Just because you live in an apartment the size of which would put even Harry “I live under the stairs” Potter to shame, doesn’t mean that you make the best of what you’ve got! They say that home is where the heart is, and we all know what happens if you don’t take care of your heart (physically or emotionally), so here are a few solutions to promote good (metaphorical) heart health! Most of the following hints and tips are low-budget friendly, so you don’t have to worry about refurbishing your whole apartment! Just keep it free from clutter and you’ll benefit from the clear space.
Kitchen
Rolling cart: These are a perfect choice for small kitchens as they can function as a portable cupboard where you can store your favorite ingredients, perishables and spices, for example. The top surface can also house a cutting board, perfect there’s more than one cook in the kitchen!
Mounted items: Look at all that space above the kitchen sides, it’s time to get some cheap hooks from the store where you can hang your most used utensils. In the same way, get yourself some sturdier mounts and you can even hang pots and pans from the sides too!
Sort out the pantry: The back of food cupboards can end up becoming the home to cans that went out of dates years ago. It’s important to rotate your stock à la supermarket so you know what you have and what you need. Repackaging boxed goods (like pasta and rice) into glass jars and storing your spices in labeled tubs is also a great way to save space. Last thing: get yourself a lazy susan!
Living room / Study
Multifunctional furniture: Side tables that store your trash can, comfy chairs that store old DVDs underneath them, sofas that turn into spare beds. The more multifunctional furniture you can fit in your living room, the more diverse a space it becomes!
Coffee table with storage: The coffee table, generally placed in front of the couch, is often left empty underneath it. Own this space by finding some cute boxes that fit underneath it, or if you’re looking for that traveler chic, get some vintage suitcases and fill them with whatever you like!
Mirrors to create the illusion of space: Realtors know the benefits of mirrors. Large mirrors in small rooms can make the room appear much larger and is a perfect solution if you’re feeling a bit claustrophobic.
Bathroom
Spice rack next to sink for products: Spice racks are not solely confined to the kitchen. Install them next to your sink or vanity station and they make a perfect storage spot for deodorant, hair spray, shaving foam, pretty much anything that fits!
High up bookshelves for extra storage: Don’t just rely on head height storage in the bathroom! Go a bit higher and you can install a whole new level of shelving where you can store your towels, other toiletries and, in fact, whatever you like if you just box it up!
Under-sink storage and magazine holder for hair dryer: Just like the cupboards in the kitchen, under-sink storage is the perfect space for all the stuff that could potentially clutter up the sink area. One other tip is to attach a magazine holder to the back of the sink storage door where you can neatly keep your hairdryer, straighteners, curlers and other electronic equipment.
Bedroom
Maximize under bed storage: Don’t leave the realms under the bed solely to the dust bunnies! Scoot them along and here is where you can store larger items that wouldn’t fit elsewhere in the flat. Think spare carpets and rugs or large boxes that wouldn’t fit elsewhere!
Corner shelves: Attach some corner shelves to all possible corners in the bedroom and you’ll find that keeping your room neater is more manageable. Corner shelves are easy to install and you can often buy ones that don’t require and installation, just click and go! Perfect for a few scented candles…
Laundry hamper on the door: A laundry hamper is an essential item that most people often leave until they are struggling with the amount of clothes lying all over the show! If your floor space is limited, get yourself a fabric hamper that you can attach to the back of the door. That way if you have guests over, you can just open the door full and all the mess just disappears!
Jewelry cork board: Instead of using the cork board for notes that you’ll never read anyway, get yourself some pins and attach your most used accessories or jewelry. That way they don’t clog up all the tables and you can find them if you’re in a rush!
Bathroom cart for mobile library: If you have a manageable amount of books, so you don’t need (and cannot house) a full bookshelf, get yourself a mobile bathroom/kitchen cart and store your books on it! That way if you need more floor space, you can just wheel all your books out of the way and do your yoga in peace!
Hanging fruit basket replaces a chest of drawers: Remember those old fashioned fruit baskets that your grandma and aunties love to use, well it’s not just for food items! Store your socks, belts, ties, underwear (if you don’t mind people seeing!) on it and that way you can store other clothes items in the limited drawer space.
Storage Hacks
Maximize shelf space with hooks: Look at those shelves, wherever they are. Now, look at the vast space underneath it! Attach hooks to the underside of the shelf and you’ve got yourself some prime space for light but large items! Scarves, jackets, bags… Endless choices!
Discover the magic of a TRONE wall: THIS is the revolution. Line up three columns of these bad babies on an empty wall space and live the best of both worlds: floor space AND storage.
Hang up your bike: Apart from looking cool AF, hanging up your bike from the wall frees up space that it would otherwise take on the floor.