Living in a small space you can get pretty creative with where things go. Abby stores her sweaters in the freezer and we've got boxes of photographs in the kitchen. Jump below for some more unconventional spots for the usual suspects.
• Small Hallway. Turn a hallway into a mini library by keeping the books facing out.
• Mail Sorter. You don't need a whole credenza or counter in order to make an entryway landing pad, just some cloth pockets hung on the door or a wall and all your mail and keys are sorted.
• Doorways. This is a great spot to stash some nice looking heels or to add a shelf to store some boxes of not-too-heavy things.
• Suitcases. Better Homes and Gardens had this great idea to use old suitcases to store decorations, wrapping paper, seasonal clothes, gifts to give, etc.
• Space Above Cabinets. In the kitchen, if you've got a space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling, consider adding boxes (with a lid, it gets dusty and greasy otherwise). It will fill in the gap and give you a place to stash things.
• The Freezer. This might just be Abby's territory, although Maxwell puts his jeans in there...
• Under the Sofa. Our bf's mother keeps all of her bills, paperwork and magazines in baskets slipped under the couch so that when she's curled up there, she can just slide them out and work on them, and then slide them back, no muss no fuss.
• Wine Rack. Repurpose a wine rack to store yarn, magazines, bills, etc.
• The Floor (sort of). Use a stool in the bathroom to pile up neatly folded towels in place of a linen closet. You can also install a shelf above the doorway for this, or roll them up in put them in a basket.
• The Ceiling. Upcycle a screen door and use it as a pot rack , making great use of vertical space.
• Use Rafters as a shelf for photos, books and small lights.
• Vintage Furniture. This old mail caddy can be used for shoes, magazines, office supplies, collections, etc.
• Shoe organizers. We've extolled the virtues of the over the door shoe organizer for wrangling everything from medicine to socks and underwear. The back of the door is a great spot for storage, especially if you have a lot of small things looking for a home.
What are you weirdest home storage quirks?
(Images: All images from previous Apartment Therapy posts, follow links for credit)
Chad's Guest House & Reinvented Garage 
Homemade Home: Great DIY Projects for Bedrooms from Our Tours
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Dippy Pink Rug
Wordy Thirty: A Literary Food-Themed Dinner Party
Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
Comments (11)
In the freezer wow, I would just put the sweaters in a box.
Love the book/magazine rack!
bed risers under our bed have given us the most space to stash stuff.
putting things in boxes, even if it's a box of "random stuff" frees up a lot of shelf space and looks nicer too.
displaying/storing my everyday dishes in a bookcase in the dining room.
large rubbermaid containers live on the porch and store camping gear and grill accessories. also provide seating in extreme situations.
spice rack that hangs on the wall instead of storing spices on a shelf. they're easier to find that way, too!
Ikea hanging magazine rack in bathroom instead of caddy on the floor.
hanging guitar on the wall instead of on floor stand.
hanging large cooking utensils on utility hooks on the wall in the kitchen instead of in the drawer or a container on the counter. my utensils are bright orange so i consider them part of my decor (c:
add shelves in closets whenever possible!
OH YEAH, how could I forget - space bags! i just discovered them - totally great!
ever since i saw the original post of the vintage mail sorter for shoes i have been SCOURING the net constantly. it would completely suit our design aesthetic and would handle the dozens upon dozens of shoes that are hanging out by the front door. plus it would just look cool. every time my boyfriend starts lecturing me about the ever growing piles i always refer back to the AT post with that piece and then his lil heart melts just a bit more.
when i worked at whole foods, i stole a bunch of those round wooden cheese crates that housed parm or mammoth cheddar. they now live on my front porch acting as seating/secret porchstuff storage, like tea lights and weather proof blankets and such.
I ended up putting shoes in a small book case "for now" and find that I love it. I can adjust the selves for boots or small shoes.
Before you work on storage:
Keep only what you need and love. Re-home the rest.
I just had a few storage boxes with hinged tops and no room for them. I put them one on top of the other for a vertical shelving unit. Now I can put so much in them and access all the stuff easily. Make sure the boxes are sturdy to do this. Mine are wicker with metal frame so they hold their shape well.
Attics are not something found readily here in South Africa, however, we do have quite a bit of "unused" space between plasterboard ceiling above the rooms and the tiles/slate of the roof.
In our small townhouse we've made full use of this - we've collected old pallets and planks, cut them narrow enough to fit through the manhole / access hatch, placed them across the beams and we now store an entire self-storage room's worth of stuff there - for free!
I did wonder at first if it would come down to "meet" us while we slept, but we've made sure those beams are thick and strong, nothing is resting on plasterboard, and they are able to take the weight of the extra toolchests, out-of-season bedding, camping gear, filing boxes and all the other junk that doesn't fit anywhere else in the house that we may not use often. We merely need a quick trip up the ladder to retrieve whatever is required, while living "downstairs" with a load more space.
Next in our plans? We've rescued the sections of solid wood flooring a business ripped out and will be nail-gunning down a permanent floor up there so we no longer have to creep around picking up splinters in our knees to get at stuff :-)
hahahah we have the EXACT same ikea sofa with the EXACT same boxes underneath as the "under the sofa" photo. it is incredibly practical and not terrible to look at (although eventually i would love to get rid of them when we complete the apartment). I swear we came by it organically and didn't see the combo somewhere else, but after seeing this picture it makes me wonder...
Hi, glad to hear you like your new Space Bags! They're perfect for trying to store items in small spaces. I'd like to introduce you to Space Savers, Space Bag's online community dedicated to helping people save space and get organized. If you'd like to share your love of Space Bags, feel free to add your own member story for the chance to win free Space Bag products. Use the "contact form" if you have any questions. Space Savers community correspondent