Whether you live in a small apartment or a larger family home, sometimes it can feel like there’s never enough space for the things you need. Creating as much usable space as possible will help keep your home liveable and feel more spacious, ensuring the claustrophobic feelings and clutter are kept at bay. Keep reading for tips on how to be smart with your storage and keep small spaces functional!
1. Take advantage of vertical space
Get creative about every inch of wall space your home has. Is there any room for additional shelving above your doors or cabinets? There’s usually some extra vertical space you can take advantage of and install wall hooks or shelving for more storage. If you need extra room in the playroom, you can use the up-high storage for painting supplies or games you don’t want your kids to have access to all the time. In any room, anything you don’t use every day can be stored higher since you don’t need the items to be easily accessible.
2. Conceal what you can
Being able to see all your storage will only make your home seem more claustrophobic. Conceal what you can by using curtains to hang across shelving or lidded boxes and bins to make your items appear less cluttered. If you can invest in furniture with built-in-hidden storage, it will give you more space to work with. That being said, don’t just conceal the clutter! Make sure you know what’s in each space and you’re not just hiding clutter behind the curtains or bins.
3. Minimize what’s on your counters
When cabinet space is limited, things can easily start to spill out onto your counters and make the space feel cluttered and less functional. Keep only the essentials on your countertop and declutter your cabinets so you have room to work. In the kitchen, you can use a wall-mounted magnetic strip for your knives instead of a wooden block, and keep your spices decluttered enough so they’re easy to tuck away. In the bathroom, see if you can find somewhere for additional shelving in order to keep everything off the counter.
4. Keep decluttering
If you still feel like you don’t have enough room to work with, you’ll have to let go of some items. While there are ways to maximize your space, sometimes there simply isn’t enough room! In the long run, only keeping what you need will help your home feel more spacious, which will help you feel less anxious and more productive.
5. Implement an organizing solution in each area of your home
For closets, pantries, and other closed storage areas, make sure you have a system in place for keeping organized so things aren’t just getting shoved behind closed doors. You can use containers like bins and baskets to utilize the space and ensure you’re not getting overwhelmed when you open the door!
If your home feels small, consider one of these tips for making it feel more liveable and to utilize the space you have. Everyone can benefit from a little bit of decluttering and organizing, just make sure to take it one section at a time and ensure every item has a home.
