When it comes to living in small spaces, maximizing the room you do have is key to a well-designed and functional home. Perhaps your couch folds out into a bed; perhaps the ottoman opens up into extra storage. A coffee table with an extra bottom shelf means a place to store your games, while a floating wall shelf means you can get some trinkets and treasures off the ground. We call this functional decor, and it's an undoubtedly vital part of organizing and decluttering your home.
In short, you want to find pieces that are both stylish and practical, visually and otherwise. The best home decor brands offer plenty of options for this, and award-winning designers work such items into their repertoires constantly. Just take Jamie Young, a home furnishings designer and founder of Jamie Young Co., for example.
"Lately I can’t get enough of functional décor," Jamie told me: "decorative boxes for storing trinkets, decorative trays for coffee tables, and baskets for blankets." Especially as we move into the new year, Jamie's advice could not ring more true. It's time to find a home for everything and put everything in its place.
For a refresher on how to do this, you can start with our guide on how to start decluttering. I've also hand-selected a few functional decor pieces I think Jamie herself would love — sculptural baskets, marbled trays, and ceramic boxes that look just as beautiful as they are practical.
Shop Trays Inspired by Jamie's Recommendations
Price: $469
The Metropolis Tray was inspired by mosaics and tile floors in ancient cities, but it would look just as appropriate as a home for your favorite trinkets in a modern metropolis, as well.
Price: $39
A circular tray also presents a great opportunity to play with shapes and rounded edges, particularly when it's for an angular coffee table or room filled with harsh lines.
Price: $92
Playful and fun, this scalloped tray from Burke Decor understood the assignment: house the remote and a candle or two but do it in style.
Shop Boxes Inspired by Jamie's Recommendations
Price: $90
Toss your jewelry in this modern marbled vanity box from Pottery Barn, so stoic and hefty it almost works as a sculpture with storage.
Price: $36
Bright and light, these two stacking containers work together or separately, so you can keep them as one or spread them around your space.
Price: $157.50
A classic checkboard combo envelops this blue and white box from OKA, which you might choose to leave in one of the decorative trays on your table or on your desk.
Shop Baskets Inspired by Jamie's Recommendations
Price: $89.97
This is definitely my favorite pick of the bunch — its thin, sculptural silhouette seems to defy gravity, while its wide mouth is perfect for storing extra blankets.
Price: $39.99
This affordable option from H&M pairs braided rattan with contrasting straw detailing. A storage basket classic done well!
Price: $105
Ceramic meets woven in this large blue basket from Ferm Living. A pattern just as rich as the deep blue color.
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