storage Archives - Modish Living

How to create a calm home with clever storage

A clutter-free home is the key to a calm and relaxing space and something that we all dream of. The good news is that with the right storage, used properly, you can actually create a zen-like and peaceful home no matter how little space you think you might have. With this in mind, here is our helpful guide for the ultimate clutter-free storage solutions for the most important rooms in your home, from the living room and dining room to your bedroom, so you can create an organised and calming retreat.

Hang loose hallway

A cluttered hallway can be a dangerous place with trip hazards everywhere, from hastily kicked-off shoes to school bags. The right storage can make all the difference here and help to make an instant better impression of your home to not just visitors, but you and your family. Great hallway storage solutions include a good-quality shoe bench and a console table with drawers, where you can store all those little bits and pieces you need when you are just “popping out.”

Lazy living room

The living room is the heart of any home and often the one where you relax the most. This room will certainly see more than its fair share of clutter. An industrial coffee table with a shelf or drawers is a great, and often underrated, storage solution that will allow you to put things like coasters, magazines and remotes out of the way to create a clutter-free surface. A TV unit with drawers is also a great storage solution – it’s hard to relax in a cluttered living room but having a space to put those smaller items will really help you to switch-off.

Read more: Best storage ideas for small living rooms

Wind down dining room

Relax and enjoy a family meal or intimate Dinner-a-Deux in your dining room with storage solutions like a rustic sideboard, dressers and even a carefully placed butcher’s block, or kitchen trolley. These all make great places to store your clutter out of sight and you could also use the surface of a dresser or sideboard for a stylishly placed lamp, floral arrangement or a couple of favoured ornaments.

Top tip – try not to use too many ornaments, otherwise, your furniture will begin to look cluttered.

Blissed-out bedroom

Good sleep hygiene can only go so far toward helping you to get a good night’s sleep. If your bedroom is full of clutter, then it can be hard to relax and fall asleep. A wooden chest of drawers, bedroom side tables and a wardrobe are ideal storage solutions for a bedroom. If you struggle to store everything away properly, it may not be a case that you don’t have enough storage. It could be you have too much clutter and a good sort-out could really help.

Read more: Decluttering tips from pro organiser, Vicky Silverton

Organised office

Whether you are fortunate enough to have a separate office within your home or you use your dining room to double up as an office – as is the case for many people – the right storage will make all the difference. A reclaimed wood desk with drawers is a very practical addition to any office but it is important to keep the top of your desk tidy and clear or it could end up being far from calming. A wooden sideboard, particularly if you are using your dining room as an office, will provide you with somewhere to put your office supplies at the end of the day. This will help you leave the room as uncluttered and calm as possible.

For more styling and décor tips for your home check-out our Ideas & Inspiration.

Living room storage tricks – how to store in style

rustic oak tv stand for living room storage tricks blog

It can be difficult to relax in your living room if there is lots of clutter everywhere, so good living room storage solutions are a must. The problem is that there are so many different storage ideas for the living room it can be hard to know where to start. The best sort of living room storage should not only be incredibly practical and functional but should look good too and fit with the rest of the décor in the room. Reclaimed wood furniture, for example, will fit with most aesthetics, but what else do you need to consider? Let’s explore more…..

What do you need to store?

Before you can make the best decisions on the type of storage you need, you need to think about what you actually want to store. Some pieces of furniture like an industrial sideboard can be used to store a wide range of items, whilst a bookshelf with open storage only works for things you are happy to have on display. If you have larger items to store, such as cushions or throws then you will also need to make sure that they will fit in your chosen storage. A wooden blanket box is a great option for this as it can double-up as a rustic coffee table.

Freestanding or built-in

Another factor to consider is whether you would prefer freestanding storage or something that is built-in. Freestanding is a practical option if you like to experiment and change your room around from time to time, or if you’re renting or move homes regularly, whilst built-in can be a practical way of using odd or awkward spaces in a room. A mixture of both is often the best solution.

Make a statement

The right piece of furniture will be more than just a good storage solution in your living room. It can be something that helps make a statement. Don’t be afraid to consider options that stand out amongst your other pieces of furniture. It can be a good idea to create a focal point in your living room, so why not do this with a piece of rustic furniture that is practical as well as eye-catching.

Multipurpose furniture

Some pieces of furniture can have more than one use, so if you are looking for clever storage solutions consider something such as a rustic coffee table with drawers, chests and even wooden sideboards. Even the humble bookshelf can be multipurpose and certainly doesn’t need to be used just for books. A reclaimed wood TV stand can also be a really useful piece of furniture, especially if it features deep drawers, providing you with somewhere useful to keep those remote controls and instruction manuals.

Don’t neglect your bay window

This is a very under-utilised area in a living room but with some careful thought, it can really become a valuable storage space. You may want to place a free-standing piece of reclaimed wood furniture, for example, a wooden storage chest or a round nest of tables there. Alternatively, why not consider a built-in window seat with hidden storage.

Closed storage

Finally, don’t forget to consider closed storage solutions to help you keep the clutter you don’t want to see out of sight. Cupboards and drawers can really be your friends when it comes to storing all of your belongings and creating a more uncluttered look in your home.

Tell us….

Do you have any storage tricks? How do you clear the clutter in your home? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.

Best storage ideas for small living rooms

For many people, the living room can be the hub of the home; the room that you all meet in to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Of course, when you have a small living room then space is at a premium, so it is especially important to pay particular attention to your storage solution if you want to maximise the full potential of your living room.

When you plan carefully, a compact living room can still have plenty of space for both relaxing and storage, so let’s take a look at how you might achieve a harmony between the two.

Utilise your window recess

Window recesses and bay windows are often very underutilised areas, particularly in a small living room and they really shouldn’t be. Maximise this space with a clever storage solution A built-in seated area with storage underneath is an obvious option or perhaps use a rustic coffee table, a blanket box or even a console table? Consider the size of the space when selecting furniture to ensure that you still have clear access to your blinds, shutters or curtains.

Use vertical space

Using the space that you have to its full potential means not just finding ways to fit in storage at floor level but also considering taller storage solutions as well. A wooden bookcase is a great way to provide vertical storage in a smaller living room and remember if you don’t actually have a lot of books, you can also use it to display ornaments as well. See our blog with Scandi wall art experts, Desenio on the best ways to style a bookcase with frames and print.

Make something of your alcoves

Alcoves make great storage areas but can also pose a bit of a problem when it comes to finding the right storage solution. If you are fortunate that the dimensions allow for a piece of ready-made storage such as a small sideboard cabinet or bookshelf, then that’s great. If this doesn’t work for the space you have, consider asking a local carpenter to make bespoke storage – this will give you the advantage of being able to fit something in that uses all of the space both vertically and horizontally to maximise storage.

Opt for a coffee table with storage

Whilst a simple low coffee table can look wonderful in any living room, when you are furnishing a room with less space a coffee table with drawers will work much better. It can provide you with some of that much-needed storage space. Maximise the storage space even further with a hardworking storage coffee table like the Skandi 2 Drawer Coffee Table. This rustic chest is big on storage space and style giving your living room a wonderful focal point as well as a place to store sofa throws, cushions and other accessories you want to have handy.

TV storage

Finally, we know it can be tempting in a smaller living room to wall mount your TV, but this is actually a wasted opportunity and far from helping to make a room look bigger can have the opposite effect. A good use of space is to build bespoke TV storage cabinetry that will not only house your TV but make the most of the space you have and provide you with storage. If you prefer to go with something that isn’t “built in” then an industrial TV unit with drawers, shelves or both will work well with a smaller space too.

For more styling tips for small spaces see our Ideas & Inspiration.

How to spring clean your home fast: a cheat’s guide to cleaning

It’s a dirty job but at this time of year, the annual Spring clean is a “must” if you want your home and beautiful reclaimed wood furniture to look sparklingly fresh when the sun starts streaming through your (newly cleaned) windows. This guide is for those who hate cleaning and want to get their spring clean done and dusted FAST!

Tips to speed clean your spring clean

1. Declutter as you go along

We think this is one of the key elements to keep on top of all the housework and avoid an overwhelming clean-up as the seasons change. Our first and most important recommendation is to make decluttering a way of life. When we spoke with professional organiser, Vicky Silverthorn of You Need a Vicky, she said one the easiest changes you can make in your home and life to is to learn to live with less. This makes decluttering easy and quick work.

You don’t need to do this alone – get the kids helping with this! Set the timer for 15 minutes and clear and put away as much as you can in the time. Do this every evening or at least a few evenings during the week and you’ll really notice the difference.

2. Start in the most used rooms first

When friends pop over, most of the time you walk through the hallway and head straight into the kitchen or living room, possibly with a quick visit to the bathroom. So, we suggest you spend the majority of your cleaning time in the rooms that get the most use from you and your guests. In the living room, remove the cushions from your sofa and vacuum under the seats to clean away all those crumbs that seem to accumulate between the seats. Next, give cushions a good plumping and neatly fold any throws – this only takes a few minutes, yet will instantly freshen your living room. In addition, quickly dust the surfaces of your rustic coffee table or wooden side table, so they gleam when the sun shine on them.

In the kitchen or dining space, straighten any items standing on your rustic sideboard and clear away any clutter that has built up on the corner of your worktop or corner of your reclaimed wood dining table. Another trick is to polish the taps, kettle, toaster and any other metal accents and details to make the space instantly sparkle!

Top tip – always dust the highest pieces of furniture first so that any dust fall down to the floor. For wooden furniture, including reclaimed wood furniture, you should only use a damp cloth to dust with as this will actually pick up the dust rather than spread it around or waft it back into the air. You can also gently vacuum the surfaces with a soft brush attachment to remove dust and particles.

Finish with a quick vacuum to make the room look fresh and clean.

3. Make the beds

Making the bed in bedrooms is one of the oldest and quickest tricks to helping the room looking tidy! You can have the most gorgeous solid wood bed but it will always look a mess if the bed sheets and covers are a crumpled mess. Therefore, make this one of the first jobs every day. Not only is it a positive way to start the day, it’s also much nicer to get into a made bed at the end of the day rather than climb into a tangle of sheets, helping you get the best night’s sleep.

4. Clean windows

Clean windows will do wonders for your space. Nothing looks worse than a tidy room with the sun trying to pour through dirty windows. According to Caroline Forte, Director of Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, you only need to clean your windows once or twice a year. Tackle the job room by room and start with those you use more regularly.

Top tip: Forte suggests wiping one side the window horizontally and the other vertically so if any streaks form, you can easily see if they’re on the inside or outside.

5. Reduce the number of ornaments

Check your reclaimed wood shelving, tabletops and surfaces and keep only those ornaments you need, love or use on a daily basis. Ornaments really are dust collectors and often come with irregular shapes that are tricky to wipe down. Keep a few select items you love or need – this really will help keep your cleaning time down. Another option is to keep your decorative pieces in a wooden display cabinet with glass doors to make it harder for the dust to get to things.

Looking for more spring cleaning tips? Take a look at our Inspiration & Ideas and make sure you visit Modish Living to discover all the storage furniture you need.

Quick ways to transform a room over the weekend

It’s that time of year when we tend to get many jobs around the house ticked off the list and a perfect opportunity to get stuck into a few quick indoor weekend DIY projects before spring is upon us. From dusting down your wooden shelves or reclaimed wood furniture to updating cushions and decorative accessories, see our tips on how to give your home a refresh in no time at all.

We are a proud nation of DIY’ers and spend millions every year on projects to personalise and improve our homes. This became even more of a thing during the lockdown months when home improvements were about the only thing we could do! There’s always something needing refreshing, from the hallway to the bedroom, so if you have some weekends free over the next month take a look at our handy ways to transform a space.

How to give your home a weekend makeover

1. A splash of paint

A lick of paint brightens a room in an instance and it can completely change the atmosphere of the room whether in the living room, dining room, bedroom or kitchen, and it doesn’t have to take weeks. When you choose your colour you can pick a different shade of what you already have in the room or go for a bold contrasting colour if you’re really wanting to switch it up.

Little final touches make all the difference here – hang some new pictures or family photographs on the wall, place a new plant pot on an industrial coffee table with a houseplant and get some new scatter cushions for the sofa and your living room will feel fresh and new.

2. Move your furniture around

Moving the furniture around is a good excuse to have a declutter and deep clean. In the bedroom make some space for a new solid wood chest of drawers or wooden dressing table for some extra storage – maybe even a blanket box at the foot of your bed? You can bring in a reading chair near the window to make yourself little space for some quiet relaxation – maybe add a new throw and scatter cushions on the bed and a new rug – your bedroom will feel as good as new. The same applies in the living room. Move a velvet armchair and wooden side table into a bay to create a new zone that can be used anytime of the day.

3. De-clutter and rearrange the cupboards

This is mostly for a kitchen makeover. The kitchen is always one of those places where clutter seems to accumulate. Have a sort out and sell or give away kitchen items you no longer need or use. Move everything off any open shelves to give them a good wipe down and clean any items you’re putting back up there. For a change of scene, buy a couple of new decorative pots, jars or storage containers to go on your shelves and don’t forget to add a houseplant – this always makes a room look brighter. If you need extra storage and don’t have room for a kitchen dresser add some open shelving or a small sideboard to create more space.

4. Hallway makeover

Here is one area of the home that is easy to refresh and one that will have a big impact to everyone stepping into the home. Give the right first impression by clearing away and tidying up any shoes that don’t need to be in the hallway. Give any shoe-scuffed walls a wipe down and clean or even a quick lick of paint and look at refreshing the styling on the tops of your hallway storage furniture, such as an industrial console table. Add a houseplant, table lamp or fresh bouquet of flowers or dried flowers to add a new colour. For an instant transformation, hang a mirror on the wall to not only change the look, but bounce light around your hallway.

Reclaimed wood furniture is great for heavy traffic areas in the home – salvaged wood already has marks and undulations so it really won’t notice if someone bags a heavy school bag into it as they’re rushing out the door. Finally, add a new doormat to for a fresh new feel every time you walk through the door.

Get more makeover ideas here

5 ways to get better at decluttering

No matter how organised we are, most of us have lots of items in our home that should no longer be there. As we start a new year it’s the perfect time to have a clear-out and start the year with a clean slate. To help you get started we have 5 ideas to help you get better at decluttering.

1. Become a wardrobe warrior

Every person that lives in your home most likely has a wardrobe that could do with a declutter. There could be two, four or more people in your home hoarding a whole load of clothes, most likely crammed into a wardrobe that are no longer worn – in a typical household that will add up to a fair-sized clothes mountain. If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful rustic wardrobe in your bedroom you want it look as good on the inside as it does when the doors are shut. Take everything out of your wardrobe and put it in a pile – you should justify why a garment deserves its place in your lovely wooden wardrobe, if something doesn’t fit well or you haven’t worn it for some time then it should not be taking up space. Be honest, be brutal and be more Marie Kondo and only hold on to those items of clothing that bring you joy.

white wardrobe for 5 ways to get better at decluttering blog

2. A better way to fold clothes

Do you have a clothes folding technique? I am sure most of us think we know how to fold clothes, but we tend to fold them flat one on top of the other – when you think about it, for many items this really doesn’t make sense at all. We all know how irritating it is in a shop when you have to rifle through a pile of folded tops or jeans to find the right size, so why do that at home? A large solid wood chest of drawers is the perfect storage, but rather than lay items flat add some partitions and roll clothes so you can easily identify what you are looking from as soon as you open the drawer.

3. Clear out by category

A mistake many of us make is to declutter room by room but another way to approach it is to declutter by category. So one day books, another DVD’s, then shoes the next day or bedding and towels etc. The idea behind this is that you avoid simply moving items from room to room and not really decluttering at all.

4. No nostalgia

We know it sounds dehumanising, but when it comes to clutter, it works best not to get distracted. As you are working your way through your home you will come across photos, letters and even clothes that bring back memories – this does not mean you have to keep every item. Yes, there are things that are treasured possessions, but again they should be organised and in the right place out of the way but easy to find when you want a wander down memory lane.

5. Purposeful furniture

To make the most of storage ensure the furniture pieces you invest in are suitable for what they need to store. When is comes to storing non seasonal clothes a wooden blanket box in the bedroom is ideal to provide plenty of room to store clothes you don’t need until the next season. If your rustic wardrobe has plenty of space to store out-of-season clothes, a wooden chest at the end of the bed is also useful for storing summer duvets, quilts or blankets, ready to grab when there’s a particularly cold snap.

In the hallway, a rustic console table creates a warm welcome and is also a perfect storage spot for those items you need to grab as you leave the house. A hall table with drawers is best if you want a paired-back, minimal entrance.

What decluttering tips do you have? We’d love to hear what you’re doing in your homes right now to get it fresh and organised for the new year – leave a comment below and share your ideas.

5 Ways to give your home a New Year’s detox

We all make a renewed effort to look after our health and wellbeing in January, watching calories and alcohol intake, maybe joining a gym as we detox our bodies after the enjoyable excesses of Christmas. But shouldn’t we also detox our safe haven, our home? As well as focusing on ourselves, we like to focus on detoxing our homes for the new year. Here, we share four ideas of what you can do in the home to give it a refresh…

1. Physical clutter

We all know that having a cluttered home is not good for our wellbeing so it really is worth trying to keep it clutter-free. Even if you can’t do this on a daily basis (we all know life gets in the way of best intentions), then have an hour one evening during the week or over the weekend to clear around and put things away in their correct places. While you’re at it donate or recycle things that aren’t bringing you joy anymore and keep things that uplift you and make you feel good. Tidying expert, Marie Kondo advocates just this. She created the KonMari™ Method that offers easy but effective ways to help you avoid relapsing into clutter-ville. As well as her infamous folding techniques,the method uses a unique selection process of choosing to keep what sparks joy, which means you are not selecting what to discard but rather choosing to hold onto items that speak to your heart.

For most of us the place we tend to sit down to relax is in the living room, so when it comes to the home concentrate your efforts here. Create a sanctuary to recharge your batteries – the possessions you keep should only be what you need and what makes you happy.

2. Visual clutter

Some things need to be on show so we know where to find them and have easy access to them, but this needs to be balanced. If you have your books and favourite decorative items displayed on reclaimed wood shelving then make sure it is not overly cluttered. Stand back and look at it from further away – if it looks too busy you can take some items and put them away in a wooden sideboard and add some houseplants instead to make the display more visually appealing. The same principle applies to magazines on your rustic coffee table. Rather than stacking months worth of your favourite titles on the surface, stick to the latest three months and either store the rest in a drawer or recycle them if you’re never going to pick them up again.

3. Stay focused

As human’s we like to gather and so creating a central focal point in the room naturally relaxes us. In the dining area, this could be a show-stopping rustic dining table around which you can spend quality time with family and friends. Pair this with a reclaimed wood sideboard – very important to keep the dining room essentials neatly tucked away when not in use. The most obvious focus point in the living room is the coffee table so make it count. As we are talking about keeping the house (and mind) clear and decluttered, opt for a statement-making mango wood coffee table with storage.

4. Be bold

If you want to create a more dramatic refresh to a room, as well as keeping clutter at bay, introduce a bold colour into the space. Pick out features, such as a chimney breast or some decorative wall cladding to accentuate using a vibrant colour. This will give the room some wonderful personality and individuality without overfilling the space with ‘stuff’. Choose reclaimed wood furniture as this stands out wonderfully against a striking bold backdrop.

5. Let in the fresh air

The quickest and most simplest way to breathe new life into a home is to open the windows and doors and get rid of the stuffy air and toxins. We know it’s cold out there, but grab an extra jumper and let the fresh air in!

Our 2021 best selling rustic furniture of the year

As we come to the end of 2021, it’s time to reflect over the past year before we start anew. To ensure we are offering you the type of rustic furniture and reclaimed wood furniture you most covet, we look back at your most popular pieces of the year. From industrial dining tables to bedroom furniture let’s see just what your homes are proudly wearing.

Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table

Dining Tables

Dining tables are once again our top sellers. The popularity of the Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table continues to rise – it looks as good as a contrast piece in a modern urban home as it does in a loft or rustic cottage. The Farringdon reclaimed wood extendable trestle table is particularly popular with families who are seeking a chunky solid wooden extendable dining table. This table looks especially great with the matching wooden dining bench – a practical choice if you like to entertain with room to fit more guests around the table. Another wooden table with bench that needs a mention is the Lansdowne Industrial. With plenty of other pieces in the collection including a wooden sideboard, with just these items you have set a stylish foundation for your dining room theme.

Standford Brown Leather Dining Chairs

Dining Chairs

When you are looking for seating for your dining room then the classic soft tan leather Standford is your top choice. These leather dining room chairs combine comfort with an industrial style that will complement many different interior styles and colour schemes. Perfect if you’re looking for a more rustic look the Allegro chairs were another top pick for the stylish dining room. Those of you who were looking for a vegan option fell head over heels with our Cleo faux leather seating collection – with benches and bar stools available as well as the faux leather dining chairs, all offered in tan or grey – we weren’t at all surprised to see this at the top of the list.

Dulwich Reclaimed Wood collection

Bedroom Furniture

The Dulwich reclaimed wood solid bed frame is a classic rustic bed that continues to be the popular choice. Many different styles are available but all feature a solid wooden headboard that has been handcrafted right here in the UK from reclaimed beams, which are often over 100 years old. As well as the Dulwich range our Winchester and Chelwood reclaimed wood collections also proved to be a bedroom essential in your homes. A reclaimed wood table at your bedside was your bedroom furniture piece of choice, adding not just essential storage, but warmth and character than only reclaimed wood can.

Chelwood Reclaimed Wood TV Stand

Living room furniture

Along with the ever-popular industrial dining table from the Standford collection many of you have decided to opt for an industrial look in the living room too. Our wooden sideboard from the Standford Industrial collection as well as the industrial coffee table have been popular choices throughout the year. Industrial furniture is so versatile – it can blend into any interior scheme and can be softened to create a warm inviting living space. A modern country scheme has also proved desirable this year, with our Chelwood reclaimed wood TV unit being one of our best selling living room furniture picks this year.

We’ve brought you are best sellers, now take a look at what our most read blogs of 2021 were. If you missed them, see our inspiration and ideas to discover some great tips and advice.

Rustic dining room storage solutions for entertaining

reclaimed wood industrial dining room furniture

It’s that time of year again when entertaining is definitely an indoor activity! Whether you love to hold sophisticated dinner parties, cocktail evenings or just have friends around for casual evenings in you will want to entertain in style, clear of dining room clutter. We look at some great rustic dining room storage solutions to help your parties run smoothly …without having to leave the fun to look for shakers, stirrers, serving dishes and all those other items you like to have close to hand when entertaining.

4 rustic dining room storage for easy entertaining

1. Drinks cabinets

The Blackbone collection offers some real statement pieces of rustic furniture with clean lines which combine striking dark oak with an industrial gold or silver base. Parquet patterning on the doors lifts this beyond the everyday furniture collection. Choose from the two different style drinks cabinets which are a great alternative to a traditional wooden sideboard for your dining space. These large dining room storage cupboards are also perfect to use as a larder. Many of us shop a little differently these days with many people wanting additional space in their home to keep a little more food in than they normally would, these large cupboards provide the perfect hidden storage solution.

2. Kitchen dresser

A kitchen dresser is a perfect solution to add extra storage space in the kitchen – a combination of hidden storage and open storage space. The bottom of the kitchen dresser can be used to store things you want to keep out of sight with the top usually having glass doors for more attractive display pieces. For a smaller space, you can opt for the Worcester dresser, crafted from reclaimed wood and painted a neutral white, it will match many different interior decor styles. The Chelwood dresser has a generous amount of doors and drawers to provide storage and style – made from pale reclaimed wood it will slot right into a light and airy dining space.

3. Glass display cabinet

A glass and wooden display cabinet is always a popular choice when it comes to dining room storage – with the Standford glass display being as popular as ever, especially if with a reclaimed dining table from the Standford range. This is the place to show off your best bits for all to see! Set out your best wine and cocktail glasses and decanters as well as your favourite decorative dinner set. One drawer provides hidden storage – perfect for table linen, a bottle opener and serving spoons.

4. Sideboards

You can never really go wrong with a rustic sideboard in the dining room – this is generally classed as an essential piece of furniture in most households up and down the country. But as we are talking rustic here, I am going to give the Kingsbridge sideboard a special shout out! Crafted in the most gorgeous, full of character, reclaimed oak it offers a generous amount of hidden storage behind its four parquet patterned doors. Being a lower piece of furniture it works great if you feel a tall storage unit would look too overpowering in your dining room – the top can be simply dressed with a lamp or decorative candlesticks and a wall mirror.