No matter where you live or what you pay in rent, there is a good chance you could do with some more space and storage in your apartment. With extra space and square footage coming at a premium these days, people have to get creative with their storage and how they use that space. With that in mind, this article will go over a few different tips and tricks to transform you into a storage superstar in no time!
1. Don’t let doors go to waste and go vertical
While doors mainly serve a purpose of giving you privacy from the outside world, they have so much more potential than that. Put your doors to work by hanging or placing extra storage on both sides of them. Hooks or shoe bags on doors can provide extra storage for anything you want including toiletries, shoes, cleaning products, clothing, and more. In addition to putting hooks, bags or shelves on doors, there is a ton of other unused vertical space in your home that can be used for storage. You can decide you buy some bookcases for storage, or craft your own tall and slim storage units. Storing vertically instead of horizontally can give your apartment a less-cluttered look and can save you valuable space.
2. Utilize the KonMari method
One of the most common space and storage complaints revolves around clothing and not having enough space for all of it. However, there is a good chance you have far more storage for your clothes than you need, you are just organizing it wrong. Enter the KonMari method. The KonMari method is named after a Japanese organizational guru Marie Kondo and her most useful tip revolves around how you should store clothing. This method involves folding clothes in a way that can result in clothing taking a fraction of the space it used to, without messing up the clothing or anything of the sort.
3. Add wall storage or hooks
When it comes to walls in an apartment, most of us just do the same things with them. Mainly, our walls consist of cheap prints of art, a wall color we wish we could change, and a mirror so we can check ourselves out before a night on the town. However, walls have a ton of potential that many people don’t see. If you add a few shelves or hooks to your walls in convenient locations, you can save yourself a ton of space. These hooks and shelves can hold anything you need (as long as it isn’t too heavy). While your apartment might not allow you to nail in hooks or shelves, there is a way around that. Command strips can be a lifesaver when hanging things on the walls and will come off without damaging the wall.
4. Look for furniture that multitasks
Extra storage is good to have, but having random boxes or baskets lying around your apartment can be unsightly for guests. Instead, look for furniture that can also double as a source for extra storage. Many different types of furniture today can also be converted (or bought) into a place for storing things. Your bed can either have storage built in under it or opt for a platform bed. Your couch could be hollowed out for extra storage and even footrests can be bought with storage space in them. This not only gives you extra storage space but does so without ruining the aesthetic of the room and cramping your style.
5. Do you really need everything you have?
While most people look for storage options for the many different things that they have, that is not always the best way to save space. You can also save a ton of space in your apartment simply by getting rid of things you don’t really need. Do you really need three pairs of shoes for every day of the week and a different outfit for every hour of the day? Most of us can stand to get rid of some things, and that can help save space in no time. Also, if you decide to sell the items you don’t need/want anymore, you can make some money at the same time as well!
6. Get creative!
When it comes to finding more storage in your apartment, sometimes, you need to be creative. You would be shocked at how many things can do a job they may not have been designed to do. For example, Mason jars are great for storing everything from spices to buttons, to nails and screws and everything in between. An old dish rack that you never use anymore can be transformed into something to hold loose papers as well as pens/pencils. Look at everything in your apartment and think “can this help me save space somehow”, and you will likely surprise yourself with what you come up with.
