Where and how to store things if there is not enough space in the apartment. Pull back the couch, change the shelves for baskets and remember the mezzanine! It is possible to organize places for belongings even in a small apartment. The main thing is not to store unnecessary things and allocate time for planning: to understand the categories of things and think about options (not always obvious) for their placement. To get started, you will need home inventory software. Next, learn how to find space for everything you love and need in a small apartment.
Figure out what to store
First, you need to count all the things you’re going to store from ashley’s furniture to the kitchenware. To do this, take a piece of paper and write down the names of the categories and the number of things. For example, shoes – 30 pairs, outerwear – four pieces, pants – five pieces, dishes – 15 plates. On this principle, make a census of all items. You will use it to figure out how much space you will need.
Analyze what you plan to stack and how you used to store it, and only then proceed to plan the filling of the closet. Use pant holders – they will save space and won’t crumple things. You can also adopt special storage systems: drawers for storing underwear and accessories, hanging modules with pockets for storing cosmetics and small things, retractable shelves with hooks for scarves, ties, and so on.
Choose cabinets under the ceiling
If you have very high rooms, then installing a cabinet under the ceiling should be discussed with the designer — things that are not obvious at first glance may come up during operation. For standard apartments, high cabinets can be found in ordinary furniture hypermarkets to keep the heat lamps safe.
If you chose a cabinet under the ceiling, it is better to install a pantograph on top and move all the shelves and drawers down. For storage on the cabinet – if you could not find a suitable height, and custom models do not fit into your budget – you can use various boxes. They are convenient to store seasonal items, pre-packed in vacuum bags.
Replace shelves in cabinets with drawers or baskets
Shelves in closets usually don’t have sides. Because of this, all the folded items often just fall off them, and the impressive depth of the shelf makes finding the necessary object extremely inconvenient. It’s worth replacing the shelves with drawers – that way it’s easier to keep things in order, and they’re all in plain sight.
Mix shelves and drawers depending on what you plan to store. Shelves are best for storing things that are stacked in organizers or vacuum bagged. You can also place shoe boxes on them. For convenience, you can take a picture of shoes and glue the photo to the box – so it will be much easier to find the right pair. You can also use shoeboxes with a transparent face. Pull-out drawers, on the other hand, are great for placing on the lower levels of the closet.
Use the free space under the bed and behind the sofa
If there’s some free space behind the sofa or you can move it away from the wall a bit, take advantage of it and make a deep drawer there to store oversized items you rarely use.
In addition to areas in the hallway or closets, organize storage in the bedroom area as well: it’s better to find a bed with a pull-up mechanism for this. This way you can arrange seasonal items (suitcases, snowboarding equipment). Another option: in the niche under the mattress put a suitcase open, and in it put things.
Another option, which is worth doing at the stage of planning and repair, is a catwalk. It can be used for zoning, and storage – if you think about a system of roll-out drawers.
Place large objects on the wall
Another option for storing large items is to hang them on the wall as decor. You could do this with a surfboard or a bicycle.
Especially interesting this method works with musical instruments: they not only look beautiful on the wall but also add a certain charm to the interior. Also, folding chairs suspended on hooks can not only save space but also serve as an excellent decor — for example, in the Scandinavian style of the interior.
Buy a coffee table with a lid or drawers
A basket table, metal or wooden, is a proven way to store plaids or books: in small apartments, you should not give it up. You can also use poufs with interior storage for this purpose.
Use rails and drawers in the kitchen
Install magnetic strips or rails on loose vertical surfaces, but away from the stove or cooktop. This way you save space in drawers and worktops, and you’ll always have your cooking utensils handy.
Use pull-out drawers or corner cabinets with a pull-out mechanism to store pots and pans. With a pull-out shelf, you’ll have all your pots and pans in plain sight, unlike a cabinet with doors.
Remember the mezzanine
Everything new is well forgotten old. Every apartment used to have a mezzanine in the hallway, where jars and other rarely used items were placed. Yes, few people store jars now, but it seems silly to give up the mezzanine. Large suitcases, massive sports equipment, seasonal items, and so on can easily be hidden there.
