With spring upon us, so are the thoughts of out of town guests, vacations, and backyard bar-b-ques. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an extra room to host those out of town guests and overnight party guests? Well here are some suggestions to help you achieve just that. It doesn’t matter if you live in a three-bedroom loft or a one-room bungalow, it is possible to have a guest space. It simply takes some creativity and elbow grease.
For many of us, the real issue isn’t space, it is clutter and abundance. Although there is nothing wrong with abundance, having too many things in one living space can have its concerns. Not only do accumulated possessions and collecting take up valuable space within the home it also affects you in a number of other ways, like:
- Unhealthy Breathing / Air
- Lost and Broken Items
- Trip, Fall, or Crushing Potentials
- Energy Stagnation
- Rodent and Insect Infestation Potentials
These are only a few of the most common problems associated with having too much stuff in the living space. Lack of space for entertaining is another one that ranks on top of this list. So, if clutter is the issue, the resolution is to clear the clutter. Some clutter is easier to clear than others. Items such as:
- Mailers / Coupons / Takeout Menus
- Old News Papers
- Mismatched Plastic Containers
- Other Accumulative Items of Everyday Living
Are easy enough to remedy through following a stringent monthly “Clearing” where all items such as those above are sorted, purged, and stored appropriately on a monthly basis as a matter of home maintenance and cleaning. This keeps you knowledgeable regarding any coupons or specials that you saved the information for so that you don’t miss out. It also purges unnecessary expired materials making locating current items easier. This one simple habit cuts the amount of space required to be dedicated to storing these items by half at least; leaving you with additional space for items used regularly.
“Clearing” becomes more difficult when it comes to sentimental items, furniture, electronics, and the like; for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the expense to replace. This solution depends greatly on how deeply you are attached to these possessions versus your desire for more guest space.
If you have a great need or desire for more guest space then you will find it easier to discard those of these items that are either in disrepair, obsolete, or just plain have no interest to you any longer. Otherwise, you have some sorting and thinking to do.
Depending on the type of space you have you will either want to go through each livable space in the home, meaning bathrooms and kitchens have a specific purpose, rooms like offices, dens and bedrooms, can all be very versatile. Or, if you have a more open layout like a loft, you will want to review the arrangement of the furniture, storage, and overall size of the space.
This is important information to have on hand when determining the amount of stuff that needs to be purged or stored. As well as, the type of guest area that your physical space will allow without tearing down walls and expanding.
- Pullout Bed Chair in the Corner
- Pullout Sofa
- Hid-a-bed Style Murphy Bed
- Partitioned Guest Room
- Actual Guest Room
Phase One- Purge! Clean out all of those closets, nooks, crannies, cupboards, cabinets, footlockers, and any other hiding places you may have. Once everything is completely gone through, take stock of how much empty space there is. This is where your motivation and ideas for combining storage to a more user-friendly, accessible, and logical manner while creating larger space opportunities.
Phase Two – Remove unused and unsentimental nick-knacks, display cases, and unnecessary or uncomfortable furniture items. For those Sentimental items, this is a great time to consider a storage unit.
Phase Three – Rearrange your Space. This is the fun part, where you get to reenvision the space to encompass the functionality that you desire. This is where you determine the layout, accommodations, and function of each area within the space.
And then Finally…
Phase Four – Contact Browning Park Mini Storage to find the perfect storage unit to fit your specific needs and protect those special keepsakes.