This interior designer just showed 3 creative storage ideas that I had never thought of before – from a style editor who thought they'd seen it all

Working in interiors and living in a small home under renovation, I thought I had seen most of the inspiration out there for clever solutions to declutter and organize one's home.

Until designer Alice Grace posted a creative video this week (and had me rethinking everything I thought I knew) with her three storage ideas that she's used in her new-build home.

When storage is designed to feel intentional and beautiful – rather than just practical – it does wonders for a room's aesthetic. And Alice's approach manages both. Here are her three custom ideas that had me rethinking the storage in my own home.

Particularly in builder-grade homes, where built-in solutions can be pretty lackluster, storage is often treated as an afterthought. But while it can be seen as a boring must-have, storage is so vital to the way a home functions and feels.

Alice Grace saw creating more storage in her family home as an opportunity to provide enviable design moments, too, and that's what I love so much about her ideas. From a double-sided bookshelf to super clever cabinetry, here is everything I've learned from her lifting the lid on her home storage.

1. Double-sided storage wall

The best bookshelf ideas don't just house books and knick-knacks but become part of the design. Alice's clever double-sided storage wraps around a doorway in two rooms, creating endless storage that also inspires a cocooning and architectural feel.

'When we moved in, the ground floor was completely open-plan,' Alice explains in the video. 'To divide the space, we built a wall that has a bookcase on one side and shelves and under storage on the other side.'

What you can't see in the picture above (but is clear in Alice's video) is that the same storage wall is mirrored in the adjacent room, also around the door. In the kitchen snug area, this looks like a multi-functional wall storage idea with cabinets underneath that are hidden by a pretty cafe curtain.

This library-like custom bit of kit frames the living room doorway, making the most of an otherwise pretty useless wall and giving it purpose and design. It's also a rather genius media wall alternative, as Alice has hidden her TV behind a clever door in the shelves.

2. A pantry wall

Pantry ideas are often considered a kitchen essential, but in many homes, finding the space for a dedicated walk-in pantry or separate larder cupboard just isn’t feasible. So, instead of sacrificing valuable square footage for a separate room, Alice has created a pantry wall in her laundry room.

'We were very lucky we had this small utility room off the kitchen – and no wall goes untouched in my house – so we covered the wall in oak and put up some oak shelves and brass brackets, and now we have space for all our food jars and my collection of mugs,' she explains.

When designed well, pantry spaces can be a beautiful feature in their own right. By using pantry shelving ideas to create a wall of storage, she's created a highly efficient dual-purpose space that also blends in with the room's decor seamlessly. A win-win.

3. Bespoke TV cabinet

The television is both a necessity and a design challenge – but not for Alice. 'Lastly, we designed and built a bespoke cupboard,' says Alice, gesturing to the snug area at the other end of her kitchen. 'This piece had to be really hardworking, it needed to hold shoes at the bottom, cookbooks, the TV – and is the perfect spot for hide and seek!'

Hidden storage ideas can often feel like an afterthought or a little ugly, but this custom solution is designed to blend effortlessly with the rest of the room's scheme, making it both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

If you're looking for a hack to stylishly hide the TV, Alice's custom cupboard [seen above] concertinas back to reveal a hidden TV, which comes out on an angled bracket (like this inexpensive one from Amazon) so that it can be watched from the sofa, kitchen table, and by anyone cooking or dining in the kitchen.

Whether you're dealing with a compact space, multi-functional, or simply want to keep your living area from feeling dominated by tech, a bespoke TV cabinet is a smart investment.

If you think your storage is lacking personality or character, perhaps it is time to take a leaf out of Alice's book? Her ideas show that with a little creativity and thoughtful planning, even the most builder-grade home can be transformed into something that feels truly special.

And if you're looking for more unique ideas, check out our feature on how interior designers make storage a design statement.