Easy Storage Ideas to Refresh Your Home

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When I go to the thrift store, I am mainly looking for easy storage ideas to refresh and simplify my small home. Baskets are the main thing I’m looking for, because new baskets cost so much now.

I’m also looking for wooden boxes, or any vessel I can store things in. These are the things I keep an eye out for when I walk into a thrift store, a really good idea if you live in a small house with little dedicated storage space.

Storing Things in Picnic Baskets:

The brown basket you see above is one I found at a thrift store here. These are great for storing things where you can still get to them quickly.

Since my CD player is lower than my couch in front of it, I used the basket as a stand so my remote could reach the CD player from my chair. The back of the couch interfered with the signal.

I’ve had the red picnic basket above for a long time, probably since before I moved here from Texas. I keep all my vintage linens folded up inside it.

The others are red woven storage baskets. They are ideal for holding smaller items and then stacking them.

I believe I picked up the wooden box at Tuesday Morning. Oh, how I miss that store!

If you have a vintage box, you should certainly put it to use. Here, I stored cutting boards in one. It kept them looking tidy and contained, and things always look better gathered together, lending a more cohesive look.

If you need to store your kitchen oils on the stove, put a vintage dish underneath to catch spills. And don’t you think it looks pretty this way?

House Plants in Galvanized Tubs:

I’ve always liked to put house plants in galvanized containers. I even have most of my outdoor plants in galvanized containers with drainage holes drilled in the bottom.

There’s also a good reason to gather plants together, which certainly benefits them.

Gathering houseplants together creates a beneficial microclimate that increases ambient humidity through shared transpiration. This helps to keep plants hydrated in dry indoor air.

It simplifies care routines like watering, maximizes aesthetic appeal, and allows tropical plants to thrive by sharing warmth and moisture.

Using Terra Cotta Pots as Storage:

Sometimes it’s fun to use terra cotta pots for something other than plants. You could store coffee pods inside a larger bowl-shaped one. Or use them in the bathroom to keep things organized, as I did above.

I love these old wooden boxes. They aren’t cheap anymore. Antique malls and thrift stores know how coveted they are, so even there, they cost a pretty penny.

They’re great for storing and organizing books inside. Or you can store your dinner plates, if the box is the appropriate size.

I think if you were serving guests buffet-style, they could grab a plate from the wooden box. It looks pretty there and keeps the plates organized.

Bathroom Storage:

Here in my bathroom, this old, vintage bar cart serves as a flat surface and storage. My vanity isn’t very big.

I have a basket that holds hand towels. And in the brown picnic basket, another thrift store find, I store toilet paper.

Mr. Simon loves to unroll toilet paper and play with it, so this keeps him out of it. Oh, and I spy one of the cats’ toys underneath.

Kitchen Storage:

In the kitchen, I’ve used this old vintage box to keep my hand mixer and utensil holder looking tidy. It’s always better to use platters or trays to hold kitchen items on your kitchen counter.

It makes for easier cleaning and gives the overall look a more pleasing appearance.

I have three sizes of this yellow ceramic bowl. The larger two have house plants in them.

Then I had this little one that didn’t seem to be of much use to me. So I had the idea to store this palm dish brush inside it. It fit perfectly, as you can see.

And after I placed the palm dish brush inside, I realized that any water that remained on the brush would be caught by the pot saucer.

Win-win!

These are all very simple ideas for making your home storage more attractive.