5 Clever Tips for Better Outdoor Storage
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When it comes to your outdoor storage, it can feel like a game of Tetris. Where can you fit it? What do you need to store? What’s even worth investing in? Because your outdoor furniture has to brave the elements, you want to make sure you’re buying quality pieces made to withstand harsh wind, rain, sun, and snow. However, you also want to be sure that these pieces are actually going to store what you need them to—and look good doing so. With all the outdoor games, pool toys, gardening supplies, and backyard dinnerware you have, backyard storage can quickly become an overwhelming task.
It comes down to three main points: Your outdoor storage needs to look good; maximize space; and be built to last. If you hit these, you can easily hack your yard to become an organized, sophisticated hosting zone. Whether you’re working with a tiny apartment balcony or a large yard complete with a pool and pergola, your outdoor space needs to be functional, so you can actually enjoy your time outside! Turn to our five tips below for optimal organization and style—this way, you have time to enjoy fun in the sun, like hosting dinner parties, relaxing with family, and enjoying the fresh air in your own backyard.
1. Invest in Closed Storage
An outdoor buffet cabinet made from metal or treated wood is an excellent place to store backyard entertaining pieces, like melamine plates and platters, outdoor table linens, and cutlery. This way, they can stay protected from the elements, and you don’t have to worry about finding a place to stash them in the kitchen. The top of the cabinet can double as a prep space for cocktails, charcuterie boards, or even as a grazing table for backyard parties.
But closed storage isn’t just for mealtime needs—you can also use outdoor cabinets for plants and garden storage, stashing extra soil and planters inside and using the top as a designated potting zone for your favorite blooms.
2. Utilize Vertical Space
One thing to remember, especially if your backyard or patio is small, is to utilize your vertical space as much as you can. Your slatted wall panel comes in handy for that—just add hooks to hang gardening or grilling tools for quick and easy access. If your cabinet is metal, you can even add magnetic hanging strips onto the sides for extra storage opportunity. Have a bulky hose reel taking up valuable real estate? Swap it for a wall-mounted holder to free up your floor.
Adding a slatted wood panel with shelving also gives you ample opportunity to display potted plants, a pretty watering can, a mister, and more. Decant birdseed into a glass container so you don’t have to hide it away, and add citronella tea lights and smaller lanterns to the shelves for evening gatherings.
3. Hide It in Plain Sight
Retro patio coolers, storage benches, potted garden hose containers, pretty storage baskets—all of these storage solutions are hidden in plain sight, providing you with some much-needed storage while looking fabulous doing it. Your storage doesn’t have to look like storage. It can be functional and beautiful at the same time.
Stash your kids’ and pets’ toys in outdoor baskets for easy access to play, and make use of storage benches for things like outdoor pillows and pool toys. It’s also a great place to store other bulky pieces once winter comes to save them from months of snow, wind, and ice. Just remember to give pillow covers a wash once you take them out in the spring to keep the fabric looking fresh!
4. Build a Storage Shed
If you have the space for it, an outdoor storage shed can make all the difference in your backyard organization—especially for your tools, gardening supplies, and bulky machines that you need to have at the ready. Storage sheds are often easy to build yourself and can house and protect a variety of items.
Some storage sheds are built to withstand extreme elements while others are more lightweight, so make sure you look at the fine print when picking the best storage shed for your needs. Some are small enough to nestle into an alcove on the side of your house, and others are more substantial in size, which can be great for large backyards that need the space to house many tools.
5. Go For Storage Seating
Incorporate furniture that does double duty, like benches or ottomans with storage, to ensure every seat pulls its weight and then some. This is the perfect way to infuse secret storage opportunities into items you’ll already need in your backyard. So take advantage of the space that’ll already be used up anyway!
There are outdoor sofas, ottomans, benches, and even outdoor dining sets and carts that offer hidden compartments where you can stash pool toys, blankets, and other backyard hosting must-haves.
By Hannah Baker | This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Drew + Jonathan Reveal, Drew & Jonathan’s home and lifestyle magazine.
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