Home Storage Idea Book

by: Joanne Kellar Bouknight

Topics include: closed cabinetry, toiletry storage, flipper doors, modular storage systems, pullout shelves, towel storage, freestanding furniture, appliance garage, concealed storage, fixed shelves, kitchen gear, open shelving, inset doors, base cabinets, shallow drawers, closed storage, open shelves, knee wall, adjustable shelves, face frame, closed cabinets, wood shelves, season clothes, pot rack, density fiberboard

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Practical storage ideas for every room in the house Every house needs storage space that you can get to easily, that holds a wide variety of items, and that is as flexible as possible. Using a room-by-room guide to the house, Joanne Kellar Bouknight shows how to make the most of your storage space, focusing on four key categories of storage: active, seasonal, dormant, and displayed. With the help of detailed drawings and inspiring color photography, Bouknight provides practical, proven design solutions that will work for you -- whatever your style or needs. Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book covers: * storage basics * entryway storage * kitchen storage * living spaces * work-space storage * bedrooms and closets * bathroom storage "Did you find a convenient place to store that new electric waffle iron you bought the other day? Here is a book that addresses the serious storage problems most of us suffer with today. Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book by Joanne Bouknight has interesting and practical storage ideas for every room in the house." -- Chuck Williams, Founder of Williams-Sonoma, Hold Everything, and Pottery Barn "I guarantee you'll find at least one brilliant idea for every room in your house. This is more than a book. Bouknight has written the storage bible for a new age of cocooners." -- Marvin J. Girouard, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Pier 1 Imports "A MUST read for everyone who wants to put away their stuff! Bouknight demystifies storage so we can all find our belongings and be more productive. Written with insight, intelligence and no small amount of common sense." -- Lucy H. Hendrick, author of Get Organized in the Digital Age

I watched a squirrel from my kitchen window this morning as it scuttled up a post, chomped madly on an acorn, dashed down the post, and zigzagged through the grass, looking for a place to bury the acorn. It took a few more bites, ran a few steps, stopped suddenly, dug a quick hole, and dropped in the acorn, scrabbling the soil and grass frantically across the top. "And you're going to remember where that one is next spring?" I said to the squirrel. But, in truth, there was no good reason to feel smug; squirrels are not the only species rushing around looking for something stored months ago, somewhere. Take a March morning, the first day of spring soccer -- when shin pads, soccer cleats, and soccer balls have to be dug out of wherever they were tossed last November, grass and mud dried between the cleats, the ball now a bit wilted. Or take a Thursday night in December, when you remember that your kindergartner's class is supposed to decorate two dozen gingerbread cookies the next day. Where did you put that king-size jar of ground ginger that you bought last month? On the pantry shelf next to the baking powder? In the cupboard next to the flour canister? Maybe it's still in the crate with the 1,000 cups, plates, and napkins bought at the same big-box store. Where is that crate? While we all know that life would be much more pleasant if we were all perfectly organized, trying to get to that point can feel like a monumental task. I hope that Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book will help demystify the process of designing good storage and help you use the resources available to create household storage that is both attractive and functional. Approaching storage design systematically will help you tackle this big project, while also helping to ensure that the proper storage system is chosen. Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book moves through the major areas of a house with specific storage ideas and examples for each room. Keep in mind that this book shows storage in real, lived-in houses, with no product photos interspersed. You can learn a tremendous amount from studying catalogs and stores that sell storage products, and these products will solve many of your storage dilemmas. However, seemingly good storage concepts don't always translate to real-world functionality, so I've chosen to examine storage that works in its natural environment. But before you begin, you must first rid yourself of what you don't really need or love. Life hasn't changed much since the 19th century, when Thoreau suggested that we "simplify, simplify." Do try to simplify, first by getting rid of old things that no longer have a purpose -- be it practical or sentimental -- and then by forging ahead and devising storage for the objects that you're pretty sure you can't live without, plus some.

A proper work-space setup can help prevent the paraphernalia of work from invading the rest of your living space

While we all know that life would be much more pleasant if we were all perfectly organized, trying to get to that point can feel like a monumental task. The latest addition to Taunton's Idea Book Series, Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book, provides a systematic approach to storage design that can help you tackle this big project. Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book moves through the major areas of the house with specific storage ideas and examples for each room that are both attractive and functional. This excerpt from Chapter 5, Work-Space Storage, features solutions for home offices of all sizes.

Reviews:

From Publishers Weekly Storage isn't the sexiest subject, but almost everyone has at least one closet, shelf or drawer that's either overstuffed, underused or in desperate need of some reorganization. This volume, the latest in the Taunton Idea Book series, is based on the premise that "storage is essential to living comfortably," and, in a genuinely practical fashion, Bouknight provides tips on making the most of under-utilized areas such as the space behind the staircase or under a dormer window. A chapter on bathrooms outlines where to stash the magazines or the extra towels, and the kitchen chapter even suggests ideas for screening the fire extinguisher. Photographs and architectural diagrams provide do-it-yourselfers a sense of how the perfectly organized hallway or bedroom might look, while giving attractive and common sense decorating ideas. For those tired of clutter-and who isn't?-this book will provide both advice and inspiration. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The newest addition to the enormously successful Taunton's Idea Book Series, this book provides hundreds of ideas for creating effective and attractive storage spaces throughout the home. Using a room-by-room approach to make the most of your storage space, the breadth of ideas offered will appeal to a broad range of styles and needs. Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book bridges the gap between ordinary how-to books and coffee table books with practical, proven design solutions, detailed drawings and over 400 inspiring color photographs. There isn't a house out there that couldn't do with a little more storage space. "Has interesting and practical storage ideas for every room in the house." -- Chuck Williams, Founder Williams-Sonoma, Hold Everything and Pottery Barn "I guarantee you'll find at least one brilliant idea for every room in your house." -- Marvin J. Girouard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pier 1 Imports

At least one idea for everyone: This book's title is absolutely accurate. It is chock full of ideas, both in the text and the pictures, for innovative storage all over the house. Another important thing to me is that the writers of this book realize that it is often the details, such as the height of a bench or the placement of a drawer, that can make or break a storage solution. They encourage the homeowner throughout the book to choose the solutions and dimensions that fit their house and their lifestyle. Function is the No. 1 priority, but form is not shortchanged at all, as the photos prove. While some of it does not apply to my situation, I found that there were at least a few areas -- most notably the mud room and why it's such a great idea -- that were beneficial to me. I had already thought a lot about storage in the house I will be building, so it probably was not as helpful to me overall as it would be for someone who is either starting to think about this subject, or who has an existing house with storage problems. That being said, the photos and the writing are both high quality, and no basic room in the house is left uncovered, so this book is definitely a 5-star. If you own Taunton's other books, you may recognize a few of the photos from them. However, most of them are not duplicates of the other two Tauntons that I have, and even the ones that are the same are covered completely differently. I have only one complaint with this book: There is no index in the back. There is a page of resources, which provides some books and some Web sites, and a long list of photographer credits, but I would like to have seen some sort of an index of keywords or specific storage ideas. In spite of this shortcoming, the book is so logically put together that it still deserves all five stars.

Great storage ideas! Joanne Bouknight's Home Storage Idea book is a wonderful book. I have discovered so many great ways to solve all the storage problems we had in our home. My carpenter loves all the ideas we are having him add to our home. Some of my favorite ideas are the Bedside Storage on page 157,the Graduated depth bookshelf on page 139,stair-landing entertainment center on page 121,stair tread and bench room on page 27 and finally the space between the studs bookshelf nook for small objects on page 114. My friends can't wait to add a few storage ideas to their homes as well. The best part of the book are the great pictures and way Bouknight writes. Her style is so readable, just as if she's talking to me in person. Great Job Taunton Press!

An excellent and visually splendid guide -- Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book by licensed architect Joanne Kellar Bouknight is a veritable cornucopia of beautifully utilitarian and visually appealing ideas for economizing space in the most aesthetic, practical, and easy-to-use manner. Full-color photographs offer splendid visual examples of cabinetry, economical racks, free-standing storage and more, while the text presents thoughtful and applicable ideas in plain and simple terms. An excellent and visually splendid guide to consult when running out of places to put things, Taunton's Home Storage Idea Book is especially recommended reading for anyone contemplating remodeling as well as providing a wealth of ideas to raise with the architectural designers of new homes as well.