Storage dilemmas.

I have so much to do today! Finish unpacking from the move to my parents' house (yes, yes, I'm back here. TEMPORARILY), tidy my desk to take a picture for my up and coming desk DIY post, go shopping for dinner supplies, cook dinner... I'm overwhelmed!

However, first I want to talk about something that has been bugging me for far too long. I think of you, blog, as my agony aunt, and I expect this to be a long and fulfilling relationship.

Boyfriend and I have hundreds of books which I love to display in our bookcase, because they're all shapes and sizes and ages and types. Books are very beautiful things.

I lost one of my documents containing some of my sources - if you know who any of these images belong to, please let me know!

Something you don't see too often in interior design magazines or websites are normal things such as TVs, cables, DVD players and DVDs. In a world of posed shots, it is sometimes hard to imagine how to combine life and beauty into one home.

One of my struggles is with Boyfriend's gigantic stack of DVDs. He has a normal DVD tower, which he brought with him when we moved in together. It's not my cup of tea, but it was functional. Was. Functional. His ever growing collection now expands into a stack about 1.5 metres high above the DVD tower itself. Each new DVD is placed precariously on this stack. I really wish I had a picture to show you, because it really is ridiculous.

Boyfriend's mum offered to buy him another similar DVD tower for his birthday one year. I rejected this idea on the premise that I was going to find a storage solution that could be easily expanded as his collection grows, but is also aesthetically pleasing.

But I am stumped. What do I want? I have a few ideas but I'm not sure which I should choose.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Get it girl style 2. Source unknown 3. Studio Mama

There are some positives to displaying the DVDs in this manner, in a simple bookcase with interesting items breaking up the rows of DVDs. I like the fourth picture, where the shelves are not level and structured but are interesting and draw some attention away from the DVDs stacked on the shelves.

Better Homes and Gardens

 This is a good idea in order to keep the DVDs organised and contained in beautiful boxes. I could use anything from vintage crating to colourful Ikea boxes. However, Boyfriend is proud of his collection, and wants it displayed so that it is easily accessed, and he can garner the desired 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from his visiting friends. This means that storing DVDs out of sight is likely to be quickly vetoed by Boyfriend.

From top: 1. Sawdust and Paperscraps 2. Centsational Girl 3. Trendir

Another alternative is a wall-to-wall entertainment storage system. I could create something similar to the above images relatively cheaply at Ikea. My issue with this is lack of flexibility. Especially since we are renting, we move often and the cabinets may not fit perfectly against a different wall in a new house.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Spider Woman Knits 2. Source unknown 3. I Heart Naptime 4. Source unknown

This is an idea that I love. Stacking vintage crates in any way I see fit can create a flexible DVD shelf that is easy to move and easy to change depending on the space it is required to fit into.

I definitely think the vintage crates as storage is my favourite idea - and it fits my living situation perfectly.

What do you think?