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The Best Small-Space Organizers from Our 2023 Organization Awards

Stephanie Nguyen
Stephanie NguyenSenior Editor, Cleaning & Organizing
Stephanie is the Senior Editor, Cleaning & Organizing at Apartment Therapy, where she covers all the ways to make your home sparkle with decluttering tricks, cleaning tips, and organizational hacks. She holds degrees in English and journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She lives in Hawaiʻi with her husband and dog.
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published Aug 14, 2023
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Credit: Photos: Yamazaki, Target, Amazon; Design: Apartment Therapy

It helps to be creative with your storage if you live in a small space, like installing shelves or hanging up hooks. Another thing that helps? Having smart tools in place to get you even more organized so you can make the most of your available square footage. 

That’s why we’ve gathered our all-star picks for the best small-space organizers for your home, from vacuum storage bags to multifunctional furniture. See below for all the winners from the Small Spaces category of our 2023 Organization Awards.

In this article: 
BEST SMALL SPACES ORGANIZERS AT A GLANCE | WHAT MAKES UP THIS CATEGORY OF WINNERS | SMALL SPACES ORGANIZERS WINNERS | HOW WE PICKED OUR WINNERS | 2023 ORGANIZATION AWARDS

Best Small Spaces Organizers

What Makes up This Category of Winners

In this category, we gathered the best small-space-friendly organizers. You’ll find clever storage solutions, like an all-in-one kitchen organizer that can hold your tools, spices, and paper towels (plus it has hooks!) and a storage ottoman that serves as storage, a seat, and can even be a tray for things. The very best small-space organizers are identified here.

Small Spaces Organizers Winners

1 / 7
Yamazaki Home Tower Leaning Coat Rack
Yamazaki Home
$45.00

Turn any available wall into a coat or clothing rack with this leaning coat rack from Yamazaki Home. It has a minimalistic design, measuring 15.25 inches wide at the base and 68 inches tall, and setup is easy. You simply lean the rack against your wall and it'll stay put with its no-slip pads on the bottom. You can move it around and stick it in an unused spot — whenever works best in your small space.

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2 / 7
Brightroom Bathroom Organizer Bin with Handles
Target
$5.00

Yes, this is technically a bathroom organizer bin, but it really is a do-it-all, use-it-anywhere storage bin. This affordable find has a modular, opaque design to let you hide things inside. It's simple, effective, and will meet any of your storage needs — even in tight spaces.

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3 / 7
XIAPIA Magnetic Fridge Organizer Spice Rack with Paper Towel Holder and 5 Extra Hooks
Amazon
$27.99

"I have basically no kitchen storage so I've had to get creative." says News & Culture Director, Tara Bellucci. "This magnetic fridge organizer stores my paper towels, vitamins, kitchen rolls, and storage bags, which frees up my limited drawer space." It really is an all-in-one organizer for your kitchen.

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4 / 7
Yamazaki Home Tower Shoe Rack - Tall
Yamazaki Home
$65.00

This tall shoe rack from Yamazaki Home is our pick for small spaces. It's lightweight and portable so you can have it out in the entryway or hidden in a closet. Here's why Shopping Director, Jada Wong, loves it: "I can fit five pairs of shoes on the rack, and I love that it makes use of vertical space instead of more horizontal floor space, which means it’s great for cozy entryways like mine. The steel construction is sturdy but lightweight, so I can easily move it around as needed."

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5 / 7
Spacesaver Vacuum Storage Bags
Amazon
$48.99

These space-saving vacuum storage bags are an essential item to have for any space, but especially for people living in small spaces. You'll save 80 percent on storage space — which means you don't have to sacrifice any closet or under-bed storage. Plus, you can store clothes, bedding, blankets, and even pillows (yes, pillows).

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6 / 7
Poppin Laundry Hamper
The Container Store
$79.99

This laundry basket is slim enough to be tucked away in a closet or placed in the smallest nooks of your home. “The basket is very functional, roomy, and lightweight when empty,” says Commerce Editorial Assistant, Nikol Slatinska. It won best for small spaces in our Best List testing, too.

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7 / 7
Ornavo Round Velvet Storage Ottoman
Amazon
$39.98

When you're tight on space, it helps to have furniture pieces that can pull double duty. Case in point: This storage ottoman that can be a coffee table, seat, footrest, and, of course, storage space. Plus, it's easy on the eyes.

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How We Picked Our Winners

The Organization Awards is our guide to the best organizers of 2023. Apartment Therapy editors truly believe these 80 outstanding winners, across 10 categories, are the finest home organizing solutions around. To create this list, we focused on common clutter issues that often arise in everyday life, identified the best products to solve them, and then tested them to see which worked the best.

Here are some of the key things we looked for in an organizer.

  • Durability — Is it sturdy and long-lasting? Will it withstand heat, water, or other factors, depending on where it is stored?
  • Availability — Can you easily access this item?
  • Affordability — Is it budget-friendly or worth the splurge?
  • Functionality — Does it serve its desired function or beyond that? Does it solve the organizing issue at hand?

The ultimate goal: Help get your space sorted and free of clutter. Above all, we know there’s no right or wrong way to organize your home, so whether you have 300 or 3,000 square feet of space, we hope this list of adored and approved organizers serves as the best starting point for getting you organized. 

2023 Organization Awards

Want to see more winners? See here for the full list of winners for the 2023 Organization Awards.

All prices were accurate at the time of publishing, but may have changed since then.

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