Have you dedicated time to perfecting the decor of your home, but don’t know how to include necessary storage areas? Try an open-storage concept! These tips will show you how to mix functionality and design seamlessly throughout your home.

Tips for successful open storage solutions
The key to making organization and storage work for each room in your home is by considering it part of your decorating process. Don’t look at the containers as a nuisance to the flow of the room, instead make them an integral part of the design! This will lead to interesting ideas for storage that are far from boring. It is important to make sure the items you are placing within these units make sense with the rest of the room—you wouldn’t keep blankets in the dining room!

Within arm’s reach
Deciding between open storage and storing it away? If you use an item on a weekly basis, it’s perfect to be stored on an open shelf. If the item is used only sparingly, store it away in a cabinet or closet. Regular usage will help keep dust at bay, and will look functional rather than unkempt.

Consider it part of your decor
Create visual interest by mixing colors and patterns, materials and textures, and even varying heights and shapes. If your open storage look is not well designed, it’ll look like the inside of a cabinet—uninteresting. The key is to lead with function, but follow closely with design.

Make sense of it
Open storage works best when your shelving sticks to a common theme. Your dining area storage may contain glasses, wine, and other entertaining necessities, but these items could look out of place in the living room. Stick to a theme, and keep items close to where they will be used.

Think minimalist
Don’t overdo it. Use open storage sparingly to keep it clean and modern rather than cluttered. Contain scattered items within a tray, and keep items that you have a number of (such as glasses or rolled blankets) within neat rows or stacks. Everything should be purposeful to remain pretty.