A matter of function

Tempting as it might be to tell you all about our recent house move, I'm going to resist. I won't tell you about the torrential rain. Or the fact the moving weekend coincided with Mr G working a series of nights between 11pm and 9am so he was insanely sleep deprived. Or the fact we couldn't rope in any of our usual helpers to mind Miss I. Or the fact our landlord is withholding our bond for a fridge he instructed us to leave under the stairs twelve months ago and failed to collect and has since been confiscated by the body corporate.


I won't tell you about any of those things because there is something far more pressing we must discuss. A little while back I bemoaned to you my waning interest in the Family Tetris Challenge that daily living in our apartment presented. Moving the hairdryer to get to the laundry basket or moving the ironing board to get to the mop and then battling the laundry powder and napisan to pry the bucket from above the washing machine. Many readers seemed to relate to the topic. So in the interests of providing a small community service and maintaining full disclosure I have to confess: I have found a solution. And that solution, my dear readers, is smart, functional, aesthetic storage. Oh, sweet storage. Has a finer thing ever been invented?


With the obvious exception of rocky road I think not. I would go so far as to suggest that many of the world's problems could be solved with better storage. Imagine how crime rates and anger levels would plunge if humans all over could easily retrieve the soy sauce without engaging in the equivalent of a six-point turn in their kitchen? With great storage solutions I truly believe there is potential for real gains in human happiness.


I know this because the flat we are now renting has been renovated by a genius. I'm not sure who they are but I love them deeply. They thought of everything. This place has built in storage everywhere. The apartment isn't huge but it's hugely satisfying because there are storage solutions in every room. And they're smart. The shelves are good distances apart – some accommodate tall vases and jugs whilst others are perfect for roasting trays and serving plates. There are cupboards that fit suitcases and others that fit towels, sheets and blankets. The kitchen is so functional that it makes me want to cry, sweet tears of joy, every time I use it. There's a place for everything. And even a place for things I don't have.


The bathroom cabinet is a thing of magic. Behind mirrored doors are shelves that easily fit every random bathroom product you can imagine – I'm talking everything from deodorant to the hairspray I use twice a year to the foot scrub I use even less. It also fits every pharmaceutical item in our household. And, best of all? It's all visible and within easy reach. The only slight improvement I made was a cosmetics organiser I bought from Spotlight for $13.95 that is now my favourite inanimate object in the world. It sits in the (spacious) top drawer and looks so beautiful that I often open it just to stare. Want a brush? Or blush? It's all there within easy reach. No more scrambling for the mascara as I herd myself and Miss I out the door.


I have taken to walking around saying 'Functional! It's just so functional!' several times a day. I know this is a tad odd because whenever Mr G hears me say it his facial expression indicates I might well have crossed some line. But that is the power of storage. It's transformative. I realise this honeymoon phase may pass. Most likely when we expand our family headcount later this year. But until it does I will remain resolute; storage is the way forward.


Can you relate to my love of storage?