Linen, luggage, beach gear, garden cushions and the owner's own things. A villa runs smoothly when every object has a place before the first guest arrives.
Visitors rarely notice storage, and that is exactly the point. A villa that looks calm, with clear surfaces, an empty entrance and a terrace without stacks of cushions, is almost always a villa with excellent storage behind closed doors. When storage is missing, the house fills up with objects that have nowhere to go, and no amount of styling can hide it.
Villas have particular storage needs. They hold two lives: the owners' and the guests'. They hold two seasons: summer, with outdoor furniture, umbrellas and pool toys in use, and winter, when all of that has to be put away. And they often hold a small hotel's worth of linen. Planning for all of it at the start is far easier, and cheaper, than adding cupboards later.
How much storage does a villa actually need?
More than most plans allow for. A useful exercise is to list everything the house will contain in both seasons, then decide where each group lives. Sets of bed linen and towels for every bed, plus spares. Pool towels. Garden cushions and umbrellas for winter. Cleaning equipment and supplies. Suitcases. Kitchen equipment for large dinners. The owner's personal things. Once this is written down, it becomes obvious that a couple of wardrobes will not be enough.
Bedrooms: what makes a good wardrobe?
In bedrooms, a full-height built-in wardrobe is almost always the best solution. It uses the whole wall, leaves no gap above for dust and boxes, and can follow the irregular lines of an older stone house. Inside, guests need more hanging space than shelves for a short stay, a few drawers, a safe place for valuables and a spot for an open suitcase, ideally a luggage rack or a low bench.
The top sections are ideal for spare pillows and duvets. Interior lighting that switches on when the door opens costs little and makes a big difference in a dark corner. And because a wardrobe in a villa is opened by a different person every week, the board and hinges matter. Lampisa, our partner atelier, builds wardrobes in plywood rather than particleboard, because plywood keeps its shape in humidity and its fittings keep holding after many seasons of use.
Why every villa needs a linen room
If the villa is rented, a dedicated linen room or a large linen cupboard is the single most useful storage space in the house. It is where clean sets wait between changeovers, where towels are counted and where cleaning staff start their work. Ideally it is close to the bedrooms, well ventilated and dry, with adjustable shelves deep enough for folded sets.
Ventilation is the key word. Coastal houses are humid, and linen stored in a closed, unventilated cupboard can smell musty after a few weeks. Ventilated doors, a small gap at the base, a dehumidifier in the room or simply a location away from exterior stone walls all help.
A calm villa is not a villa with fewer things. It is a villa where every thing has a home.
The owner's locker: why it matters
Owners who rent their homes for part of the year need one or more lockable spaces for their own belongings: clothes, personal kitchen items, documents, a good bottle of wine. Without one, owners spend the start and end of every season packing and unpacking. A lockable wardrobe in the master bedroom, a locked storeroom or a set of high cupboards with a key all work. Plan it before construction, so it looks like part of the house rather than an afterthought.
Living room, kitchen and entrance
- Entrance. A console or a built-in bench with hooks for keys, hats and bags; a closed cupboard for shoes and umbrellas.
- Kitchen. Tall pantry cupboards with pull-out drawers, a place for large serving platters and for the equipment used only when the house is full.
- Living room. Low built-in cabinets along a wall or around a fireplace for games, books, chargers and blankets.
- Dining area. A sideboard for glasses, tablecloths and candles, close to the table where they are used.
- Bathrooms. Closed cupboards for spare toilet paper and toiletries, made in a board that tolerates moisture.
Outdoor and seasonal storage
Outdoor furniture cushions, umbrellas, sunbed mattresses, pool toys and garden tools need a dry home for winter and a convenient one in summer. A ventilated storeroom near the terrace, or a built-in outdoor cabinet, saves carrying everything through the house twice a year. Cushions should be stored completely dry, ideally in breathable covers, never in sealed plastic where moisture is trapped. Our guide to choosing outdoor furniture that lasts by the sea has more on caring for terrace pieces through the winter.
Beach gear deserves its own spot by the garden door: hooks for towels, a ventilated shelf for wet things and a basket for toys. It keeps sand out of the house and gives guests an obvious place to put things.
What should storage be built from?
Storage furniture is the hardest-working furniture in a villa: opened and closed constantly, loaded with weight and often placed against cool exterior walls where humidity collects. A board that swells at the edges or hinges that pull out of their holes will turn a good wardrobe into a daily irritation. Plywood is a strong choice here, because it is stable, holds screws well and can be repaired. Our article on plywood or particleboard explains why.
Built-in storage also needs to be planned with the architecture, not around it: sockets inside cupboards for chargers, ventilation, lighting, and enough depth for what will actually be stored. Lampisa's moodboard to render process helps here, because you can see every cupboard in a 3D render of your rooms before anything is made.
Good storage will never be the thing guests mention in their reviews. But it is the reason they feel the house is peaceful, and the reason owners can arrive for their own holiday and simply unlock a cupboard.
