Here at The Box Room, we’re all for helping out the time-poor. Heck, Boxman – the good folk behind your very own virtual spare room – went into business almost entirely to slash the hours wasted driving to a self-storage outpost. So we were intrigued to hear about professional organisers, a relatively new breed of lifehacker that take your time (or lack of it) very seriously indeed.
A life without clutter
8 signs you need to declutter (and how to take immediate action)
Feature image credit: AnneBrannen.com We’re gearing up for #MinimalMonth here at Boxman – a time to be taking stock of what you’ve got, what you don’t actually need, and what might be better stored away for a later date. The idea that life could be better with less is one that we’re seeing a lot of in the news at the moment (big thumbs up to James Wallman and his Stuffocation book!), and it’s one that we feel quite close to here at the Box Room. So we put together a few ideas to get things going – a few signs to look out for that you might be suffering from ‘stuffocation’ yourself.
Tidy home, tidy mind: making your home a relaxing place to be
Feature image credit: Freshome Life in the city is stressful - fact. What with all those sharp elbows on the tube, unreasonable working hours and packed social schedules, there’s very little time for relaxing at home. So when it does come around, it’s precious. You don’t want to sit in a cramped, cluttered living room, worrying about the fact that you haven’t organised the cupboard under the sink for years, or painfully aware that you can’t put your feet up on the coffee table for all the plants.
Alternative living: the highs and lows of life on London’s canal boats
With house prices showing no sign of dropping, life on London’s canal boats seems more appealing than ever. We went down to the waterfront to find out how it works.
Talking storage: the secret lives of collectors
Storage – or a lack thereof – is a common gripe among homeowners, but for collectors, this problem reaches a whole new level. We’re all guilty of having stuff around the house, but when it comes to collecting, how can you proudly display your valuables at the same time as keeping clutter to a minimum? We first explored this when we chatted with some Comic Con attendees, but, more recently, we caught up with a few avid collectors to find out a bit about their hoarding habits and storage solutions. Meet George, Chris, Jan and Lee, who together boast some very impressive and eclectic collections indeed. For George, who collects stamps and postal history of Spanish and Portuguese colonies, his journey began aged seven when he was given a collecting starter pack for Christmas. ‘I resumed collecting once I was in my mid-twenties, when I had the disposable income to…
Storage ideas for your London flat: amazing organisation
We Londoners have it pretty darn good: beautiful architecture, great food and drink, more history than you can shake a stick at and culture up to our eyeballs. One thing we are short of, though, is space. Cramped tube carriages, elbow-knocking supermarket aisles and crowded pavements are just some of the battles we must face when trying to get from A to B each day. With square footage at a premium outside, it makes sense that we’re a little squeezed at home, too – but there are things that can be done about this. As well as putting your extra bits and bobs in storage with Boxman for a little while, you can declutter the stuff you need day in, day out, with some nifty storage ideas. Kitchen cupboards What’s worse than trying to locate a pot or pan and having endless lids, colanders and sieves rain down on you?…
Don’t just use your spare room for storage: solutions to transform your space
There are so many wonderful ways we can make the most of our spare rooms, yet, for some reason, we insist on seeing them as simple storage solutions and filling them with household junk we’ve got no other place for. Where should you put that 17-year-old tricycle? How about that collection of novelty coasters? No longer shall you resort to stuffing it in your spare room, wincing as you turn the handle at the clutter-filled horror that awaits – it’s time to reclaim your space. Read on for some of our favourite ways to breathe new life into your spare room and make it a real part of your home. Gym Fitness fanatics may want to use the space for their very own gym. Wave goodbye to the days of queuing up for the treadmill, and say hello to being able to exercise in private, far removed from the sweaty, gym-going masses.…
What we learnt at Comic Con London: storage tips for collectors
Last week, we went to Comic Con London 2014 to find out a little bit more about collectors and cosplayers and how they go about storing their stuff. In fact, not only did we attend, but we spent the day live blogging our interviews, Vines and general musings on the infectious enthusiasm of the ‘Comic Conners’ we met – and sharing their thoughts on how best to keep all those figurines, comics and…wings. So here it is: Comic Con London’s storage tips. 1. Keep things tidy to avoid carpet damage As we heard from Khloe Valentine (aka Juliet Starling from our video), a contributor at Need To Consume, if your room’s a bit of a tip, you’re only going to make more of a mess in the long run. If you’re a big fan of DIY costumes, you’ll need enough surface space to cut, sew and glue without risking setting…
How to organise your winter clothing
The air’s turning cold, the days are getting shorter, and the Christmas ads are already under way, all of which can mean only one thing: autumn has slipped quietly past and winter’s already taking hold. And while it’s a massive relief that we don’t have to hear the words ‘bikini body’ for at least another eight months, we do have to think about putting our summer clothes away and making space for all the padded jackets and oversized winter clothing. In this quick guide, we’ve put together some winter wardrobe organisation hints and tips to help you make the most of your space and cut the clothing clutter. Say goodbye to summer Sorry for the depressing title, but facts are facts. Unless you’re hopping off to Thailand for two weeks of winter sun – in which case our sympathy is seriously limited – you’re not going to need those linen…