15 Storage Trends for Conquering Clutter That Are Here to Stay

These 15 storage trends max out function and design smarts to help you get a more organized home.

The open, minimalist storage solutions that are ever-present in Scandinavian interiors show no signs of going away -- and that's a good thing. Doorless and stripped down, these bookshelves present unique opportunities to create single-focus spots (here, a wine and party necessities spot).

Moveable Islands

Kitchen islands are on the move, with wheels that allow homeowners to push, pull, and play with this once-stationary item. Tucked to the side, an island offers surface area but allows square footage for larger groups to gather. Moved to another room, an island becomes an instant buffet table or dining extension.

Unique Storage Containers

Storage of even just 10 years ago were reliably plastic and unattractive. But personality-driven decor has infiltrated even the most basic of storage solutions, giving homeowners the freedom to use that which is artful and useful. Here, a vintage-focused space puts castaway glass jars to use in a narrow niche for open shelves that are beautiful and efficient, too.

Artful Bookcases

Feel the impulse to cram your bookshelves with all manner of books and knickknacks? Take heed from one of the more welcome storage trends: Use bookshelves equally for organization and design display. That means choosing a select few things to store, or using containers (for example, pretty, lidded baskets) to hide items. It may also mean thinking of a bookshelf almost as a wall -- here, the framing piece was used to hang a piece of art.

Daily-Use Storage

Few things ruin a home's sense of zen and practicality like how to keep oft-used items at hand in a way that's not cluttered. Especially in a bathroom, hair dryers, electric shavers, and the like can equal messy drawers or countertops. A new storage trend that helps? Pretty options to keep daily items at the ready, such as this just-right sling for a hair dryer.

Specialized Storage Extras

Thanks to today's storage trends, there's no reason to fit a round peg into a square storage hole: New products enable you to streamline cabinets and shelves and stash even infrequently used items with storage-perfect solutions. Take wineglasses: Hanging them with these easy-to-install racks helps keep dust out of the glasses.

Open Closets

Doors on closets? No more says the new trend of open closets, which banish doors in favor of pretty shelves, built-ins, and baskets. The results fully integrate clothes with the character of the bedroom.

Every Last Storage Spot

In the newest storage trends, there's no such thing as throwaway space. That few inches inside the door? Perfect for a spice or drinking glass rack. That spot at the end of a floor-to-ceiling cabinet? There's just enough room for shelves to stock favorite books or collections. That extra foot over the toilet (and around a window)? It's just right for narrow towel storage. Little details, such as millwork or matching stain, help integrate these out-of-the-way storage spots with the rest of a room.

Repurposed or Vintage Storage

For years storage trends have included finding new uses for items that are either older and beautiful or were never intended as storage in the first place. It's a trend that hasn't abated and one that allows homeowners to add distinctive elements for visual pop. Here, repurposed wooden milk crates supply go-to home-office storage.

Beautiful Outdoor or Garage Storage

Remember the days of throwaway shelves and tubs in the garage or outdoor sheds? It was a less-than-stellar time for spaces that most of us use and see daily. One of the hottest storage trends gives these spots the design attention they deserve, with hardy materials that are beautiful, too. Even accents and extras -- the pegs for tools or lights -- have gotten an upgrade.

Closet Islands

Islands in the kitchen have long been focal-point elements that add function and beauty. That they've moved into closets seems only natural: With both surface area and drawers or doors, these in-bedroom closet islands offer work and organizing space that's become essential in our clothes storage spaces.

Open Racks and Shelves

The things we love and use? Those are the things we want to see and have on hand all the time. The storage trend of open racks and shelves help do just that, from vintagelike racks to the narrowest of shelves tucked under upper cabinets.

Grab-and-Go Storage

Storage in each and every room is great, but sometimes what you need to do doesn't always fit with the room you're in. Enter grab-and-go storage -- caddies that stash art supplies or crates that move silverware from kitchen to outside -- available in an enviable array of materials and colors.

Lockers as Storage

Can you ever really leave school? When it comes to this storage trend -- lockers -- the answer is, thankfully, no. With both tall and square cubbies, lockers are a fun way to add utilitarian storage to mudrooms, bedrooms, or even family rooms.

Streamlined Digital Storage

Smart devices have become a part of our day-to-day existence, but all the cords and plugs? They can be a storage nightmare. New trays, cord wraps, and containers offer quick ways to organize all those essential elements.

The New Cabinet Interior

There's no way to get around corners in a heavy-use room like a kitchen. But those corners, which used to be storage dead zones, have gotten new life thanks to inventive pieces that slide in, out, and around. This double-sided shelving system eliminates accessibility headaches and lost square inches, too.