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Your Garage Deserves Better: How thoughtful planning can turn the most overlooked room in your home into one of the hardest working
Aug 30
6 min read
Garages have a habit of becoming the place where everything goes when nobody quite knows where else to put it.
Bikes. Golf clubs. Tools. Costco overflow. Holiday decorations. Luggage. Sports equipment. Shoes. Garden supplies. The extra fridge. The freezer. And, inevitably, that mysterious box nobody has opened since the last move.
Before long, you're squeezing sideways between piles while thousands of dollars' worth of cars sit outside because there isn't actually room for them in the garage.
It doesn't have to be that way.
I love designing garages because they're essentially one enormous puzzle — and I happen to be very good at puzzles.
Start With the Space, Not the Storage
A great garage doesn't begin with buying cabinets, racks or matching bins.
It begins with understanding exactly what the space needs to do.
Who uses it? What needs to be stored there? What is used every day versus twice a year? What needs to be within easy reach? What can go up high? What needs to be protected? Where are the doors and windows? What awkward spaces aren't currently being used? And, rather importantly, do we actually want to park cars here?
I measure, plan and design the space before deciding on the storage solutions.
Because every square inch matters.
That awkward corner may be perfect for sports equipment. The space above the garage door may hold seasonal storage. An unused wall could provide an enormous amount of storage. Bikes taking up valuable floor space might work beautifully stored vertically.
The solution should fit the garage — and the people using it — rather than trying to make the garage fit a collection of off-the-shelf products.
Look Up — There's a Lot of Space Up There
One of the biggest mistakes I see in garages is focusing entirely on floor space.
Garages often have fantastic height, and that vertical space is valuable real estate.
Depending on the garage, the budget and what needs to be stored, I may incorporate custom cabinetry, wall-mounted open shelving, overhead racks, slatwall, hooks or specialist storage systems.
And while I love beautiful custom cabinetry, you absolutely don't need a garage full of it to achieve a fantastic result.
Good-quality wall-mounted open shelving can be an incredibly effective — and much more budget-friendly — solution. It gets storage off the floor, can be configured around awkward spaces, makes excellent use of long or otherwise unused walls, and keeps frequently used items visible and accessible.
Pair it with thoughtfully selected, consistent containers and clear labels and it can look polished and intentional rather than utilitarian.
Sometimes I'll recommend cabinetry in one part of a garage to conceal visual clutter and open shelving elsewhere for bulky or frequently accessed items.
And sometimes open shelving is simply the better solution, regardless of budget.
I'm not there to sell you cabinetry. I'm there to work out the best way to use your garage.
That's an important distinction.
Spend Where It Makes Sense
A high-end result doesn't necessarily mean choosing the most expensive solution for everything.
Part of good design is knowing where an investment will make a genuine difference — and where it won't.
Custom cabinetry may be absolutely worth the investment on a prominent wall or where we need to maximize an awkward space. Elsewhere, open shelving may accomplish exactly what we need at a fraction of the cost.
I'd much rather put your budget toward the things that will genuinely improve how the garage functions than specify expensive products simply because we can.
The goal isn't to cram as much as possible into the garage.
It's to make everything that belongs there fit, function and make sense.
Frequently used items belong within easy reach. Seasonal decorations can live higher up. Heavy items need safe, sensible storage. Sports equipment should be accessible enough that putting it away doesn't become a daily battle.
When the system is designed properly, you can store an extraordinary amount without the garage looking as though you're storing an extraordinary amount.
Sometimes the Right Solution Is Rather Fabulous
And then there are the fun bits.
Garage storage doesn't have to mean industrial shelving and enormous plastic tubs.
On a recent project, I needed to accommodate two very different bicycles — including a heavy mountain bike — in front of a window.
Wall mounting wasn't an option. Stacking them wasn't right for the space. And I certainly didn't want two bikes sprawling across valuable floor area.
After researching the options, I found a beautifully engineered freestanding rack that stores both bikes vertically, side by side.
Problem solved.
No drilling into the wall, the bikes are secure and accessible, and we've used a fraction of the floor space.
The same garage needed additional cold storage. Rather than automatically adding another standard refrigerator, we looked at what the family actually needed and how they wanted to use the space.
The result?
A proper upright freezer and a rather fabulous solid-door wine refrigerator.
Because if you're going to store the wine in the garage, you may as well do it properly.
This Is More Than Organizing
This is the part of my garage work that people don't always realise I do.
I can manage the project from beginning to end.
I measure and plan the space. I design the layout. I source products and storage solutions. I work with a variety of trusted vendors and trades. I coordinate installations. I oversee the details.
And then I organize the finished garage.
Depending on the project — and the budget — that might involve custom cabinetry, wall-mounted shelving, overhead storage, slatwall, flooring, electrical work, appliances, specialist bike storage or a combination of several different solutions.
Not every garage needs the expensive solution. Part of my job is knowing where an investment will make a real difference — and where a simpler solution will work every bit as well.
It also means my clients aren't left discovering after the cabinetry has been installed that the freezer door hits the bikes or the golf clubs don't actually fit where everyone assumed they would.
I've thought about that before we order the cabinets.
Not particularly glamorous.
Extremely important.
Give Everything a Zone
Once the bones of the garage are right, I organize everything around how the family actually lives.
That might mean zones for:
Everyday life — shoes, bags, dog supplies and frequently used household items.
Sports — bikes, golf clubs, balls, helmets and equipment.
Household overflow — paper goods, drinks, cleaning supplies and bulk purchases.
Tools & DIY — tools, hardware and project supplies.
Seasonal — Christmas, Halloween, camping gear and decorations.
Food & drink — freezer storage, overflow pantry items and, occasionally, the wine collection.
Every family is different, so every garage should be different.
A system designed around the way you live is far easier to maintain than one based on somebody else's idea of what a garage should look like.
And Yes, It Can Be Beautiful
Function comes first, but there is absolutely no reason a garage can't look fantastic.
Good cabinetry can conceal visual clutter. Open shelving with consistent containers can look crisp and intentional. Thoughtful finishes create calm. Bikes can become part of the design rather than an obstacle course.
And when everything has a proper home, the garage suddenly stops feeling like the place where unwanted things go to die and starts feeling like another properly functioning room of the house.
Because that's really what it is.
Particularly here in the Bay Area, where every square foot of our homes comes at something of a premium, allowing an entire garage to become unusable storage space seems rather criminal.
Make Every Square Inch Work
My approach to garages is the same as my approach to every space I design:
Understand what needs to happen there, then make the space work as hard as possible.
Sometimes that means a clever hook or a run of well-designed open shelving.
Sometimes it means custom cabinetry, overhead storage and several different vendors.
And sometimes it apparently means finding exactly the right freestanding bike rack and a very nice wine fridge.
Whatever the solution, I can take care of the entire process — from planning and design through sourcing, project management, installation and final organization.
The result isn't simply a tidier garage.
It's a garage designed around the way you live — with every possible square inch put to work.
And you might even be able to park your car in it.
Radical, I know.
Happy Organizing,
Home Organizing in the Peninsula and South Bay Areas
All Buttoned Up Services the Following
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