Storage design for small spaces
20 Genius Storage Ideas for Small Spaces
Small Wonders
Or for big spaces when you just need that extra bit of storage
By Amanda Sims and Gabriela Ulloa
When square footage is at a premium, it can feel as though storage solutions will only present themselves with the assistance of magic (if you don't want to get rid of all your stuff, that is). But thanks to the tiny home movement, no wands or wizards needed—storage ideas for small spaces are in greater supply than ever. Yes, some require a handyman—the power of a well-made built-in cannot be overstated—but others are as easy as a simple rearrangement. Below, we've rounded up twenty particularly smart and easily adaptable storage ideas for small spaces.
Shelf Dividers
If your small space is a studio, you might be trying to find inventive ways to delineate the bed "room" from the living "room" without putting up a wall. Stacking crates or even floating an open shelving unit will provide you with extra space to stash things while you're splitting things up.
Courtesy of Small Homes, Grand Living, Copyright Gestalten 2017. Design: Muuto; Photo: Petra Bindel
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.
An Architectural Brooklyn Living Room with a Modern Sensibility. Photo by Nicole Franzen
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.
Courtesy of Small Homes, Grand Living, Copyright Gestalten 2017.
Design: BY Architects; Photo: Aleksandra Vajd
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.
A Midcentury Kitchen Gets a Modern (and Moody) Makeover. Photo by Nicole Cohen
Hanging Bike Rack
Go big with a fancy pulley system that draws them up out of view, as Tribe Studio did in the home pictured below, or simply screw some vinyl-coated c-hooks into a joist and loop the back tires over them.
Design: Tribe Studio; Photo: Katherine Lu
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. Opt for one with different levels (or DIY this and create your own mini shelving unit).
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An Of-the-Moment Designer’s DIY Kitchen in Hudson, New York. Photo by Pippa Drummond
Peg Board Wall
For easy re-arranging, good looks, and an abundance of adjustable storage, consider a pegboard wall, like this cheerful peachy one by Position Collective.
A Passive House Grows in Brooklyn. Photo by Peter Dressel
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.
Scalloped Tile and Heirloom Stained Glass Make This Kitchen Remodel Look Expensive. Photo by Bri Ussery
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.
And two consoles, side-by-side, can be rotated to stand back-to-back for bar-height table seating.
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Courtesy of Small Homes, Grand Living, Copyright Gestalten 2017. Design: A Little Design; Photo: Flat in Taipei
Under-the-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. (Just no cupboard bedrooms under the stairs, please.)
Design: Workstead; Photo: Stefanie Brechbuehler
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.
Joey Laurenti’s Home Is All About the Power of Personal Style. Photo by Or Harpaz
Entryway Table
An entry table serves as more than a place to throw your keys. A proper console can house books, arts, trinkets, and even the clothes you refuse to let go of.
Nothing says "welcome home" like a perfectly curated and functional entryway table.
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Taylor Fimbrez’s Apartment Is Full of Lessons in Secondhand Shopping. Photo by Or Harpaz
Raised Platform
If your ceilings are tall enough, consider adding a raised platform to a room (or part of a room, if you're in a loft or studio) 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.
Courtesy of Small Homes, Grand Living, Copyright Gestalten 2017. Design: Tribe Studio; Photo: Katherine Lu
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.
In This Small Berlin Kitchen, Olive Cabinets Meet a Copper-Colored Backsplash. Photo by Jules Villbrandt
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.
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Flexible Furniture Makes Room for One More in This London Landmark. Photo by French + Tye
Baskets, Baskets, and More Baskets
Ah, the love we have for a good basket. It's unparalleled, truly. Tuck away pretty much anything (within reason, friends) you don't necessarily want your guests to see. Top off your basket with a throw and no one will ever know that all of your takeout menus are jumbled in there.
How One Designer Transformed Her Brooklyn Rental From Top to Bottom—On a Budget. Photo by Kelsey Ann Rose
A Bookcase Not Just for Books
Not to choose favorites, but...stacking bookshelves with more than just books is one of our most coveted decor/storage space hacks. Use this as a way to clear up space by putting on display your fave trinkets and objects.
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A Young NYC Collector Pays Homage to the Design of Her Generation—at Home and Online.
Photo by Nicole Cohen
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.
In a Former Italian Restaurant, Sophie Lou Jacobsen Crafted an Eclectic Apartment. Photo by William Geddes
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.
Courtesy of Small Homes, Grand Living, Copyright Gestalten 2017. Design: Bogdan Ciocodeicā; Photo: Radu Sandovici
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.
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Ways to Squeeze More Storage Out Of Small Spaces
There's often much more storage space in your home than you think – even in small spaces. It just takes a little out-of-the-box thinking. Check out these 15 ideas for creating more storage in your small spaces.
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Family Handyman
Behind-the-Door Shelves
To turn an overlooked, unused space into an easy storage solution, build a set of shallow shelves and mount it to the wall behind your laundry room door.
To start, measure the distance between the door hinge and the wall and subtract an inch. This is the maximum depth of the shelves. We used 1x4s for the sides, top and shelves. Screw the sides to the top. Then screw three 1×2 hanging strips to the sides: one top and bottom and one centered.
Nail metal shelf standards to the sides. Complete the shelves by nailing a 1×2 trim piece to the sides and top. The 1×2 dresses up the shelf unit and keeps the shelves from falling off the shelf clips.
Locate the studs. Drill clearance holes and screw the shelves to the studs with 2-1/2-in. wood screws. Put a rubber bumper on the frame to protect the door. Looking for more styles? Here’s our list of different types of shelves to organize your home.
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Install a Shelf and Clothes Rod
Laundry room shelves are a great way to extract more storage space out of your home, and this hanging rod project will save you hours of ironing and organizing. Now you can hang up your shirts and jackets as soon as they’re out of the dryer – no more wrinkled shirts at the bottom of the basket. You’ll also gain an out-of-the-way upper shelf to store all sorts of odds and ends.
Just go to your home center and get standard closet rod brackets, a closet rod and a precut 12-in.
-deep melamine shelf. Also pick up some drywall anchors, or if you have concrete, some plastic anchors and a corresponding masonry bit. Fasten shelves to the wall and add the closet rod for instant laundry room storage.
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Family Handyman
Tight-Space Shelves
Wire pantry shelves aren’t just for pantries. They’re perfect for any wall where full-depth shelves won’t fit: garages, laundry rooms, utility rooms, etc. The perfect space-saving shelves solution.
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Family Handyman
Make the Most of Skinny Spaces
In a small kitchen with little storage space, you can make even narrow filler spaces work harder by installing a vertical pegboard rollout. Kitchen designer Mary Jane Pappas typically recommends 18- to 30-in.-wide rollout drawers for cabinets.
But there is one type of rollout that makes good use of narrow spaces, even those only 3 to 6 in.
wide. Pappas says that pullout pantries– single tall, narrow drawers with long, shelves, drawers, baskets or even pegboard – can be an efficient way to put skinny spaces to work.
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Family Handyman
Stud Space Cabinet
When you can’t find a convenient nook for a set of narrow storage shelves, you can often create one by recessing the shelves into the wall itself. Choose the location for your shallow shelving unit before you build the project to make sure it will fit. Start by looking for a space with no obvious obstructions.
Next, locate the studs with a stud finder. Some stud finders can also locate electrical wires and plumbing pipes inside walls. When you’ve found a promising spot, cut a 6-in.-square inspection hole between the studs. Use a flashlight and a small mirror to inspect the stud cavity for obstructions. You often can modify the size of the cabinet to avoid obstructions.
When you find a good space, mark the perimeter of the opening and use a drywall keyhole saw to cut it out. Measure the opening and subtract 1/4 in. from the height and width to determine the outer dimensions of your behind the door shelves. For standard 2×4 stud walls with 1/2-in.-thick drywall, build the cabinet frame from 1x4s that measure 3-1/2 in. wide (see illustration). If your walls are different, adjust the depth of the frame accordingly. Then add a 1/4-in. back. We screwed 1/4-in. pegboard to the back so we could hang stuff from pegboard hooks.
Add casing that matches the trim in your house. Drill holes into the sides to accept shelf supports. Shelf supports fit in 3mm, 5mm or 1/4-in. holes depending on the style. Install the cabinet by slipping it into the opening, leveling it and nailing through the trim into the studs on each side. Use 6d finish nails placed every 12-in. along both sides.
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Svetlana Cherruty/Shutterstock
Use Your Suitcases
If you already have a few unused suitcases around, they can be suitable for storing seasonal clothes (and won’t take up any extra room).
Roll common clothes like shirts, sweaters and pants into loose bundles before storing them. They take up less room this way, and can breathe easier.
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Family Handyman
Over the Door Bookshelf
Build a display shelf over the door to show off your knick knacks, books or to add storage space to a small room. As a bonus, if you increase the height and depth of the “box” that forms the core of each shelf, these shelves can double as valances for window curtains or blinds.
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Family Handyman
Build Rollouts at Ankle Level
Turn wasted toe-kick cavities into clever flat storage space for serving trays, cutting boards and baking pans. You can build under-cabinet drawers with in just a few days.
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Family Handyman
Under-Cabinet Storage Racks
Pull-down racks give you instant access to kitchen essentials without the clutter of spice racks or knife holders.
When the cooking is done, the rack swings up against the underside of the cabinet. You can buy ready-made racks or buy a pair of hinges and make your own wooden rack to hold knives, spices or other small items that take up counter space.
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Family Handyman
Easy Spice Rack
Small spice containers use shelf space inefficiently and are difficult to find when surrounded by taller bottles and items. Use a small spring-tension curtain rod to create a simple rack for spices. It’s easy to install and strong enough to support the spices.
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OmiStudio/Shutterstock
Install Expandable Shelves in Cabinets
Expandable or pullout shelves are an easy way to add extra room to help organize your kitchen without changing anything else. This is a relatively small project and you can typically find a very good pullout shelf accessory for around $50—or you can make your own.
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Family Handyman
Joist Space Storage
Don’t waste all that space between joists in a basement or garage. Install wire shelving to the underside of the joists. An 8-ft. x 16-in. length of wire shelving and a pack of plastic clips (sold separately) costs about 20 bucks. Don’t forget that wire shelving also shines on walls. Find more basement shelving ideas.
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Closet Nook Shelves
Salvage the hidden space at the recessed ends of your closets by adding a set of wire shelves. Wire shelves are available in a variety of widths. Measure the width and depth of the space. Then choose the correct shelving and ask the salesperson to cut the shelves to length for you. Subtract 3/8-in. from the actual width to determine the shelf length. Buy a pair of end mounting brackets and a pair of plastic clips for each shelf.
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Two-Story Closet Shelves
There’s a lot of space above the shelf in most closets.
Even though it’s a little hard to reach, it’s a great place to store seldom-used items. Make use of this wasted space by adding a box type shelf above the existing one.
Buy enough closet shelving material to match the length of the existing shelf plus enough for two end supports and middle supports over each bracket. Twelve-inch-wide shelving is available in various lengths and finishes at home centers and lumberyards.
We cut the supports 16 in. long, but you can place the second shelf at whatever height you like. Screw the end supports to the walls at each end. Use drywall anchors if you can’t hit a stud. Then mark the position of the middle supports onto the top and bottom shelves with a square and drill 5/32-in. clearance holes through the shelves. Drive 1-5/8-in. screws through the shelf into the supports.
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Double-Decker Closet Rod
All you need to gain a lot of hanging space in your closet is two metal closet brackets and a length of closet rod.
If your existing closet rod is at least 66 in. from the floor, there’s enough space to add a second rod below it and still hang shirts and slacks. We placed the top of the rod 35 in. from the floor, which allowed just enough room to hang two levels of pants. Locate studs on the back wall of the closet with a stud finder. Then attach metal brackets to the studs. Use a level to align the brackets along the top. Space the brackets no more than 32 in. apart.
Originally Published: July 26, 2019
Architect's 10 Tips — INMYROOM
In a small apartment, the issue of storage is especially acute, because there is not enough space for large wardrobes or a dressing room. Things fill all the free living space, turning it into a warehouse. Architect Nikita Morozov tells how to properly organize storage systems even in a small apartment.
Nikita Morozov
ARCHITECT
Permanent author of INMYROOM, founder of design bureau KM STUDIO.
Built-in wardrobes
If it is impossible to allocate a dressing room in a small area, then you should pay attention to built-in wardrobes. They allow you to use the space up to the ceiling. In the more accessible lower part, everyday items will be stored, and in the upper part suitcases, boxes with seasonal clothes and shoes will perfectly fit.
Organize storage on the balcony
Having a balcony becomes an important advantage of being small. Usually everything is stored there: from boxes with things and unused dishes to skis and other sports equipment. But in order for there to be room for at least something else on the balcony, it is still worth organizing storage. For example, install cabinets, shelving, or floor-to-ceiling open shelves around the perimeter. Or at least make a sliding partition that will fence off the "warehouse" from the actively used part of the balcony.
Use hanging modules and shelves
If all the available space is already occupied by furniture, then it's time to go higher.
The furniture industry offers many collections of comfortable wall-mounted furniture. As a rule, these are shallow lightweight structures that are suitable for books, accessories and small items. Place shelves and closed modules in one line or make a composition out of them. So you can get not only an additional storage system, but also an element of decor.
Use hooks, brackets and hangers
Even if you can't hang shelves or closed units on the wall, there's almost certainly room for a hook and bracket. Hanging bars are indispensable in the hallway or bathroom. And the brackets on the balcony will help you organize your sports equipment.
Make the most of the space in the kitchen
The burning issue of storing kitchen utensils in a small space will help to solve the cabinet-pencil case. Large dishes and rarely used household appliances can be folded into it. Ceiling-height upper cabinets will allow you to gain additional usable space.
In addition, storage in the kitchen should be organized - think over in advance for each item its place.
Let your upholstered furniture transform
Use any free space to hide things. For example, inside upholstered furniture. Give preference to models of sofas and beds, poufs and banquettes with internal drawers or containers. The functional area under the mattress or seating area is suitable for storing enough voluminous bed linen.
Don't forget about bathroom storage
Use even seemingly small bathroom space as storage space. For example, install a sliding or hinged screen under the bathroom and hide all the necessary chemicals or small cleaning equipment behind it. In the niches of plumbing boxes, install shelves and cabinets, after sewing up communications.
Look for unusual places for drawers and shelves
For example, you can even use the space under the windowsills with radiators installed under them. Of course, in unexpected and unusual places, it is unlikely that you will be able to install capacious storage systems. But they will fit for small things like stationery or magazines. Thanks to this, small items will not be scattered everywhere and will not create the feeling of a cluttered interior.
Divide rooms into zones with storage systems
Sometimes in a small apartment it is necessary to zone the space and divide it into functional blocks. Instead of walls and partitions, use open shelving up to the ceiling or building structures with shelf niches. Thanks to this, it will be possible to combine business with pleasure and use a minimum of space to accommodate a maximum of things.
Stock up on boxes and containers
To make the most of your closet, shelving or shelf space, consider boxes, containers and boxes in a variety of sizes and shapes. Even on a small shelf, several times more items can fit if you arrange them in containers and place them one on top of the other.
In a really small apartment, even free centimeters play a role.
Photo: IKEA
See also:
6 custom storage systems for a very small apartment - INMYROOM
Tips
A bed that can be put away in a closet, a mini-library in an armchair, a folding kitchen and a closet on the ceiling - we talk about practical and original storage systems that will save square meters
A small apartment is a constant search for new storage options and eternal choice between beautiful and functional. However, the aerobatics of organizing the space of a small-sized apartment is to create the most convenient, practical interior, to fit everything you need on a meager area and at the same time not to clutter it with unnecessary pieces of furniture. In our struggle for precious meters, and even centimeters of usable space, original solutions and ideas of designers who know a lot about functional furniture come to the rescue.
About the most interesting systems and variants storage in a confined space, the art director told us architectural bureau "Pobeda Design" Stepan Bugaev.
Stepan Bugaev started his professional path from the MIPT diploma. In 2007 he graduated from the State University Higher School of Economics with a master's degree business informatics. Worked in the company "Internet House", participated in project to create a "smart home" system based on Z-Wave technology. WITH 2011 - co-founder and art director of the architectural bureau Pobeda Design.
1. Embedded and hidden systems storage
In small apartments, every centimeter of usable space counts, so it is so necessary to correctly place storage systems in them. In a small area, you should not make open mezzanines and install massive, free-standing cabinets: if possible, all storage spaces should be built-in or hidden.
A good solution is glossy, mirrored doors that reflect light and visually enlarge the space of a small room. In addition, they will make the interior lighter, which is also important for rooms of a modest size. As for equipping the built-in wardrobe, here you need to think over the storage system: various rods, hangers and shelves that can be lowered will greatly simplify access to them. And built-in wardrobes are convenient because they allow you to use the entire space from floor to ceiling to the maximum.
2. Furniture-transformer
A great idea for a small apartment - modern and comfortable furniture-transformer. It is compact, functional and saves your precious square meters. There are many varieties of such furniture, and the most popular of them is a bed that can be put away in a closet.
This solution avoids many problems. For example, thanks to transforming furniture, you can place in the living room-bedroom not just a folding sofa, but a full bed. During the day, it is easy to put it away in a closet, freeing up space in the room, or it turns into a cozy sofa.
3. Chair-shelf
There are several options for such a multifunctional piece of furniture as a chair-shelf. Usually the storage system is located under the seat - very convenient when you have a whole mini-library at hand. And the Korean designer Seung-Yong Song developed a special design: in his version, the storage system is located in the original high back of the chair.
Two models of chairs by him combine a shelf system and a traditional seating position. This design looks very light, perfectly balanced and can withstand significant loads. In addition, in a small indoors, such a chair can divide the space into functional areas, which better than any barriers.
4. Library chair
Another multitasking furniture option for a small apartment or minimalist interior is the library chair. It is slightly less functional than a shelf chair and takes up more place, but it does its job well.
For example, the Bibliochaise has an original and compact storage system books, CDs, guidebooks and magazines - these are the shelves that make up chair frame. The model is available in several colors, so you can easily choose exactly the option that will fit into the range of your interior.
5. Wardrobe on the ceiling
In a small apartment, as a rule, the kitchen does not have a large area. Therefore, it is so important to make full use of the space of a modest size, carefully considering the storage systems and placement of kitchen cabinets.
One of the best options is to fix cabinets and shelving on the ceiling.
Thanks to this solution, you can place a complete kitchen headset in the middle of the room and fix additional cabinets on the ceiling. In addition, this technique will help to correctly zone the room, which is especially important in a small kitchen-dining room. Also, you can hang the rack above the desktop, also attaching it to the ceiling - you get an even more spacious storage system for books and the most necessary things. Such designs are made, for example, by the Italian company Lago.
6. Folding kitchen
To save space in small apartments, every year designers come up with something new and original. For example, this year at ISaloni in Milan Clei brand presented a unique Kitchen Box project - a folding kitchen. In "non-working", folded condition, it looks like an unusual wardrobe. But it's worth it to reveal - and before you are a compact and equipped with everything necessary kitchen and folding dinner table.
