Wish you had more space in your apartment? These hidden spaces will give you more room for storage, which will free up space elsewhere!
Living in a small apartment with limited storage space?
The smaller your place, the harder it can be to find storage space for everything you own.
But even if you live in a tiny studio, there’s a good chance there are a few storage spaces you’ve overlooked.
Ready to make room for your collection of books, extra linens, cleaning products, or personal items?
Here are nine hidden storage areas in your apartment that you’ve probably overlooked:
1. Under Your Couch
Unless your couch sits flush to the ground, there’s a good chance you’ve overlooked the space beneath it.
As long as your couch has legs, there are at least a few inches of hidden space underneath.
To maximize this space, buy slim storage boxes that you can easily slide in and out.
This is the perfect place to stash books, magazines, extra blankets, or kids’ toys.
You can even use this space to hide seasonal clothing, such as sweaters or swimsuits.
Love to decorate for the holidays? Use this spot to conceal holiday decorations that you only use at certain times of the year.
2. The Back of a Door
A simple over-the-door shelf can turn the empty back of a door into multiple levels of storage.
From hanging bins to shoe organizers, using the back of the door to hold small items can free up space inside your closets for bigger, bulkier items.
Over-the-door shelves are ideal for use in bedrooms and bathrooms. In the bedroom, you can use one to organize shoes, scarves, belts, and other small accessories.
In the bathroom, you can use one to hold extra soaps and shampoos or cleaning products.
3. Inside Furniture
The smaller your place, the more important it is to buy furniture that doubles as its own storage.
When it comes time to furnish or redecorate your small apartment, buy a coffee table or dining table with a lift-top lid.
In your living room, this is a great way to hold magazines, remotes, books, and miscellaneous items.
In your dining room, you can use your interior table storage to hold extra plates or serving platters.
Look for a couch with storage compartments inside the arms. These are perfect for holding throw blankets and extra linens.
If your couch turns into a pull-out sofa bed, making your bed will be a cinch!
Need storage and extra seating?
Buy an ottoman with a removable lid that you can use an extra seat for guests and use to stash small items inside.
4. Over the Door
Are you utilizing the few inches of space above the top of your door frames? Chances are, you’re not — but you should be.
By mounting a floating shelf above the top of your door, you can create a new space for storage and add some unexpected style to your room.
An above-the-door shelf can be used to display decorative items or stack books in your bedroom or bathroom.
Hang one in your entryway above your front door, add some storage boxes or bins, and you’ll have the perfect place to store outdoor items, such as gloves and hats.
5. Underneath and Around Your Kitchen Island
If you have room for a kitchen island, buy one with doors and drawers.
They provide excellent storage space for everything from dishes and glassware to pots and pans.
Do you already have an island with a single bottom shelf?
Maximize this space by mounting a few hooks underneath the top of the table.
In the unused space between the underside of the top and the bottom shelf, you can hang pots and pans or even mount wine bottle racks to hold your stash of vino.
You can also use the sides of cabinets as unconventional storage.
If you have even one cabinet that’s not flush against a wall, add pegs or hooks to hang potholders, kitchen utensils, and slim frying pans.
6. Under Your Bed
Unless you have a platform bed that’s super low to the ground, you probably have at least a few inches of under-the-bed space.
Use slim storage boxes or plastic bins to hold seasonal clothing, boots, sandals, or extra clothing.
Worried that you’ll be able to see them?
Add a bed skirt to conceal them, and no one will ever know that you’ve got half your closet underneath your bed!
7. On Your Walls
When space is limited, there’s only one thing to do:
Go vertical.
Mount floating shelves or add a freestanding shelf unit that reaches from floor to ceiling.
You can use shelves in every room to hold all sorts of items big and small.
If you want to minimize the appearance of clutter, just add storage boxes or bins to hide items inside.
8. In Your Corners
Corners are often overlooked, but you can turn any empty corner into a great storage space simply by adding a corner shelving unit.
Corner shelves work in any room, whether you mount floating corner shelves or invest in a freestanding shelving unit.
Either way, you can turn that unused space into a stylish storage nook!
9. Above Your Windows
Just like the space above your door frames, you probably have space above your window frames.
Mount a shelf the length of your living room windows to display a row of books.
Mount a shelf above your kitchen window to store extra glasses, decorative canisters, or cookbooks.
Hang a shelf above a bathroom window, add some storage boxes, and you’ll have extra space to hold soaps, beauty products, or cleaning supplies.
If you need a step ladder to reach the items on your shelf, be sure to buy one that folds into a super-slim silhouette.
That way, you can hang it on the inside of a closet door and not have to worry about your ladder taking up any precious space.
Conclusion
When storage space is limited, you’ve got to get creative. And that means looking high and low for new storage spots.
Here are a few ways to take advantage of the hidden storage spaces in your apartment:
- Utilize the spaces beneath your couch and under your bed.
- Make use of the space above your window frames, above door frames, and in corners.
- Hang shelves over the back of doors and high up on the walls to create vertical storage space.
- Add hooks to the sides of kitchen islands or kitchen cabinets.
- Invest in furniture that offers concealed storage spaces.
With these tips and tricks in mind, you can turn even the tiniest apartment into a clutter-free, well-organized space!
Author Bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the property manager at Vue at Belleair, a luxury apartment community in Clearwater, FL.