A Tiny Studio Apartment Had Virtually No Storage — a Bathroom Staple Fixed That
Time and time again, I’m reminded that you don’t have to use furniture the way it was initially intended. (For example, using IKEA bathroom cupboards in the kitchen.) After searching high and low for clothing storage that would work in her 280-square-foot studio apartment, Karis Danish ended up in the bathroom section of CB2. She purchased a long-lasting investment that worked perfectly in her tiny space.
The idea to look in CB2’s bathroom section didn’t come out of nowhere, Karis admits. At first, she looked for armoires and dressers, but they were all so large. It was a priority for her to keep her piano. “How else was I going to host sing-alongs in the tiniest apartment ever,” she wondered. After typing in the exact measurements that she was looking for, the web produced a (unfortunately, it’s gone now) bathroom cupboard from CB2.
“I needed something tall and skinny because it’s the only space I had left to place some kind of clothing storage (that I desperately needed),” Karis explains. “Dressers are short and wide, so that wouldn’t work, and most armoires were simply not as skinny as I needed them to be.”
Bathroom Cabinets Are the Unexpected Hero in Tiny Apartments
For Karis, her decision to use a bathroom cabinet came down to truly maximizing her home’s small footprint. Knowing that a bathroom cabinet with deep shelves would take up less width than an armoire or dresser, she opted for it. (You can see how she used it in the video above, which features several studio apartments.)
While Karis admits the depth of the bathroom cabinet forced her to be thoughtful about her clothing shopping habits, it worked well. “I loved the clean lines of it and how the piece could blend in and keep things from looking too heavy or busy in such a small apartment,” she continues. “And honestly, it worked so well for T-shirts, sweaters, jeans, and shorts.”
Although the CB2 cabinet Karis used in her home is no longer available, there are practical, minimal alternatives from other retailers. For example, IKEA’s ENHET cabinet is similarly tall and narrow, but has four shelves for clothing storage. Another bonus? It comes in three colors, so it’ll work with several spaces. What it lacks in width (a foot), it makes up for in height (72 inches), so you can utilize vertical storage.
Unfortunately, though, IKEA’s ENHET cabinet is marked as a “Last Chance” item. If, for some reason, you miss out on snagging that, don’t fret. The Home Depot offers a similar option. It’s less than 2 feet wide and reaches up to 68 inches. Besides having two cabinet doors with shelving inside, it also has exterior pegs to hang items you need to easily access.
Karis has since moved from her studio apartment, but the CB2 cabinet has traveled with her. While it’s now being used in its intended space (the bathroom), she still encourages people to think outside the box. “It was a worthy investment and is a reminder that you don’t have to use furniture the way it’s labeled,” she suggests. “Use it in a way that makes your life work. And click the other tabs on the store’s website, like ‘bathroom’ or ‘kitchen,’ even when you’re looking for a bedroom solution!”
To see more of Karis’ cozy home, visit the full House Tour. But this trick isn’t the only clever idea in the video above. Check out all of the House Tours included below: