23 Storage Ideas to Maximize Space in Your Small Home
When space is at a premium, it can feel as though really good storage ideas will only present themselves with the assistance of magic. However, with a little creativity and planning, you can bring tidiness into your home and make the most of the space you have. Here are 23 storage ideas for small spaces that will provide you with both stylish vignettes and peace of mind.
How to Add Storage to a Small Space
Maximizing storage in a small space is a common goal, but sometimes it feels as lofty as other popular aspirations like traveling the world and getting enough sleep. In tight quarters, every inch counts, and usually, those inches have to pull double duty. A kitchen is often a dining space, a bedroom is commonly an office, and a living room tends to be everything in between. Unless you’re living like a minimalist monk, you’ll have to get creative about what goes where.
Understanding Your Space
The best approach to organizing small spaces is to first live in them for a while before diving into any major changes, says interiors expert and influencer Alexandra Gater. Doing this will help you understand how you naturally use these spaces on a daily basis.
Multipurpose Storage Ideas for Small Apartments
Over time, you might glean that a shelving unit is best for a specific corner, or that hooks are ideal for another. Bins and baskets will likely come in handy, of course, but don’t forget to think outside those boxes too, per architect Rachel Robinson. Embrace the idea that storage solutions can actually be multipurpose, adding a sense of flexibility and openness.
1. Add a Shoe Rack to an Entryway
Gater lives in an apartment that opens to a landing at the base of a staircase, so she needed a shoe storage solution that wouldn’t pose a tripping hazard. She also wanted a spot for sunglasses, keys, and miscellaneous items to grab while heading out the door. To make matters even more complicated? The furnishing she chose had to be narrow in order to match the entryway’s tight footprint. A Hemnes shoe cabinet checked off all the boxes.
2. Use Hooks for Vertical Wall Space
Another highly functional aspect of this entryway? Wall space is maximized. Gater stored her partner’s skis on the wall rather than against it. The skis get plenty of use during the winter, but to keep them out of the way during the week, they’re mounted against the stairway wall, making the most out of an otherwise unused spot.
3. Make Art from a Table
When Rachel Robinson was asked to renovate this 350-square-foot apartment in New York City, getting every useable inch out of the spaces’ tight floor plan was crucial. So her team came up with a clever solution that makes the small kitchen and dining area highly functional. Our Murphy table starts as the wood frame for a piece of art on the wall, and folds down to become a table that completely redefines the space as a dining room, she says.
4. Shelf Dividers
If your small space is a studio, you might be seeking inventive ways to delineate your bedroom area from the living room space without putting up a wall. Stacking crates or even floating an open shelving unit can provide you with some needed division as well as some extra space to stash your pieces.
5. Fold-Down Desk
In many small rooms, it would be crazy to consider making space for a full-size desk. But you can’t write that novel in bed, well, you could, but it sure would be nice to sit on a chair occasionally, so either slip a stool under a console table or find a fold-down desk you can affix to the wall.
6. Wall-Mounted Seating
If your lease or budget permit it, install a floating bench/shelf low along a wall, or have one fashioned from an inexpensive material like plywood and mounted the way BY Architects did in the room below. Seating that doesn’t clutter floor space? Check.
7. Kitchen Island with Storage Space
Tuck your extra plates and multiple gadgets you purchased during your celery juice phase in the cabinets of your kitchen island. Never wonder where to store your holiday placemats again.
8. Hanging Bike Rack
Go big with a fancy pulley system that draws them up out of view, or simply screw some vinyl-coated C hooks into a joist and loop the back tires over them.
9. Attached Butcher Block
Not feeling inspired to cook due to too little countertop surface? We hate our ingredients falling to the ground because of a lack of space just as much as you do. But there’s a solution – Attach a butcher block for that much-needed extra space.
10. Pegboard Wall
For easy rearranging, good looks, and an abundance of adjustable storage, consider a pegboard wall, like this cheerful peachy one by Position Collective.
11. Banquette Seating
Build a bench in that underutilized corner of the kitchen, top it with a custom cushion, and you’ll only need a round table and two small chairs to make it feel like a legitimate dining area – just be sure it’s the kind of bench you can open from the top, so the storage factor is maxed-out.
12. Convertible Furniture
Instead of opting for single-use pieces, consider adding furniture that can convert easily for use in another way. A drop-leaf table can be a console, a desk, or an all-out dining room table, depending on how you set it up.
13. Under-Stairs Storage
Yes, you can opt for glamorous built-ins – or simply get creative with how you arrange furniture in that underutilized nook beneath the stairs.
14. Tiered Shelving
A quick reminder that shelves don’t only have to be on your walls. Clear away clutter by stacking books and candles on a tiered console table.
15. Entryway Table
An entry table serves as more than a place to throw your keys on. A proper console can house books, arts, trinkets, and even the clothes you refuse to let go of.
16. Raised Platform
If your ceilings are tall enough, consider adding a raised platform to a room or part of a room, and you’ll be able to stash all kinds of things within it – suitcases, winter coats, or even a whole extra mattress for when unexpected guests appear on your doorstep.
17. Storage on Storage
Nothing is more satisfying than layering storage with – you guessed it – more storage. Top off your bookcase or shelving unit with jars or small baskets to up your organization game.
18. Built-In Nooks
Optimize storage space by taking full advantage of your nooks. Build in a small desk area that meets all of your work-from-home needs, or maybe just add a bit of extra seating with an armchair.
19. Baskets, Baskets, and More Baskets
Ah, the love we have for a good basket. It’s unparalleled, truly. Tuck away pretty much anything you don’t necessarily want your guests to see within reason, friends. Top off your basket with a throw, and no one will ever know that all of your takeout menus are jumbled in there.
20. A Bookcase is Not Just for Books
Not to choose favorites, but stacking bookshelves with more than just books is one of our most coveted decor-slash-storage-space hacks. Use this as a way to clear up space by putting your fave trinkets and objects on display.
21. Kitchen Hanging Pots
A great way to declutter your prized countertop space is to hang up your pots and pans. A great excuse to refresh your collection of cookware? We think so.
22. Floor Cabinets
Same part of the apartment, different functionality – Build cabinets on top of the floor, and you’ll be able to easily compartmentalize – and access – clothes and supplies.
23. Wall Hooks
Whether you need space to hang your towels, or you’re looking for a place to hang up your coat, wall hooks are your answer.
By implementing these storage ideas, you can make the most of the space you have and create a more organized, functional, and peaceful home.
How many storage ideas are discussed in the article? 23
What is suggested for maximizing wall space in an entryway? 挂钩 for vertical wall space, such as for skis.
Can a piece of furniture serve multiple purposes in small spaces? Yes, multipurpose furniture like a Murphy table or drop-leaf desk are recommended.
What is a creative way to use art in a small apartment? A Murphy table can start as art on the wall and fold down to become a dining table.
How can one divide a small studio into multiple areas? Stacking crates or floating open shelving units can create divisions and extra storage space.
What is a good floor space solution for a desk in a small room? A fold-down desk or a console table with a stool underneath can be used.
Can seating take up wall space instead of floor space? Yes, a floating bench or wall-mounted seating can be used.
Where is a space-saving kitchen island useful? For storing extra plates, gadgets, and holiday items.
What is one way to store a bike in a small space? Hanging the bike from the ceiling with a pulley system or using vinyl-coated hooks.
What is suggested to increase counter space in a kitchen? Attaching a butcher block to the wall.
What is a versatile storage option for a wall? A pegboard wall.
How can a bench be both seating and storage? Building a banquette bench with storage compartments inside.
What furniture type can serve as additional storage? Convertible furniture that shifts from one use to another, such as a drop-leaf table.
How can one utilize space under stairs? Designing built-ins or creatively arranging furniture in the area.
Where can one use tiered shelving? On a tiered console table for storage and display of items like books and candles.
What is the dual purpose of an entry table? Stores keys, books, arts, trinkets, and casual clothing.
What is an example of using vertical space for storage? A raised platform can store suitcases, coats, or extra bedding.
How can one add storage on top of existing furniture? Layering storage containers like jars or baskets on top of bookcases or shelving units.
What is a good addition to create built-in nooks in a small space? Installing built-in nooks for small desks or extra seating with built-in storage.
What are suggested for hiding items in a small space? Using baskets to store and decorate.
How can a bookcase be used beyond books? Stacking bookshelves with trinkets and objects as decor.
What is a way to declutter kitchen countertops? Hanging pots and pans.
How can floor space be used for storage? Building floor cabinets for compartmentalized storage.
What is simple storage that can be added to any room? Wall hooks for hanging towels or coats.
