11 functional decor products that will clear up your clutter beautifully
They add colour and vibrancy to your home but also serve a purpose
I’ve been in a bit of a whirlwind lately trying to bring my house in order. Earlier I had the excuse of going to the office and being too tired. But I’ve spent long enough indoors, and it’s time to face my disorganised ways.
When your mess is staring you in the face constantly while you’re trying to work from home, it’s hard to pretend it doesn’t exist – the side of the bedroom which has turned into a second cupboard; a cluttered kitchen where you can’t tell the difference between jeera and sabja. Having to live and work (try to, at least) in a mess of my own making, I put on my organising hat and rolled up my sleeves.
And by that, I mean I ordered a whole bunch of stuff online and pack away my problems for another day. I’m not much of a Virgo, but I will say that once I get into the mix of it, it’s hard to stop me. After going room by room, I felt like a champion.
I have to admit that as much as I enjoy shopping for organisation products and storage solutions, they aren’t the most… aesthetic. By the end of it, my home looked more like an IKEA warehouse than a place someone actually lived in. Don’t get me wrong, they are highly efficient at what they’re supposed to do. But I’m not one for a monochrome minimal aesthetic.
My mother keeps telling me to take down my very vibrant red curtains because the colour can make you angry. I’m angry for a lot of reasons, not just my curtains, but turns out that your decor can have a positive influence on you. When you’re low on space and money like me, then decor can’t be just for decoration. Instead of things that merely look good, or purely serve an organisational purpose, I started to seek out functional decor accessories and products.
Functional decor adds a bit of colour and vibrancy to your home, but also serves a purpose. A geometric cat that also serves as a hook, a rustic pull-down bar and a sensor lamp that looks like the egg from Alien. These functional decor additions to your home won’t add to the clutter but will help sort it.
11 functional decor products that do some work and look good too
Hanging wall shelf, ₹1,092 Shelves, but make it playful. Hang up these floating shelves and adorn them with books, succulents, candles, little titbits and whatnot. You can put it up in the living room or even your bedroom to display your favourite collectables. The ropes are adjustable and add a slight boho feel to your plain old wall shelves. It’s also less of a commitment since you can simply unhook the ropes and take it down when you feel like it.
Mirror cat wall hook, ₹930 Who said wall hooks have to be boring? As an obsessed cat mom, I love this geometric cat design by HollyHock. It works as a hook to hang up my face mask, bag and scarves and when not in use, doubles up as a cute wall accent. This quirky wall hook has mirror bevelling which makes it extra snazzy. You can put 2-3 together to create a little kitty clan. You could also check out this one they do that’s inspired by the many phases of the moon. 2-seater ottoman with storage, ₹13,099 If you’re short on space and trying to decide whether you want to add some seating options or storage boxes to your corner, then this is an ideal compromise. Most people won’t even realise that you can take the top off this ottoman. It’s a two-seater that can serve as a bench to sit on and a linen cabinet at the same time. Hide away your mess and forget about it for another day. Wooded wall hanging bar, ₹8,799 Speaking of space shortage, when you’re running low on the ground, I say take to the walls. This wall-mounted rustic bar is straight out of a speakeasy. Made out of solid Sheesham wood, it comes in three colour options for the finish. Drop the shelf and play bartender for your next date night at home with your partner and shake up a storm. Wall mirror with shelves, ₹10,400 Fabindia is one of my favourite places to go window shopping. I’ve had my eye on their line of furniture which mixes rattan, cane and wood for a long time. They are investment pieces, my sister says, as I sigh loudly after checking my bank balance. This piece in particular is made of mango wood and cane with a decent-sized mirror to give yourself a final look before heading out the door. I’d use this as a vanity cabinet, with the side compartment holding various cosmetics which I can just slide shut. Hammock accessory organiser, ₹2,175 This is a purchase my friend is particularly proud of. After years of being made fun of for always losing her things – be it glasses, keys or rings – she now shows off how organised she is with this hammock for accessories. Plop it on a living room table and use it to stack all your remotes in one spot for easy access. Or take it into the bedroom for an addition to your bedside table with all your go-to gadgets and trinkets. Hanging planter, ₹2,500 I don’t know what it is, but it’s just something about the clean wood and greenery of plants that get my bones tingling. This planter can be placed on a table top or window sill. But I say mount it on the wall and let long dangly vines overflow and hang down. Make it a decor item as much as a holder for your planters. Notice board with magnet stoppers, ₹1,990 If you live in a multi-person house where everyone works on a different schedule, you can get your communication wires tangled up pretty easily. Now in lockdown, grocery shopping needs more planning than ever before. With the addition of this board, you can create public shopping lists, drop each other notes and task lists with important messages. It comes with these magnetic little blocks which can hold up receipts, pay slips and notes too with hooks at the bottom for your kitchen towel and more. Multi-purpose basket, ₹1,495 My sister uses this to keep the books she’s reading – I say books because we both buy more books than we ever read – and I use mine for a family pack of aloo bhujia and all the cat toys I wasted money on when all I needed was a paper ball and shoestring. It’s simple and durable, and you can use it to keep pretty much anything around the house. I think the jute rim gives it a little something extra as compared to other metal baskets of the kind. Touch lamp cum digital alarm clock, ₹2,888 We walk around with small supercomputers in the palm of our hands. But there’s still something about a touch lamp that gets me giggling like an 11-year-old. Probably because that was the age I first encountered one. After years of having various kinds of pets that scream and bark at absolutely nothing at odd hours of the night, it’s hard to sleep in complete darkness without a nightlight of some kind. It gets too creepy. This one is made of silicone which diffuses the light. The brightness is fully adjustable with touch sensors. It has an alarm clock which turns off with just a bop to the lamp. Though, that may not be the best thing for people who need multiple alarms after repeatedly putting theirs on snooze while waking up the rest of the house every five minutes. |
