In Partnership withMakeSpace

What Is Your Storage Personality, and How Can It Help You Declutter?

published Apr 8, 2019
Living room with mustard velvet sofa, pink swivel chair, abstract art, and white fireplace on herringbone wood floor.
Credit: Sylvie Li

Even those of us who live lightly have storage issues now and then. Moving, downsizing, and just getting organized can bring our closeted collections out into the open. But don’t stress! It’s only clutter if you let it stick around too long. The key is finding realistic storage solutions that you’ll find easy to sustain. For us, that means outsourcing the hardest parts of storage, like the wrapping and the hauling back and forth (ugh). So tell us what your collecting style is, and we’ll tell you the storage style that matches.

Credit: MakeSpace

The Faux Minimalist

You’re searching for a life that sparks joy, but you’re not ready for a KonMari-level purge just yet. Maybe you don’t need to display those vintage National Geographics or the handmade mugs from your first pottery class, but you don’t want to ditch them, either. It’s OK. Decluttering regrets are real, and not everyone has to live like Marie Kondo. Your storage style: affordable bins—picked up and stored without costing you more—that allow you to declutter your space slowly.

Credit: MakeSpace

The Seasonal Stylist

You can’t pass the holiday aisle at Target without picking up some new spring pillows or an armful of Fourth-of-July party supplies. You own a full set of Christmas dishes, or a full box of Halloween costumes (or both). There’s no need to stop celebrating: It’s fun to hygge-ify your home in winter and pull out the cold brew machine in summer. You just need to keep your decorations in rotation without creating more clutter. Your storage style: a little extra space for your off-season stuff, complete with secure digital photo inventory.

Credit: MakeSpace

The In-Betweener

You’re a digital nomad who works wherever there’s an Internet connection, so you’re between apartments … a lot. Most of your life can fit in a suitcase—except for your Vitamix, your photo albums, and the dresser you inherited from grandma. When you’re working your way across Asia, you need a place to stash your things so they’re waiting when you return. Your storage style: a flexible, on-demand system, with an app that lets you request deliveries with one tap.

Credit: MakeSpace

The Downsizer

Nothing beats the energy of big-city living—if only that magic extended to your studio apartment. Your living situation is smaller than you hoped, but that doesn’t mean you want to say goodbye to all your belongings. Your storage style: a convenient, no-fuss service that keeps your stuff out of sight but not out of mind.

Now in 24 cities (and counting), MakeSpace picks up, hauls, and stores your stuff (and returns it when you need it). Whether you’re making a big move or just swapping things out seasonally, their plans come in all shapes and sizes—so you only pay for the space you need. It’s affordable and you get way more than you would out of self-storage—and someone else to do the heavy lifting.