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How to save and create space with your walls

You're looking to save space at home, so why not try these nifty wall design ideas? Including unique storage solutions and even some clever planting ideas.

5 min read

When we are looking to create space at home, we might try shifting furniture around or stuffing things in the loft, but a great space-saving strategy is regularly overlooked - the walls!

Walls are a surface we may hang the odd picture on, but fully utilising wall space can save more desirable space elsewhere in your home.

So whether you’re looking to create space in the kitchen or save it in the bathroom, check out our top tips and ideas.

How to save and create space with your walls

1. Recessed shelving

When it comes to utilising wall space, shelving should be high on anyone’s list of priorities. Additional wall storage will quickly save space elsewhere and can be chosen to fit any home decor.

Shelving types include:

  • Floating
  • Fixed bracket
  • Hanging
  • French cleat
  • Corner

But all the above examples protrude from the wall, which is again taking up valuable space (and could result in a banged head). That’s why we love recessed shelving.

With a little work, your shelves can be built back into the walls themselves, acting as practical storage while maximising the space of an entire room. Add some accent lighting, such as LED strips, and they also become sleek display cases.

If you want some professional guidance with your recessed shelving, why not book a call in with our team?

2. Hang your plants

Here at Resi we are huge advocates of connecting the indoors and outdoors, and there are few better ways of doing this than introducing plants into your home. But plants don’t need to take up the top of a dresser or the whole corner of a room.

Plant hangers are a very stylish way of displaying your plants whilst saving space elsewhere. You can hang yours with:

  • Macramé weaves
  • Wall mounts
  • Wicker/rattan baskets
  • Hooks and rails

Hanging plants at eye level will also increase your exposure to them, not just by sight, but also by smell. This has been proven to contribute to more relaxed, productive and nourishing spaces.

How to care for happy houseplants.

3. Use the tops of cabinets

There are lots of space-saving options in the kitchen. You can use your wall to place:

  • Magnetic knife racks
  • Cookbook racks or shelves
  • Hook rails for pans and utensils

But it’s likely most of your kitchen wall space will already be taken up with wall mounted cabinets. And these cabinets rarely go all the way up to the ceiling.

The space on top of these cabinets can be a great for:

  • Storage boxes
  • Big pots and pans
  • A wine shelf
  • Decorations
  • Accent lighting, such as LED strips

It’s up to your own personal preference, but consider how often you’ll need to get up there. Do you want to be clambering up on a daily basis to get something heavy?

4. Hooks and mounts

From your keys and pot of pens to your bike, hanging practical items on your wall is a great alternative storage option, saving space in cupboards, draws and hallways.

These can be very stylish, particularly when properly planned out with the surrounding space. Would you go as far as to pick the colour of your bike to match the style of a room?

Organising a permanent place for your items is a great way to remove the stress of losing and looking for things, whilst keeping your bike inside removes the risk and anxiety of bike theft. A crime widespread across the uk.

5. Pick a pegboard

If the idea of making tons of holes in the wall is frightening, you might like the idea of a pegboard. These have lots of holes already in their design for hooking, pinning and pegging your items of choice to the wall.

Pegboards come in various sizes. The smallest are perfect for desk organisers or emptying your pockets when you get through the door. The biggest ones can take up a great deal of wall space, offering an adaptable alternative to shelving. Perfect if you are an indecisive interior designer.

We love pegboards at Resi. In fact, we’ve put an entire pegboard wall in our newest office floor! Although we’ve not had the chance to decorate it yet. What would you do?

6. Mount your screens

Gone are the days of boxy TVs and thick computer monitors. Now even the widest 60-inchers will safely mount on the wall, saving desk and TV stand space.

If you are particularly design savvy, you can implement shelving or hidden cabinets alongside your wall-mounted TV as a media control center, housing:

  • DVD players
  • Games consoles
  • Sky boxes
  • Power outlets
  • Wires

Putting a computer monitor on the wall won’t just save desk space either. It also allows you to fix the screen at eye level which is crucial for good posture.

Building a work from home space? Read our 10 tips for creating a home office.

7. Indoor ladders

When we look to use wall space, we usually just think about what is within reach. But space higher up the wall is just as valuable.

How will we get up there?

Although not always immediately accessible, ladders can be a stylish and practical addition to the home.

  • Are you a bookworm with an extensive library?
  • Do you have lots of kids toys and nowhere to put them?
  • Have you a collection of treasured personal items you want to display?

Consider implementing a sliding ladder onto a big bookcase or shelving unit.

Summary

  • Wall space has a lot of potential for alternative storage options which can save more desirable space elsewhere in the home.

  • The best way to use wall space efficiently is with foresight and design. Although sometimes it can be as simple as putting some hooks in the wall!

  • Putting things on the wall might save space, but it can sometimes have the effect of making a room feel smaller. The solution? Recess into the wall itself!

Do you have wall space ideas that require professional design assistance? Or are you looking to create extra space with an extension, conversion or other home project? Book a free advice call with the Resi team and take the first step on your happy home journey.

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