I doubled the storage in my smallest room with this 1 item and added a stylish pop of ‘unexpected red’, bringing fun to functionality

The smallest room in my house has been the hardest working for years. First as a guest room, and now as a home office for my husband and me.

Smart storage has been key, which is why I was thrilled to double mine with one affordable addition: Red woven baskets from Amazon. They slide onto the lower shelf in my blue sideboard, the only storage in this room, and immediately double the useful storage space without adding visual clutter.

In fact, it hides the odds and ends that need to be stored here and adds a fun pop of 'unexpected red'. These baskets have been so useful and a small storage idea I’ll be repeating in other larger areas of my home.

Why red baskets are now my go to

I keep one basket for cleaning supplies dedicated to this room, stash coffee pods for my single serve coffee maker in another, and use the third red basket to store some of my DIY essentials.

All of this would look a mess on the open shelf, but is neatly tucked away in baskets that not only look great, but contrast nicely, adding a pop of unexpected red to my blue sideboard, which is from Amazon, too, and so pretty. It’s extremely well-made and you’d never know it’s from there.

Head of Interiors at Homes & Gardens, Hebe Hatton, says, ‘'Having colorful storage bins can kill two birds with one stone in a small space as you add an aesthetic element that's visually pleasing, or adds intrigue, but doesn't add unnecessary clutter because it's serving a vital purpose.'

Together, this duo forms the only storage space in my small home office, and the drawers and cupboards are now dedicated to office and work items.

What to shop

Baskets and bins are great clutter-holdalls and storage products that professional organizers cannot live without.

It's also helpful to pop a storage basket in an area that seems to accumulate clutter, no matter how much you tidy, as per the smart desire path decluttering method.

We've tried more than 80 ourselves, so delve into our decluttering library for a full run down of decluttering methods we love, that you can try today.