Yesterday I wrote that I haven't missed a thing since giving or throwing away 10+ dumpsters worth of stuff when we moved into our condo 10 years ago. Upon further reflection, I decided that's not exactly true. I do miss the pine shelving units I got at IKEA that I first used in the spooky basement and subsequently used in the storage unit. When we got rid of the storage unit, we moved the pine shelves to the condo, where they acted as a bookcase/open storage in my study and provided storage in the closets until I replaced them during renovation a few years ago. At that point, I gave them away to a friend who now uses them as storage in his workshop. That's the beauty of such shelving: it's nothing if not versatile. And moreover, it's cheap. While the model I had ("Sten") appears to no longer be available, a similar product--"Gorm"-- is just $41.00 for a basic unit of four, 30" x 20" shelves. Extra shelves are just $7.00 each. Smaller shelves, such as the 20" x 12" size (perfect for a bookshelf) are just $3.00 each.
The many faces of IKEA's flexible shelving. Left: in the storage unit before getting loaded; right: in my study as a bookcase/open storage.
I found the 30" x 20" size fit perfectly in most standard-sized closets. If you have lots of boxes to store, you can rig the 30" x 20" shelves so that two rows of three photocopy boxes can fit on each shelf (see the photo, at left). This provides storage for 24 boxes per storage unit. The great thing about this solution is that access to any given box requires at most one box to be moved, i.e. if you need to get to a box on a shelf's bottom row, you would have to move the box on top of it--but that's all. If you've ever dug through columns of boxes shoved in a pile, the idea of being able to get to anything by only moving at most one box is a revelation. The 30" x 20" size is also great for large storage boxes that can hold everything from sports equipment to camping gear, while the 20" x 12" size is great for pots and gardening equipment as well as craft or cleaning supplies.
Along with two widths--30" or 20"--and two depths--20" or 12"--Gorm comes in two heights: 43" or 68", and there is also an extender pack available to add an additional 23" of height. Pre-drilled holes at approximately 5" intervals allow for flexible shelf configuration. In addition to shelves, there are clip-on baskets, bottle racks, and corner shelves available. Ikea also offers combination configurations. I especially like the three section configuration with bottle rack, right.
While it would take about 5 basic units to line a 15' wall in the garage, craft room, or basement, even one unit can provide storage relief. In these economic times, it may be hard to imagine spending money on a basement or garage makeover, but if you're able to put away just $10 a week, you could get a basic Gorm unit in a month. It would make a nice reward for first going through and getting rid of things you don't need in your Quest for an organized basement or garage.