The 6 Amazon Small Space Buys That Make My Apartment Livable (and Lovable)

While there are a lot of challenges that come with small apartment living, there are also a whole lot of opportunities to get creative and be mindful about what exactly fills your (limited) space. We’ve covered countless tips and DIY projects to make the most of small spaces (it’s kind of our thing), and everyone has their own opinion on the must-haves of apartment living, from smart storage solutions to DIY hacks. My personal list includes an expensive yet life-changing shower organizer, a vacuum that isn’t a Dyson, and this selection of my favorite Amazon buys that I recommend to anyone who asks.

I’ve talked about how much I love this drying rack before, and my feelings have not changed. After two years of using a flimsy, cheaper rack that was always falling apart, my roommate and I finally “splurged” on this winged option—and laundry instantly became less annoying. While it is definitely larger than what we were used to, it’s much more durable and seems to actually dry our clothes quicker somehow. Plus, it’s easily foldable and lives behind our sofa when not in use.

Almost identical to our favorite dish rack but slightly less expensive, I’m a huge fan of this foldable bamboo rack. With limited counter space in our small kitchen, we knew we couldn’t buy a heavy duty option, but we didn’t want to settle for something super small either. We finally landed on this rack, as it checks all the boxes: compact, easily storable, durable, and attractive enough to not be an eyesore in our tiny space. You can also purchase a matching utensil holder, sold separately for $10.

The nice thing about living in an apartment with little storage space is that we were forced to organize just about everything in the name of “making the most” of it. Like most city dwellers on a budget, we try to pack our lunches every day, resulting in a large collection of food containers and rogue lids. To tame the beast that was our Tupperware cabinet (think spilling containers every time the door was opened), we found a lid organizer. This seemingly random product actually creates so much more room in that cabinet—and keeps us just a bit more sane.

Featured on our Best List of water filter pitchers, I can confidently vouch for this small but mighty Brita. It’s the perfect size for two people, and is slim enough to fit comfortably in our always-crammed fridge. The filter status indicator on the lid actually does work, and is very useful—who can actually remember to change their filter every two months? We’ve been using this particular Brita for well over a year now, and have no complaints with the quality or functionality. Plus, if you don’t like red it also comes in blue or white.

Getting a full-size broom for an apartment with limited storage space and a small surface area felt a tad unnecessary, so instead we settled on a mini dustpan and brush set. I’m very happy with this little option—it can easily be hung on the back of a cabinet door or tucked away with the rest of the cleaning supplies under the sink. It’s perfect for small, everyday messes, and I’ve never once regretted not going for the full-size broom.

As someone with a whole lot of books, I realized pretty quickly that storing all of them was going to be a challenge—there simply wasn’t any extra floor space in my bedroom for a proper bookcase. Instead, I turned to the walls, deciding on a pair of these rustic-industrial shelves to hold a good portion of my collection. I’m super pleased with them—they break up all the white in my room, are well-made, and are quite roomy.