As house prices and overall costs of living increase, space is at a premium. This may be for a variety of reasons, including because our families are growing or we’ve downsized. We all need to find creative ways to make the most of small areas in our homes so we can stay organized. Here are some great storage ideas for keeping things neat and tidy in tight quarters.
Install Incremental Shelving
Make use of odd spaces in various rooms to install floating shelves. This works particularly well in kitchens and bathrooms, where there tend to be many nooks and crannies. Small, floating shelves in a kitchen can hold cookbooks, decorative serving platters, cookware or baskets of linens.
In a bathroom, floating shelves can hold cotton balls and Q-tips so they’re within easy reach but not cluttering up premium counter space. One shelf can hold guest towels. With all the racks and helpful storage devices available, look for ways to create a place for everything.
Use purpose-made hooks on the inside of bathroom cupboard doors to hang curling irons, hair dryers and ceramic straighteners. Buy some decorative baskets and use them to store towels or toilet paper under a pedestal sink, if you’ve got one.
Glass shelving is always a good option if you’re concerned shelving will make a room appear smaller.
Take Advantage of Wasted Space
Space under stairwells is almost always wasted space, and it’s infinitely customizable. Installing either open shelving or closing it off by adding cupboard doors means you can choose the size and shape of the shelves to hide the things you don’t want to get rid of but don’t need to access very often.
If your kitchen’s small and there’s no way to install a pantry, you could create one under the basement stairs, or even under the stairs to the second floor.
The area above the sink in most kitchens is almost always wasted space. If you hang a pot rack above the sink, there’ll be no time lag in getting clean pots put away. This way, they’ll always be accessible, and you’ll open up a lot more cupboard space.
Other small areas in your home that aren’t being used, including hallways, are perfect spots to station a small storage ottoman or a bench with storage under the seat. If you have a coat rack in your hallway, consider buying a second one and mount it a foot and a half above floor level to use as a shoe rack.
There’s also usually lots of potential storage space on the back of closet and cupboard doors. Shoe racks and spice holders can be easily mounted there.
Installing drawers under beds is another great way to keep your closets from exploding and use otherwise wasted space. You may not be able to fit all your out-of-season clothes under the bed, but if you can store even half of them, you’re ahead of the game.
If you want to take your storage and space solutions to the next level, a loft bed is the answer, especially in a child’s room. The area under the bed becomes a whole new play area. Just don’t forget to buy toy boxes and install some shelving underneath so you can maximize the space gain.
Hide it in Plain Sight
Consider mounting storage devices in plain sight. A holder for aluminum foil, waxed paper and cling wrap can easily be installed on the outside edge of your cupboards, and it will make them easier to find when you’re storing leftovers or making lunches.
Small crates or shelving units don’t have to take up floor space—they can be mounted on walls. If you don’t want to display the things you need to store, invest in some baskets so task-related items stay together.
If your entryway is big enough for a small table, it’s also big enough for a small dresser, which will provide all kinds of storage for messy but necessary items like hats, scarves, mittens and gloves, while still providing the flat surface you need for items you need to grab as you go out the door, whether that’s your keys, library books that need to be returned, or dry cleaning that needs to be taken in.
Since coffee tables tend to be magnets for clutter, think about replacing yours with one that has a little built-in storage for things you don’t want on display when guests are over, but that you still want to be able to find with ease (like the remote controls). A single drawer in a coffee table can help with that. Or you can use a blanket box as a coffee table and provide a home for all your family’s board games. The good news is that while your personal space may be shrinking, there are always great new storage ideas for small spaces. If you invest in some of them, you’ll be able to get to “a place for everything and everything in its place” in next to no time.