No matter how well planned the home was during renovation, no matter how many cabinets were built, the house is still filled with clutter. The sofa, the table, the floor, the bed—all are covered with miscellaneous items from who knows where.
This brings us to what we are going to talk about today— “flat storage.” Without further ado, let’s quickly delve into it!
“Flat storage” is actually a concept derived from “cabinet storage.” Cabinets are indeed the best way to solve storage problems, but if you only focus on adding more cabinets to your home and continuously customizing more floor-to-ceiling cabinets, you will find that even with more cabinets, your home is still messy.
This is because items stored in cabinets are “collected” inside them and are static. When we store items, we generally need to go through three steps of “opening the cabinet-placing the item-closing the cabinet.” If the space inside the cabinet is relatively large, we need to think about which corner to place our items, which adds a fourth step. If the space inside the cabinet is not enough, we need to evenly distribute the items, adding a fifth step. If there are drawers or hanging rods inside the cabinet, we need to add the action of opening and closing the drawers, which adds up to seven steps. In comparison, just finding a place to put things on a coffee table or dining table, which is what we call “flat storage,” only requires one step, which is much more convenient. For example, when we receive a package, we can easily put it on a table or stack it on the floor; when we wash clothes, we usually throw them on the bed or sofa first and then fold them slowly when we have time; when friends come over to chat on the sofa, we can easily put drinks on the coffee table…
This is indeed very convenient, but there is a problem. The “flat surfaces” in our homes that can be used to place things conveniently are often limited. Moreover, because they are frequently used, they need to be placed in visible places.
not all “flat surfaces” are suitable for us to place things conveniently. In this regard, we can refer to the “one-meter line” theory. The so-called one-meter line does not really mean one meter, but refers to the height position below our chest or navel that is most suitable for us to place things conveniently. Generally speaking, if the height is above our chest, we have to raise our elbows to pick things up. This seemingly insignificant small movement involves more muscles and requires a higher range of motion, which is more laborious. The height beyond “one meter” is exactly within our line of sight. For example, wall shelves or cabinet tops are more suitable for display and placing some decorations that do not need to be moved frequently, rather than placing some commonly used items.
From the perspective of space utilization, tall cabinets have a higher space utilization rate and can hold more miscellaneous items compared to low cabinets. However, if all tall cabinets are used, the available “flat surfaces” in the home will be greatly reduced, making it inconvenient to use. Low cabinets typically come with drawers, providing a surface for placing miscellaneous items and making it more convenient to use the drawers for storing small items. This helps prevent the home from feeling cluttered. Alternatively, converting the most accessible cabinet into an open shelf can also make it easy to access and place items.
Simply having cabinets or coffee tables may not be sufficient to address the varied storage needs in a home. In such cases, you can try using a variety of objects to create more flat surfaces. For example, installing shelves on walls with a depth of typically 20-30cm can better adapt to narrow spaces compared to the thickness of regular cabinets. These shelves can be used to store items like keys, dog leashes, or books within easy reach. Boxes, stools, and other items can also serve as convenient places to store miscellaneous items and can be placed in areas where traditional cabinets may not fit, maximizing space and expanding flat storage surfaces.
