Where Are We Stuffing All Our Stuff?!

There is an adage that says in any household, the things you have tend to accumulate to fill the space available for its storage. This certainly holds true in most American households. Though there are many who would say they don’t fit the stereotype, materialism and excess are often considered very “American” traits. And along with all the stuff we accumulate, comes the need to store it. Despite having the biggest homes in the world, more closets on average than any other country, as well as the most garages, somehow, we still never seem to have enough space to put everything.

Enter the solution — closet and garage storage systems. According to our latest Consumer Practices Survey, Americans installed a whopping 5 million of such systems last year in their homes. About one in 25 households installed storage hardware, cabinets, or storage furniture in their homes. Bedrooms and hallway closets had the most market share, but garage wall storage systems were not far behind accounting for 57 million linear feet in total last year. Of the total number of storage systems installed, 45% were built from components from a closet or garage storage system manufacturer; 41% from building materials purchased locally; and 14% from some combination of the two. 

Source: Home Innovation Research Labs Annual Consumer Practices Survey

In terms of the characteristics of these systems that were installed in closets, they typically included some combination of shelves, closets, hangers, and rods. We found that most were made of metal, followed by engineered wood like melamine-coated particleboard/MDF, and natural lumber.

Source: Home Innovation Research Labs Annual Consumer Practices Survey

In the garage, in addition to cabinet and shelving storage space, creating a workspace was also popular. Metal was the most popular material used for garage storage systems, but not as popular as in closets. 

Source: Home Innovation Research Labs Annual Consumer Practices Survey

Closet and garage storage is still primarily the domain of do-it-yourselfers. Only 24% of respondents reported their closet or garage storage systems being installed by a pro.

Want to find out more about where folks are stuffing their stuff? Data reports are available now that provide number of units with each feature, linear feet, geographic area, etc. Give me a call (301.430.6305) or email to purchase or for more details.

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