STORAGE SECRETS

I am a little obsessed with dressers, they’re perfect for displaying crockery, bottles, decanters, towels etc. all in one compact space. I happen to covet dressers that you can see through with wire or glass doors as opposed to solid doors but that’s a personal thing. It allows me to create more layers and depth with arranging everything. But I’m sure there are other cool versions out there… in Shanghai not so long ago the hotel Gem and I were staying in had the most beautiful lacquered dressers which I got pretty obsessed with and they had solid doors.

I get the appeal too – not absolutely everything we own is beautiful, so being able to shove some of it behind closed doors is great! When I do go for solid storage I like things that look decorative, but have hidden secret drawers and compartments – like our Ajax console or the Dawlish. The Dawlish is so good I must admit I have two! One in the bedroom and one in the living room. Oh and I forgot – one in the cabin too actually! Is that crazy?

Whatever storage option you plump for, consider upping the ante a bit and making them a standout piece, one of your three focal points in a room (and we all know that we need 3 focal points right?). You can snugly fit a skinnier dresser into an alcove – I’ve got mine standing against the exposed brick wall in my kitchen and that totally works. Oh and I also use the area above to house additional vases (which truth be told I can never have enough of). I saw somewhere (possibly on Pinterest but now of course I can’t find – please let me know if anyone spots it!) two dressers standing side by side. They not only giving this fabulous sense of symmetry but also created a big bank of coolness. It’s like a more dressed up version of trendy open shelving. Nice!