Garage storage ideas: Stylish space saving storage solutions
by
Checkatrade

Utilise wall space

If you’re using your garage to store vehicles like cars or bikes, utilising your wall space is a great way to increase your garage’s storage capacity. Magnetic shelves are perfect for attaching metal tools, while pegboards are perfect if you want to store a variety of items such as brushes, screwdrivers, paints, pens, and keys. You can even add a pot or two for your non-metal items.

Transforming furniture

Making the right design and decorating decisions will transform your garage into a multi-purpose space. By day, it’s a storage bunker. By night, it’s an entertainment space with foldaway chairs, a roll-out fridge, wall-mounted TVs, and a pull-down games table.

Slatwalls

Slatwalls are panel systems perfect for hanging baskets, hooks, holders and pots. Incorporate them into your garage design for an effortlessly sleek storage solution. They’re also striking. For example, if you half your garage horizontally and install white slats on the upper part of your walls, paint the lower part grey, and finish off the look with polished concrete floors, then congratulations. You’ve just created the trendiest garage you ever did see.

A cheap and eco-friendly solution for garages with less space (such as porticos or carports) is to build your own shelving units. Doing it this way means you end up constructing exactly what you need and have fun in the process. (You do, we promise!)

Think about repurposing old cabinets, wooden boxes, drawers or any other time-worn furniture. Sometimes, MDF from your local hardware store will do the job, along with some imagination, pizazz and patience! Just find some wood desperate for a glow-up and get to work on your very own DIY garage storage ideas.

That said, if you don’t have the carpentry skills, then you can always hire a professional to come and put them up for you.

Floor to ceiling shelving designs

For small garages or particularly space-conscious people, installing floor to ceiling shelves is the perfect way to keep potential clutter to one wall. Adorn your shelves with boxes, cubby bins, organisers, tools, pegboards and freestanding cabinets for total versatility.

To add interest, make the storage wall a feature by adding a stylish backboard. Opt for splashes of bright colours like ochre or rose gold, or keep it open bricked for a rustic edge. Change up the design even more by arranging your shelves in unordered lines, giving you something that looks like an accent, not an accident.

If you’re looking for something bespoke, it’s worth hiring a professional. Check out our carpenter cost guide for further information on how to price up the work.

Modular cabinets come in a range of colours and styles. However, if the industrial vibe isn’t for you, then have fun with wood. Let function meet style. Think colourful coordinations, farmhouse interiors, creative constructions, gardening stations, and elaborate equipment displays. Upcycle your cabinets with new knobs and handles and a fresh lick of paint, then fill them with whatever bric-a-brac you have lying around the house. Keys, sewing kits, nails, ribbons, tools, buttons, candles, pens, drill heads… whatever bits need a home, you can give them one.

Smart storage

Wall-mounted shelves are the way forward for smaller garages, as are pulley systems for push bikes and any other bulky items you want off the floor. Track systems for awkward items or ceiling hooks for hanging shelves are all small garage storage ideas that help save floor space and make the most of your square footage.

Bright and light

Garage’s don’t always get a lot of light, so think about installing industrial wall lanterns for a trendy edge, ceiling lights for extra visibility, and even ground lights for a moody glow. Lighting is important for garages that double up as workstations or entertainment spaces. Keep the decor neutral and clean and use tough anti-mould, anti-chip, anti-anything paint to avoid having to redecorate every year.