The last thing you want to do when you’re lucky enough to spend time at your cabin or lake home is to deal with the same clutter and mess you have at home. Don’t let that mess follow you! The cabin should ideally be a place of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Take a look at these basic tips for organizing cabin storage and maximizing your family fun time at the lake.
One way to keep your cabin cozy but not cluttered is to make sure it doesn’t become a depository for all the gear and odds and ends that no longer work at your home. Hoodies that no longer get worn at home? Boots that no longer fit? Expired sunscreen and broken goggles? All these things have a way of finding a home at the cabin. It makes sense to some degree to have some extra gear to lend to friends and family who join you at the lake, but things have a way of migrating to the cabin and never coming back, and eventually you’re dealing with as much clutter as you have at home.
Take some time during a rainy day or a seasonal clean up day to go through closets, cabinets, and forgotten and neglected storage spaces at the cabin. The dock needs to come out of the water, and the boat needs to be winterized, but don’t neglect the cabin. Throw out any expired products that have been pushed to the back of the shelves. Take everything out of the guest room closet or wherever you keep the extra gear. It’s nice to keep hoodies and hats for sitting around the campfire at the cabin so you don’t have to pack every time you come up for the weekend, but if no one has worn a particular sweatshirt for several seasons, it’s time to take it home and donate it.
Whether your cabin is a cozy, compact retreat in the woods or a spacious lake home where you spend most of the summer, chances are you experience the same storage problems as you do at home. The cabin is about having fun! Get creative about storage solutions in your space so you can relax at the cabin because you’re on vacation.
In a small cabin, take a look around with an eye to utilizing forgotten spaces. Peer into cabinets and look under beds. Cozy throw blankets should be accessible when evenings get chilly, so think about storing them in a basket by the couch or in the trunk you use as a coffee table at the lake.
Consider installing an organizing system like wire shelving in kitchen cabinets and pantries and precious closet spaces. Use vertical space in the closet to store out-of-season gear and rotate as the seasons change. Most people don’t think to place things high or out-of-reach because it feels inconvenient, but it’s the perfect spot in July for things you won’t use until the snow flies. Out of sight and out of your way.
Take advantage of a deep cupboard or awkward space under the stairs by using a rolling cart or installing pull out shelves or bins so you can use the entire space and without losing track of items languishing in the back.
Outside the cabin, take a critical look at your shed or garage to make sure you’re taking advantage of dead space, including vertical space. Cabin garage storage is just as crucial as garage storage at home. It might be more important because you probably have a lot of recreational gear at the cabin. Lake toys and patio furniture will need to be tucked away for the winter months, and items for winter fun can be rotated to a spot that’s easy to access.
Install high shelves and hooks to get things off the floor. Consider a pulley system for large recreational items like kayaks and canoes that spend the winter in the garage. Get them out of the way so sleds and snowmobiles can be accessed for winter fun at the cabin. Keep the s’mores sticks accessible all year long because roasting marshmallows by the fire is the perfect way to end the day at the lake in all seasons!
Harkraft has been creating custom storage solutions at homes of all kinds for more than fifty years. We know the cabin is your happy place, and we want to help you create cabin storage that makes you happy! Explore the options for organizing your cabin storage with wire shelving systems, custom laminate cabinets and shelving, and so much more. Contact us today to talk about how we can help with cabin storage so you can focus on enjoying the view.
