Sparking joy: clever storage solutions

Many of us have walked into a bedroom, looked at the piles of clothes, accessories and shoes scattered everywhere and fantasised about having neat, organised spaces that stay that way, with minimal effort. The recent Marie Kondo craze of decluttering your home and only keeping items that ‘spark joy’ has swept the world with a surprising force. Many people seem to have trouble keeping their home tidy and organised and want this to change.

An excellent way to start transforming your home is to be more ‘Kondo-like’. Marie Robinson, director of Innovative Interiors, says that effective storage is a key element of a well-planned and highly-functioning living environment. Her Auckland-based company offers a wide range of custom-made wardrobe and storage solutions to your organisation woes in almost every space in the home.

Robinson’s team of experienced design consultants each has a background in wardrobe or kitchen design. They offer a free consultation service to potential clients to ensure that their needs are truly understood.

“Firstly, we try wherever possible to have a conversation with each client in their home. Occasionally, we work with builders off the architectural plans, but we prefer to see the space in question so we can understand how to achieve the best use of the space we’re working with,” explains Marie.

Wardrobes are the most common area of the house in desperate need of attention but each person’s requirements are different. “Everyone has different tastes and types of clothes. Some people will have mainly long-hanging clothes or a lot of t-shirts, others will have a lot of shoes to take into consideration,” says Marie. “The important thing is to make sure we clearly understand what the client already has, what they want to keep visible or hidden, and what they want their future space to look like.”

Long-term needs must also be planned into the storage solution, especially when a family has small children. “If we are working on a child’s room that already has a standard wardrobe installed then it’s usually not possible for the child to reach the top row. In this case, it’s best to have very low-hanging rails and add some shelves above that can be removed to add rails later. We make sure there’s room to grow into that space, rather than outgrowing it,” Marie explains.

As the company’s name implies, there are several innovative technologies at play in the solutions it offers. One is a ‘spin robe’ installed into a dead corner space in a larger wardrobe, which offers multi-dimensional storage. Pull-out mirrors are also becoming increasingly popular, especially in smaller wardrobes where there is insufficient wall space for a hanging mirror. These are housed within a narrow space and can be easily pulled out and put away.

Marie suggests that people love a classic white look for their spaces but dark, grained veneers are very popular when creating a lux ambience in homes. As with design, it is just as important to understand our clients personality and needs to ensure that the right finishings are used.

As technologies advance, integrated wardrobe lighting and music options are becoming more possible. Marie says, “We are keeping a close eye on these exciting developments and on the trends as they change.”

Creating a high-quality, tailor-made and on-time product is a key focus for Innovative Interiors. The process involves the team agreeing on a design with the client, then the storage solution is manufactured inhouse. Innovative Interiors has its own manufacturers and installers and the lead time is very reasonable, says Marie. “From the completion of design, it takes approximately four weeks.”

Most of our homes could do with de-cluttering and organising to make them more peaceful and spacious. As Marie Kondo puts it so well in her popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” The team at Innovative Interiors is perfectly placed to help you to do just that.

If your home or office needs organising, then visit Innovative Interiors on ArchiPro and see how the team could help you make your space work smarter.