I guess you could describe me as somewhere between a minimalist and a maximalist. I have vast & unique collections that sprawl over my home, shop & storage units. These collections are diverse in reach, with some pieces being more precious than other – read: more delicate, though perhaps no more sentimental – so working out how to best keep them safe and suitably stored is of utmost importance. While I love museums, I like to arrange my things in a more informal setting, inviting friends to pick up the pieces as they so desire. Keeping this in mind, I think striking a balance between open display and more closed storage is a smart way to enjoy the best of the minimalist and maximalist worlds. Here are some suggestions for adding storage to your home, that still speaks of your style. Apply some creative thinking to your storage solutions to create spaces that offer practicality, while still adding interest. Here, the wide steps of a ladder provide shelving, while the narrower rungs can be used for draping jewellery, scarves and other accessories. If you have a penchant for open display – like me – find a common thread to group your pieces. Objects stored on open shelving and flung-open cupboard doors take on new appeal when blessed with a uniformity of colour, because what's the point of possessing beautiful and meaningful things if you can't show them off for the world to see? Don’t feel you need to buy a staired chest – I recycled balsawood boxes tipped on their sides and secured (by sheer gravity or Liquid Nails, if you must). They once housed old scrolls, paper lanterns and ceramics. As I mentioned recently in my Stylist Alphabet: S is for... post, while I’m perfectly content with throwing things into baskets, filling jars and inventing other ways of decoratively displaying my possessions, I’m equally devoted to finding practical – read neat and tidy – storage solutions. Look for second-hand shelving and cabinetry from apothecaries or industrial filing cabinets and drawers in a mixture of timber and metal. I have a lot of stuff (yes, I really am just a good old-fashioned hoarder like my grandmother!) so I've  built floor-to-ceiling shelves to house it all. They've become my cabinets, or shelve, of curiosity. Corners to explore, study and enjoy. You can do this, too, anywhere you like – on window sills, mantels and dressing tables. Line things up on a baseboard on the floor or hang textiles from a suspended pole from the ceiling. Do not limit yourself with display and let your collection speak for itself.