Storage design is something most families care about a great deal today. From singles to four-generation households, no matter the size of the home, storage plays an important role.
Many people assume storage means more cabinets, plus more storage boxes and shelving, and then they’ll organize gradually after moving in. But storage that truly works is never something you figure out later. It should be considered during the renovation design stage. How deep the cabinets are, how many drawers to include, what should be hidden and what should be left out in the open—if these things aren’t clear at the design stage, no amount of organizing after move-in is anything more than a patch job.
From a designer’s point of view, storage planning is something that needs to be considered when working on the floor plan. Today, let’s go space by space and explain the basic logic behind storage for the whole home.
The entryway is the face of a home and also the spot where clutter builds up most easily. Shoes, keys, umbrellas, coats, bags, delivery boxes—all of it ends up piled by the door. An entryway can’t rely on a shoe cabinet alone. Entryway storage needs to solve three problems. First, is there enough room for shoes? Looks matter, but capacity matters more. In a family of three, everyday shoes usually number 30 to 40 pairs, and seasonal changes can push that higher. Cabinets should be at least 35 cm deep. Interior shelf heights should be adjustable, or use slanted shoe boards, to improve use. Leave 15 to 20 cm open at the bottom for shoes worn often.
Second, where do odds and ends go? Keys, umbrellas, masks, and other things used in passing need a place. Leave an open cubby or drawers in the middle of the shoe cabinet so small items can be put away without creating clutter. Third, should coats hang there? If the entryway has room, a hanging area is very practical, especially for winter coats that have been worn once and don’t need washing yet. They won’t go into the wardrobe, so hanging them in the entryway is the most convenient option. If there’s no space, hooks will do.
The kitchen has the highest storage density in the home. Pots and pans, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, small appliances—there’s a lot, and it’s all mixed together. If storage is poorly planned, it not only cuts efficiency, it makes cooking a chore. Kitchen storage determines how cooking feels. The key is to use drawers in base cabinets. The advantage of drawers is that when you pull one open, everything inside is visible at a glance. You also don’t have to move items in front to reach items in back, which cuts down on work and improves efficiency.
Wall cabinets should go all the way to the ceiling. If they don’t, dust collects on top, and cabinet capacity is reduced. Higher spots can hold infrequently used items, such as spare plates and pots. Small appliances need a dedicated place. Rice cookers, air fryers, blenders—these are used often. If you’re not careful, they take over the whole counter and get in the way of prep space. It’s necessary to plan a dedicated area for small appliances during design, or build a hidden appliance cabinet to keep the counter clean. Make sure there are enough outlets. Don’t waste corners. With L-shaped and U-shaped cabinets, corners become dead zones, and regular shelves make items hard to reach. Corner pull-out baskets or carousel trays can put that dead space to use.
The bathroom is small, but the number of things in it is not. Toiletries, cleaning supplies, towels, dirty clothes, tissues—a small bathroom with lots of stuff is the hardest place to store well. Bathroom storage points: a mirror cabinet is a must. Especially in small apartments, skincare products, toothpaste, and makeup can all go inside, keeping the counter clean and clear.
An undermount sink is easier to maintain than a vessel sink. With a vessel sink, water stains and dirt around it can’t be wiped directly into the basin. An undermount sink doesn’t have that problem. What you do need to pay attention to is the installation, so it doesn’t fall. Don’t add niches without thinking. Niches look like they save space and hold a lot, but not every wall can have one. You can’t cut that much out of a load-bearing wall, and non-load-bearing walls or walls that are too thin can’t support them either. If a niche really isn’t possible, shelves work just as well. Don’t waste the space above the toilet. A wall cabinet or shelf above the toilet can hold toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and more without taking up floor space.
The core of wardrobe storage in the bedroom is easy access. Many people think the bigger the wardrobe, the better. That isn’t true. No matter how big the wardrobe is, if the interior zones are unreasonable, you’ll still spend forever looking for a piece of clothing, and it still won’t work well. Wardrobe storage principles: enough hanging space. Hang as much as possible. Folding clothes takes time when you need to find something and easily turns into a mess. Keep long and short hanging areas separate. The space under the long hanging area can hold storage boxes.
Drawers are important. Underwear, socks, T-shirts, and other small items are better kept in drawers than stacked; they’re neater and easier to reach. Put off-season items on top. The top of a wardrobe is usually above two meters, which makes it inconvenient to reach. It’s suitable for off-season quilts and clothing, packed in storage bags, since you’ll only need to get them out two or three times a year at most. Leave room for adjustment. Interior shelves should be adjustable as much as possible so they can be changed later.
Living room storage isn’t about having as much as possible. It’s easy to go to extremes in the living room: either the room is full of cabinets and feels oppressive, or there are no cabinets at all and things pile up in the open. The balance for living room storage: there should be a ratio between storage and display. All closed cabinet doors can feel heavy, while all open storage is hard to keep tidy and creates cleaning problems. A common recommendation is 70 percent hidden and 30 percent displayed. Items used often and worth showing can stay out; miscellaneous and less-used items should be hidden away.
A TV cabinet is not just for the TV. It’s also a main storage area in the living room. Set-top boxes, game consoles, and children’s toys all need to be considered, with spots and power outlets planned in advance. Side tables and chests are very practical. Not every household needs a full-wall bookcase, but a chest or side table can provide storage and serve as decoration, with more flexibility.
Storage is not about having more cabinets. It’s about planning them more sensibly. At the design stage, you need to think clearly about what will be kept in each space, what gets used often, what needs to be hidden, and whether it will be easy to reach. Sort these questions out in advance, and the cabinets you build will actually work well.
