame) with drawers in Resene Quarter Bison Hide, rainbow toy in Resene Sunbaked, Resene Swiss Caramel, Resene Peace, Resene Artemis, Resene Love Me Do and Resene Soulful with base in Resene Yuma and cloud in Resene Despacito. Monstera leaves in Resene Mother Nature, Resene Peace and Resene Yuma, stars in Resene Soulful and star lamp in Resene Half Pale Rose. Project by Annick Larkin, image by Bryce Carleton.

The beauty of using paint to be organised is that it’s fun. Brenda Ngatai, colour consultant with Resene says Resene FX Chalkboard Paint is a vibrant way to keep track of storage and comes in a range of colours. “Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen also works perfectly with chalk to write on,” she says. Scribble away on mini blackboard labels or have a large chalkboard in your living area that everyone can read. “Make use of Resene testpots, which come in all Resene colours. They’re also great to paint with on smaller containers or wicker or seagrass woven boxes,” Brenda says. “It’s an inexpensive way to make a great difference.” Start in one room and you’ll get into the mindset of being organised. This should have a flow-on effect to other rooms!

Line a set of shelves with containers and write on the front what belongs in each. You may have an art cabinet for the kids. Categorise the items – paint, crayons, brushes, glue – in each container. It’ll make art time fun for the kids as they’ll know where to find what they need. Cleaning up time will be easier too, with everything having a home.

A DIY arched storage unit

A DIY arched storage unit has coloured compartments for stationery and paper in this study. The unit is painted in Resene Twine with boxes painted in Resene Bitter, Resene Dust Storm, Resene Tuscany and Resene Rice Cake. The desk is painted in Resene Bitter, chair painted in Resene Smokescreen, clipboard in Resene Smokescreen, plant pots in Resene Lusty and Resene Smokescreen, desk organiser in Resene Dust Storm, Resene Twine and Resene Smokescreen. The 3-drawer storage box (on top shelf) is painted in Resene Smokescreen, Resene Bitter, Resene Twine and Resene Dust Storm. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Wendy Fenwick.

Laura Heynike, director of Pocketspace Interiors, has noticed a greater need for better organisation in the home after the global pandemic set in. More family members are spending more time at home, so we can’t be around clutter every day. “Getting your home organised has mattered even more now as working and schooling from home has made us realise how many things don’t have suitable places to go!” she says. With more of us working from home, our homes need to be kept tidy and organised to make life easy for each other. “Use Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen to easily transform old wooden boxes or crates into storage,” she says. By adding wheels, you can move them around easily and slide them into unused spaces.

“The ideal spaces for colour coding are your home office and children’s toy area,” Laura says. “Allow your children to pick out colours that they like – it may encourage them to put away their toys!” Laura also recommends using Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen: “The surfaces are wipeable and durable, which are two functional must-haves when re-organising. If your pantry gets a bit out of hand, a great way to tidy the clutter is by labelling wire baskets or boxes with Resene FX Chalkboard Paint. That way if you rearrange and need the box for something else, you can wipe away and start again! Labelling containers is also ideal for linen cupboards or your garage, labelling tools or tracing your favourite garden tool with chalkboard paint.”

A fun entranceway and storage solution

A storage space for teens

A plaid entranceway with storage cubes

Colourful entranceway: Colourful pegs hang on rope to bring a fun element to this entranceway and double as a storage solution. Paint to co-ordinate with your home’s overall palette. The walls are in Resene Quarter Bianca and the floor is in Resene Quarter Ironsand. The bench is in Resene Double Foundry, vases in Resene Sante Fe and Resene Dust Storm, accessory organiser (pole) in Resene Double Foundry. The door is in Resene Double Foundry with designs in Resene Galliano, Resene Sante Fe and Resene Dust Storm and edges in Resene Galliano. Pegs in Resene Galliano, Resene Sante Fe, Resene Dust Storm and Resene Double Foundry. The hanger is in Resene Dust Storm. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Bryce Carleton.  Record stand: Tie in your storage with your room’s overall colour scheme. These crates, when painted, add plenty of personality to this teenager’s space. The side table used as a record stand is in Resene Spring Fever and the stacked crates are in Resene Space Cadet (top) and Resene Shakespeare (bottom). The crate on castors is in Resene Time Out. Together they tie in with the wall in Resene Rakaia with triangles in Resene Space Cadet (large, at left), Resene Time Out (medium, at right) and Resene Spring Fever (centre). The skirting board is in Resene Ebony Clay. Project by Kate Alexander, image by Bryce Carleton.  Plaid entranceway: Wooden boxes in Resene Kashmir Blue, Resene Hammerhead and Resene Grey Friars keep shoes and other belongings in place in this hallway. A wall hook in Resene Grey Friars is the perfect place for hanging handbags and jackets. Plaid wall finished in Resene Sea Fog with Resene Indian Ink and Resene Rhino as check colours. Bench seat in Resene Indian Ink and square plant pot in Resene Grey Friars. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Wendy Fenwick.

Colour coding can tie in with your home’s décor too. Think beautiful coat hooks in the hallway in royal blue and mustard, perfect set against a dusky blue backdrop. “If you have kids who hurl school bags and shoes in different directions when they get home, make them a storage area with personalised colours,” says Penny Fussell, interior designer at Home Creative. “You can also colour code wooden crates for shoes, get some metal hooks and paint them up in a different colour to match and a little personalised name tag for each child. Kids will be more interested in using a storage space if they have ownership over it.”

If your walls are pale neutral, paint shapes in bold colours on top. From here you can layer shelves in similar hues.

In your living area, colour a different cupboard door for each family member. Here they can keep their schoolbags, homework and other daily necessities, knowing where to find things and return things each day.

When it comes to children’s rooms consider colour coordinating Lego. Paint containers in the colour of the Lego pieces that will be kept in each box. Display their books in beautifully painted shelves on their bedroom walls. Have fun with a set of drawers in their bedrooms, painting a picture onto the face of the drawers themselves. Paint an old crate a beautiful hue, install wheels on the bottom to easily keep books and toys hidden away inside and rolled out whenever suits. Outdoors, paint a large wooden box with a lid and use it as a place to store tennis racquets, balls and skipping ropes.

Apply a gorgeous colour to the utility area of your home, making it an attractive feature where kids will know they’ll find their jackets, gumboots and hats. Paint a ladder in a hue that will tie in with your décor and use it as a towel rack in your bathroom. In your linen cupboard, use painted baskets with clothes for each family member. It’ll encourage them to put their clothes away themselves.

Many of these storage ideas don’t just serve a practical purpose – they can be presented in a fun-loving, welcoming way that ultimately enhances your home.


Resene Despacito

Resene Soulful

Resene Rose Gold

Resene Peace

Resene Time After Time

Resene Artemis

Resene Mother Nature

Resene Swiss Caramel

Resene Sunbaked

Resene Love Me Do

October 31, 2020

For help getting started with your decorating project, ask a Resene expert at your local Resene ColorShop or on the Resene website with the free Resene Ask a Colour Expert service or the free Resene Ask a Tech Expert service.

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