I hope it’s bright and sunny in the part of the world where you live in. Here, in Bangalore, there is an overcast for the past couple of days, but no rain in sight. But that doesn’t deter us from camping out on weekends, does it?

How and where do you store important bills? Do you have any ideas for stashing away wires and cords of the zillion digital devices that occupy our lives - from Kindle and Kinect to Creative and iPad? How about the knick-kanck in your kids room such as crayons, poster colors and chalk pieces?And, how about those bands and clips in rainbow colors in your dresser?

Over the years, I’ve used a combination of things for storage that’s recyclable and not ugly in presentation ranging from color paper-wrapped shoe boxes to colorful straw boxes. We have a habit of filing telephone, electricity and water bills upto 6 months in a file, and bills for all the other big purchases such as TV, music systems, fridge in a another folder.  The wires go in two cupboard drawers. Though the files and boxhttp://dressyourhome.in/wp-admin/post-new.phpes are neatly labeled, it’s not a IKEA kinda pretty storage. And, with a overdose of color, I’m getting tired of the straw boxes; it’s just personal and a longing for monochromes.

So, during a weekend visit to HomeTown, when I saw the Bigso boxes near the checkout counter, I was floored. Nothing fancy. They are your ordinary cardboard boxes with a sleek pullout handle that can be stacked vertically to created organized storage. Nothing sophisticated, yet makes you want to have it.

Available in various shapes and sizes and primarily in black and white, these no-frills boxes are made of paper laminate and recycled fibre board. The single boxes were priced at Rs. 349. If you are creative, maybe you can even make one. So, here’s a good start to clean and organized closet.

Image courtesy: Bigso box of Sweden

You’re well traveled. You love to cook. You’re an avid reader. You have an eye for interesting curios. Now, that means you have an impressive collection of souvenirs from the various countries you’ve visited, a good collection of recipe books, spices and well-stocked grocery, and an overflowing library. And, there’s always only so much space in an apartment to display one’s collectibles, right?

Umm, that’s true to only an extent. But, if you ask me, limited space is an excellent opportunity to change the look of your home often. Don’t you think cluttering a showcase with all those shot-glasses and porcelain frames from exotic locations is a tad boring and old-fashioned? For a minimalist look, introduce open shelves around the house. Line them asymmetrically to give it a stylish edge. The material is of your choice but wood looks classy.

Try not to clutter a shelf with too many similar objects. Change the display frequently by rotating your collectibles. This way you get to get out all you have on time or the other. Match a photo frame with a odd looking vase. Go wild. The part I like about open shelves is you don’t have to spend a fortune and it’s easy to maintain.

Plan carefully how many shelves you would need based on the room. If it’s a living/dining room, limit it to two or three. For a study/kids room, you can design them into open cubes for additional storage.

Here are several ideas for inspiration.

An assortment of shelves

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What is it that you look at when you walk into a kitchen - at a friend’s, relatives’, your own or at a store? My eyes advertently scan the space for a clutter-free counter, organized pantry storage, layout, and to my surprise, how the pots and pans are stored.

I spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen cooking regular food or trying out new recipes and desserts for my son. Though keeping kadais and pans in the open makes for easy access and helps in drying naturally after washing them, I think it is an eyesore. Currently, I store my pans in a stainless steel stand over the sink and kadais in a large pullout drawer like the one below. I’d prefer to stash them away in cabinets but find most Indian modular kitchens ill-equipped in that area.

Pullout Drawer Utensil Storage

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Every woman’s kitchen has at least one recipe book - either self-bought or gifted. Mine has over 100 of them. No exaggeration. Seriously. Most of them are small supplements that come with various Tamil monthly magazines. My mom religiously collects them every month and hands them by the dozen or more when we meet, usually after3-4 months. That shows her confidence in my cooking Or she trusts me to get inspired and cook a lot of variety dishes, which I do.

The books cover a wide range. Sample this. The collection consists of 30 Chutney recipes, 30 tomato dishes, 64 pickles, 30 soya recipes, 100 age-old home remedies (those granny ideas!), what to do with leftovers, 64 cakes/cookies/chocolates, 64 juice, 200 Diwali tips, 30 biryani masala, 16  types of sambar, and 10 types of rasam. The list goes on. And believe me, it is really handy at times to break the routine and fix something different for dinner.

A teeny tiny part of the collection

One practical issue I face is stocking these in the kitchen where it’s easily accessible; for, I know, if I lay my hands on the stack, I’ll end up cooking a dish. The block is in reaching out to the stack. Right now, it’s stashed in the farthest cabinet. I’m contemplating of binding them into just 4-5 books categorized by snacks, juices, pickles, desserts, and main course dishes.

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Toys stored in a loft bed

Open shelves with wicker baskets are my all time favorite as they are easy to organize and to store not just toys but other knick-knack as well such books, CDs/DVDs, crayons, and stuffed toys. The only downside is it tends to take up considerable floor space. But I would prefer these any day to metal bins on grounds of safety.

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I’m a big fan of open shelves in kitchen for lining up often used spices.  Easy to handle, cheap to install, quick cleaning and scores high on the look factor…what more can one ask for! And, for renters, nothing is more easier than a open shelving system to add storage space . What do you think of these?

Open shelves in kitchen

More stuff...though a li'l cluttered

Image courtesy:

All images from Home Sweet Home

I can’t get over these two pictures and I’m sure you’ll agree with me:

Stacked wooden baskets

Under-bed storage

I first spotted the open shelving for wooden boxes on Apartment Therapy two months back; and it’s remain etched in my memory ever since. I forgot to bookmark the link and believe it or not, I hunted for this post for three days. No exaggeration! That should explain why there was no post on Friday.

Most cities in India, except the ones in the South, have zero to minimal wood work done in homes. When I moved from Bangalore to Pune, from a fully-furnished apartment to a house with just walls, it was a harrowing experience. We lived out of boxes and eventually invested in two steel almirahs (what an eye sore!) and a wooden cupboard. The house was far from being elegant and remained a cluttered mess.

I look at these pictures and wonder what an inspiration it could have been. Wooden baskets are comparatively a cheaper way to add storage space for people on the move. Easy to maintain, move around, and stack with an open shelving system. Don’t these baskets also make for neat under bed storage?

Would any of you know where to get such square baskets in India?

Image courtesy:

1. ohdeedoh

2. re-nest

Are you one of those who detests the idea of stacking CDs in ready-made, boring rectangular racks? How about units like these featured on Apartment Therapy?

Apartment Therapy - CD Storage Unit

Or one of these wall mounted units?

Wall mounted CD Rack

Wall mounted shelving

You can get one made too at a much lesser price like the one I have.

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