Bid farewell to unwanted clutter in the household with these easy-to-use, eco-friendly storage solutions.
When it comes to creating some eco-friendly storage in the home, options are everywhere – you just have to think outside the box. Regardless of whether you require extra space in the bathroom, or need a way to organise pan lids in the kitchen, there are lots of clever and unique ways to re-use everyday home essentials.
Experts from Safestore.co.uk have revealed their unusual tips for producing eco-friendly storage across all areas of the house.
Kitchen
Re-use your old wet wipe containers as somewhere to store plastic supermarket bags –these tubes can hold a surprisingly large amount of bags, and this keeps them dry and in one place, saving space.
The question of how to store pan lids is also a constant source of frustration, but by fixing an old magazine rack to the inside of a cupboard, lids can be securely stored by using space not previously occupied.
Hallway
It’s important to deliver a good impression when someone enters your home, but with muddy shoes, numerous jackets, school bags, and more, the entrance hallway is often the hardest area of the house to keep tidy.
Create extra opportunities in your entrance hallway for storage simply by painting some crates and hanging them up to keep errant bags and shoes at bay.
Bedroom
Storing wrapping paper throughout the year can be an ongoing struggle; especially keeping it in a good condition to use time and time again for presents. A great method for storing wrapping paper is above a closet using four anchors, screws and some galvanised wire. It makes full use of wasted ceiling space and keeps your wrapping paper crease-free.
Also consider hanging handbags in the wardrobe courtesy of shower curtain hooks. This not only saves space in the bottom of the wardrobe where handbags may have been generating clutter, but it also helps to protect your handbags, keeping them in better condition for longer.
Garden
Instead of fretting about the organisation of your arsenal of gardening tools, find inspiration elsewhere. Nail off-cuts of piping to the inside of your shed or garage to hold rakes, brooms and other gardening tools to keep them in one place and easy to access.
Keep large green bags for garden waste in the garage by installing a kitchen roll holder. Just ensure that the kitchen roll holder is secured well as garden waste bags have a heavier weight.
For more information about the benefits of self-storage, visit Safestore.co.uk.
There’s No Place like Home
JLife’s selection of outstanding specialists located across Leeds and the surrounding areas are perfect for your home improvement plans.
AMP Access Systems
AMP Access Systems offers a comprehensive range of products for both commercial and domestic applications, including doors and windows, bi-folding doors, shopfronts, curtain walling and glazing bars.
The company provides high quality aluminium products, expert surveyors and a very experienced skilled installation team; architects, builders and owners will also be incorporated into the process in order to bring your ideas to the final build.
All of the installations carry a standard 12-month warranty, while AMP Access Systems is also reputable for its guarantee of short lead times and excellent customer service.
Blackbird
Blackbird is North Leeds’ newest interiors shop that would not look out of place in Spitalfields in London.
It offers an assortment of top quality vintage, retro, industrial, antique, furniture and clothing, as well as homewares from a handpicked collection of local artisans and designer makers.
The store was brought about by a driven and artistic threesome united by a love of great design, and an appreciation of what they call ‘grown up vintage’ from an interior design perspective.
Go along and witness an ever-changing collection of top quality art, ceramics, glass, industrial lighting, one-off custom-made armchairs and cushions, high-end vintage clothing, and hand-picked pieces by local designer makers.
CAPD Complete Build Solutions
Comprising staff with over 25 years of experience, CAPD Complete Build Solutions has obtained reputable experience in the building and construction industry.
The family-run business prides itself on providing high quality, efficient, environmentally-friendly buildings.
The company’s range of services incorporate both domestic and commercial projects, from new builds, extensions, and renovations, to industrial developments and multi-unit properties.
DavidSons
A significant expansion and re-branding will see Oakwood Flooring and Carpet Centre continue to prove a popular destination for shoppers. The company will be trading as DavidSons Carpets Flooring and Beds and has plans to present the floorings of the future to customers as well as cater for more traditional tastes.
The company’s spacious showrooms display a range of quality flooring and carpets, in addition to locally-made beds and mattresses.
The range includes divan, leather, and ottoman storage beds, as well as a bespoke service if you have a design to challenge the team with, and is complemented with a varied selection of headboards and mattresses.
The showrooms are open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm.
Décor
Décor is a lighting and furniture store situated in the Montpellier quarter of Harrogate – the stunning showroom was first opened in 1947 and features 10 arched windows which showcase perfectly the stunning collections.
Décor prides itself on a reputation for excellence and an outstanding personalised customer service, with the knowledgeable staff being experts in lighting.
Famed for one of the largest collections of quality lampshades in the UK, the team will talk you through the many variations of style and composition. These can range from a plain contemporary drum shade in a variety of colours to a traditional ornate fringed and beaded lampshade as seen in Downton Abbey (the company uses the same supplier). And as a result of the majority of the shades being handmade in England, Décor is able to offer a bespoke service on many designs.
The company is a huge stockist of Voyage Maison which manufactures its cushions and soft accessories in Great Britain. Additionally, Décor boasts brass picture lights, reconditioned antique brass chandeliers and wall lights, and exquisite chandeliers and signature hall lanterns in crystal and cast brass. Customers can also browse the diverse display of mirrors in store, ranging from modern to traditional.
In what is arguably now a throwaway culture, the beautiful products at Décor were handmade to last a lifetime.
Em-B Solutions
Em-B Solutions is part of the long established, family-owned MB Group based on Burley Road, Leeds, supplying everything door-related, including handles, locks, access control and the door itself. It has supplied award-winning projects nationwide to both commercial and domestic customers.
The company’s latest offering is a concealed door frame system called Arriva; it is designed to create and enhance contemporary interiors, reflecting the modern lifestyle. Using a uniquely designed solution, it’s never been easier to conceal the frames of your interior doors. The system enables you to have doors flush with the wall creating seamless continuity within your interior.
Both outward and inward opening doors are offered in a range of bespoke sizes to suit your door specification, from full height interior doors, all the way down to small cupboards doors.
Doors are supplied white primed as standard but can be customised to a choice of paint and veneer finishes allowing for co-ordination with the rest of your interior. The package can also include door handles, locks and access control if desired.
You can view the Arriva system on the Em-B Solutions website. Alternatively, if you prefer to speak to the knowledgeable team, why not call into their offices on Burley Road?
Arriva – interior doors that breathe innovation and contemporary style.
Greenview Heating Ltd
Greenview Heating Ltd is a family-run company which takes great pride in its craftsmanship. It aims to deliver a high quality service at a competitive price, and has many years of experience installing a wide range of quality gas/ solid fuel fireplaces and woodburning stoves.
If you have already purchased your stove or fireplace, the company’s Hetas and Gas Safe certified installers can offer a professional advice and installation service. Alternatively, they can provide a complete service from design, supply and installation followed by the final commissioning and certification of your new fireplace. You can rely on the team’s experience and skill to keep you cosy and warm in the winter months.
Greenview Heating Ltd has an outstanding reputation within the local community. It ensures a personal, prompt and professional service, listening to customers and delivering a top quality product.
Greenview Heating Ltd supplies and installs:
· Woodburning and multifuel fuel stoves
· Marble, stone and wood fireplaces
· Biomass and heating solutions
· Repairs and service of fire and fireplaces
Jim’s Carpets
Exciting times are currently underway at Jim’s Carpets, with the family-run floor supplier marking a momentous expansion and makeover.
In line with the refurbishment plans, Jim’s Carpets is being fully refitted – inside and out – and, as a result of the acquisition of the building next door, an enlarged, boutique-style shop will be taking its place and attracting customers.
Jim’s Carpets has established a reliable reputation since its conception in Leeds in 1962. It has been built on a tradition of providing a unique and personal service, the very best quality and value for money, as well as full after-sales support.
Jim’s Carpets staff share over 125 years collective know-how and experience from a lifetime working in the carpet sector and have become one of the best-known carpet and flooring retailers in Leeds.
Just one of the benefits which can be expected from the newer, bigger store is a wider, and more varied, supply of hardwood flooring. The LVT selection includes Karndean flooring, Amtico, Moduleo, and Quickstep Livyn, while the wood offerings boast Ted Todd, Kahrs, and the team’s own stocked specials, Sanders and Fink.
Meanwhile, those wishing to opt for laminate flooring can choose between Quickstep, Kronoswiss, Balterio, and other stocked specialists, and the traditional collection of carpets features Brintons, Ulster, Ryalux, and Hugh Mackay. Jim’s Carpets also deals with more modern carpets, such as Kersaint Cobb, Alternative Flooring, and Crucial Trading. And with hundreds of stocked carpets at hand to select from, every customer will be accommodated.
Leeds Tiles & Bathrooms
The bathroom has become one of the most important rooms in our home – it’s the place where we can relax, unwind and forget about our daily strife.
When planning a bathroom makeover, one of the toughest tasks is ensuring the design we choose is modern and contemporary yet timeless and long-lasting too.
If you’re planning to give your bathroom a new lease of life but don’t know where to start, Leeds Tiles & Bathrooms is filled with inspiration and can help you create an innovative yet practical and long-lasting design.
Leeds Tiles & Bathrooms is a family-owned showroom staffed with friendly experts who are full of knowledge and useful advice. There are stunning room displays that showcase designs from the traditional to latest trends.
Leeds Tiles & Bathrooms has thousands of wall, floor and natural stone tiles on display, including porcelain, ceramic, terracotta and marble, as well as bathroom fixtures and fittings from high quality manufacturers.
Current popular tiling includes gorgeous glazed porcelain tiles that are suitable for walls and flooring and come in unique patterns and textures. Stunning new bathroom basins and taps can also add a beautiful elegant touch with slender contours and simple contemporary designs.
Visit Leeds Tiles & Bathrooms to find your perfect look.
Margot & Miller
Whether it is a single window or an entire house that you are looking to transform, Margot & Miller can help.
The Leeds-based interior design shop has been recognised for offering affordable interior design with a personal touch.
A free home consultation can help you to decide on how you would like the space to look and then the team can get to work.
With a wide range of fabrics, wallpapers, lighting and accessories and furniture, Margot & Miller are guaranteed to create a home you love.
Be it striking lanterns, quirky storage jars, or unique clocks, the shop’s selection of accessories will inject personality into any room. It’s also the perfect place for those searching for gift inspiration; a range of antique photo frames are available, in addition to eye-catching heart ornaments.
Tom Maxwell
Whether it’s bespoke joinery or handcrafted furniture, Leeds-based Tom Maxwell has the skills and experience to add a special touch to any home.
Tom’s background in furniture creation stretches back to when he left school and completed a modern apprenticeship in mechanical engineering. He then furthered his education by undertaking a part time degree in Manufacturing and Systems Engineering while working as a production engineer. Tom then left engineering to start his own business and return to the basis of becoming an engineer in the first place; designing, making and working with his hands, this time in wood.
As a self-taught woodworker, he uses his knowledge in engineering to achieve precision, quality, design and creativity in the process of shaping beautiful, functional and unique pieces of furniture and timber products.
Tom Maxwell currently employs two highly qualified cabinet makers, together offering over 70 years experience in cabinet and furniture making.
Anyone wishing to commission their own piece – including fitted and freestanding furniture – can contact Tom either by telephone or email, detailing their design brief and requirements. Following either a visit from yourself to the workshop or a visit by Tom to your home, work or where the commissioned piece will live, Tom will draw up a basic 3D model and supply a guide price. If the initial design and costing are acceptable, a non-returnable deposit will be required to finalise both the design and costs and will book a place in the workshop schedule.
Yorkshire Bathrooms
Yorkshire Bathrooms boasts a range of beautiful bathroom designs, from traditional classic styles to modern, contemporary products. The conveniently located showroom on the Leeds ring road showcases the leading brands in bathroom furniture, offering the latest designs in a range of styles and colours.
The company believes in making the most of your bathroom space no matter what size, turning the smallest of rooms into bijou spaces. Customers can choose from a range of respected European brands, such as Laufen, Vitra, Grohe and Ambiance Bain.
With a wealth of products, from small cloakrooms to fully fitted furniture or loft apartments, Yorkshire Bathrooms can offer services to suit all budgets. It will happily supply and fit all bathrooms to your individual tastes and requirements — and you can view a number of products as they would look in the home, including features like the wet room shower area. The family business is happy to undertake projects of all requirements and budgets, while its range of kitchen products is ideal for all homes.
Yorkshire Bathrooms is also currently marking 20 thriving years of business; and is celebrating the occasion with a new, revamped website.
