Walls That Store More

Look to storage shops and hardware store aisles for specialty racks, grid systems, organizers, hooks, and shelves that you can mount on a wall. A trio of tactically spaced pot-rack bars allowed these homeowners to store (and showcase!) their copper pots close to their stove.

Thanks to a strategically inset cabinet and a tiled niche behind the range, seasonings and oils stay within reach of the chef. Cabinets with shallow shelves ideally suit spice jars and oil bottles because you can easily see and reach each container without moving or knocking over other things sharing the same shelf.

Opt for custom-designed shelves that run from ceiling to floor to increase storage and display space. Keep in mind the size of the things you want to store when determining shelf width and shelf spacing. Also, if you have kids and pets, consider anchoring tall shelving units and bookcases to wall studs to ensure they don't topple.

Outfitting a wall with different-sized cabinets, drawers, and garages lets you put every single thing in its own properly sited and easily accessed place. This design idea ensures cabinet interiors remain uncluttered and drawer contents stay orderly, which allows you to store more kitchen tools and pantry staples in more organized ways.

With a little planning, you can easily create cabinet configurations that optimize wall space and make way for an office. Tall pantry cabinets topped with smaller cabinets neatly frame-out an alcove that converts to a workplace with the addition of a desktop and a pegboard-clad wall that contributes more storage options.

A modern idea rendered in vintage forms and a painted finish, these shelves bring bountiful storage and charming silhouettes to an underused kitchen wall. Open shelves keep everyday dishes and glasses right where you need them; the upper shelf holds good-looking, but rarely used, serving pieces that take up valuable cabinet space.

This mighty fine design expands utility in guest and kids' bathrooms, pool house dressing areas, and often-used powder rooms. Built-in stalls provide shelves for storing towels and toiletries, hooks for hanging clothes, and small bench seats. The benches create cubbies below, which are meant to keep kicked-off flip-flops and tennies out of traffic paths.

Finely detailed custom cabinets framing a window seat run from floor to ceiling to create plentiful storage; the cabinets also house a television set positioned on a motorized arm that draws back to move the screen into the cabinet's recesses.

Whenever you're building or remodeling, put storage considerations high on your wish list. You'll save money by installing or building storage units during construction rather than adding them later. Opt for storage niches above bathroom and kitchen sinks, near bathtub fittings, and on shower walls to keep cleaning supplies nearby but off countertops and tub decks.

This studio's resident artists never look far for their favorite medium. Wall-mounted rollers topped with a shelf stow painterly paraphernalia and dispense blank canvases awaiting an artist's hand. Labeled industrial baskets hold each artist's materials; a worktable complete with shelves and cubbies offers extra storage and a flat surface for coloring outside the lines.

A pair of small shelves can make a difference in how a room operates. These shelves brought cookbooks out of hiding, which in turn freed up cabinet space for storing kitchen essentials. Now displayed within easy sight of the cook, the tastemaker tomes are referenced more often, new recipes are prepared, and flavor experiences are broadened.

Hung within kids' reach, these white-painted crates ensure that tykes can readily access and return the crates' contents. Neatness doesn't count; books slip in easily with no stacking or shelving required. Remember to screw crates and shelves into studs to ensure storage units stay securely attached to the wall.  

Mount multi-tiered art exhibits that are sure to energize private and public spaces. Install plate rails, picture ledges, and shelves that boast a lip or groove (to hold artworks in place) and stock them with kids' artworks, flea-market canvases, seasonal images, and family photos.

A pair of thoughtfully set bookcases and a connecting desktop fashion a dressing room along a blank wall. The out-facing bookcase houses a mirror, cleaning supplies, a laundry hamper, and extra toiletries. On the other side of the vanity station, a bookcase holds beauty-making potions and things used every day; pretty bins act as hidey-holes for less pleasing provisions, such as toilet paper, cotton balls, and facial tissue boxes.

An entry hall can do more than welcome guests; it can operate as a command center for families of all sizes. Hallway walls accommodate hooks for storing backpacks and shoe racks that corral incoming shoes and boots. A wall-mounted secretary-style desk provides slots for sorting bills, cubbies for phones and phone books, and a desktop for setting a laptop computer.

Buy, build, or repurpose furniture pieces that bring fun forms and finely tuned function to walls throughout your home. This kicky colored sideboard doubles as a wine cabinet, cocktail-making station, and a storage spot for party goods. A stemware rack mounted to the bottom magnifies the piece's purpose.