Transform your small spaces into a clutter-free haven with these excellent storage solutions. Say goodbye to the frustration of limited storage space and hello to a more organized and functional living area. These ideas are designed to maximize every inch of your space, allowing you to efficiently store your belongings without sacrificing style or comfort. Get inspired and discover the perfect storage solution for your small space today!
We all know the struggle of having too much stuff at home with nowhere to put it, so clutter builds up on any available flat surface. This visual disarray can cause us to become stressed and unorganized. Bring harmony back to your home with innovative storage ideas for small spaces.
As an added benefit, many different storage projects can increase the value of your home. Whether you live in a studio apartment or tiny house or lack ample storage space, there is the perfect solution for your small-space woes!
In This Article About Small Space Storage:
🧺 How Do You Maximize Storage In Small Spaces?
💫 How Do You Organize A Small Room Without Storage?
📸 Storage Ideas For Small Spaces
Key Takeaways
- Discover over 50 innovative storage solutions for small spaces, emphasizing the use of often overlooked areas for maximizing storage efficiency.
- In small spaces, wall-mounted shelves, under-bed storage, over-the-door organizers, and multi-functional furniture work great.
- To effectively organize a small room without built-in storage, utilize vertical space with floating shelves, hooks, corner shelving, and regular decluttering.
How Do You Maximize Storage In Small Spaces?
Image credit: © Aafia
Maximizing storage in small spaces can feel like playing a strategic game of Tetris, where every inch counts. Here are some popular storage ideas for small spaces that work wonders:
- Wall-mounted shelves and racks: These shelves and racks utilize vertical space and are often underused. Wall-mounted shelves are perfect for books, decorative items, or kitchen spices.
- Under-bed storage containers: The space under your bed is a hidden gem for storage. Slide-in containers or drawers can store seasonal clothes, extra bedding, or rarely used items, keeping them out of sight yet accessible.
- Over-the-door organizers: These organizers make use of the often-forgotten space behind doors. They’re ideal for shoes, accessories, or bathroom products, freeing up closet and drawer space.
- Multi-functional furniture: Think ottomans with storage inside or beds with built-in drawers. These pieces serve their primary function while offering hidden storage, perfect for small living areas.
- Magnetic strips for tools and knives: Instead of using valuable drawer or counter space, magnetic strips can hold metal tools and knives on the wall. This not only saves space but also keeps these items easily accessible.
- Stackable bins and baskets: Storage solutions are great for closets or pantries. They allow you to use the full height of a space and can be labeled for easy identification and organization.
- Corner shelves: Corners are often underutilized. Corner shelves can turn these spaces into functional storage areas, perfect for small decorative items, books, or even small potted plants.
- Hanging baskets in the kitchen: Suspended from the ceiling, these baskets can hold fruits, vegetables, or even small kitchen gadgets, freeing up counter and cabinet space.
- Fold-down desks and tables: When not in use, they can be folded against the wall, providing a temporary workspace without permanently occupying floor space.
How Do You Organize A Small Room Without Storage?
Image credit: © New Africa
Organizing a small room without built-in storage can be a challenge. Here are some tips to maximize your space and keep everything tidy!
Vertical Space Is Your Best Friend
Install floating shelves for books, plants, or decorative items on the walls. Use the higher shelves for less frequently used items. Consider a tall, narrow shelving unit with minimal floor space but plenty of vertical storage.
Hooks And Hanging Organizers
Add hooks behind doors or on the walls for hanging jackets, bags, or jewelry. Use hanging organizers in the closet for shoes, accessories, or small clothing items like scarves and belts.
Declutter Your Space Regularly
With limited space, it’s important to regularly go through your belongings and remove items you no longer need or use.
01. Cool Kitchen Shelf Jar Storage
With a small kitchen, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you have numerous spices, rice, sugar, etc., in containers or jars and minimal cabinet space to fit them all in. You can readily transform the side of your counter into a compact shelf storage system to tuck aside items while keeping them within reach.
02. Unique Hanging Faux Jewelry Box
This project takes a fun twist on a classic jewelry box and instead suspends it on the wall to help those who lack surface space. It alters a picture frame, making it unrecognizable as anything other than a hanging jewelry storage frame. This is compact and simple to access.
03. Upcycled Magazine Rack Baking Sheet Holder
It’s easy to collect numerous baking sheets, from those used for cookies to sheets for making cupcakes. However, putting them all up when space is a concern is not so simple. With an old wooden magazine rack, you can finally set those items out for display in the kitchen by keeping them all contained. This ensures they stay on the counter so you can grab them whenever needed.
04. Vertical Cooking Oil Bottle Shelf Holder
If you have a lot of cooking oil but little room in the cabinet, consider constructing this excellent vertical shelf setup on a bare wall in your kitchen. The narrow design doesn’t take up much space, providing enough room to fit several cooking oil bottles.
05. Expandable Raised Canned Pantry Organizer
A raised organizer is an excellent idea to make your pantry or cupboard look like it has more room than it does. It works excellent with cans, but you can also use it to place anything else of a similar size, like jars, or simply as a spice organizer. The step design helps you save room and gives your home a more modern touch.
06. Hanging Multipurpose Magnetic Wall Organizer
Thanks to its magnetic capabilities, this is ideal for the kitchen. You can stick it right on the side of your refrigerator to generate more room in a tiny kitchen. It’s made from eco-friendly wood and iron, and there are versatile sections such as hooks on the bottom, a shelf, and even a paper towel holder so you can place numerous items on it.
07. Tilt Out Double Bin Trash
Your trash area may become more evident in a small space, but this double-bin trash container is a great way to disguise it immediately. On the outside, the bin looks like any other cabinet. You can personalize it by choosing from six different door materials and six varied hardware materials.
08. Whitmore 4-Section Closet Shelving Organizer
This appealing closet organizer shelving unit is perfect for expanding your closet space. It has four large cubbies and a metal garment rod underneath, so you can store folded and hanging items in one spot. It also has three chrome rods on three hooks to support hanging directly on a closet rod.
09. mDesign Shelved Hanging Shower Caddy
A bathroom is easily a place where you can run out of the room, so a quality shower caddy can quickly come in handy, primarily if used by more than one person. This one features eight shelves and four hooks to keep numerous shower accessories on. The shelves even have a wire base, so water easily drips down.
10. Vintage Design Metal Plate Rack
This metal plate rack is not only compact, so it can fit when space on a countertop is minimal, but it also has an incredible vintage design to add some style to your kitchen. Its compelling layout makes it versatile in what you can store, from dishes to other kitchen items like chopping boards.
11. Compact Size Mira Storage Basket
Get rid of clutter and save space with this beautiful Mira storage basket. It can easily hang on the wall if you don’t have floor space. Thanks to its sturdy design, it is also very flexible regarding what you can put inside it. You can use it as a laundry basket in the bathroom or even the laundry room.
12. Cutting Board Storage Shelf Rack
This cutting board shelf rack is a beautiful way to free up space in your kitchen while giving it a distinctive decorative touch. It’s multipurpose, too, since it has room to hang towels or store cooking utensils. Made from quality metal, it has an excellent weight-bearing capacity, and because of its design, it can hang vertically or horizontally.
13. Over the Sink Dish Drain Rack
This fantastic dish rack rests over the sink, allowing the washed dishes to readily drain back into the sink so that no clean-up is required. It’s built out of 304-stainless steel for a durable build to hold several different dishes, and this material is also intended to keep the rack rust-free. This is also available in a handful of sizes to fit various sinks.
14. Wooden Metal Nespresso Vertuo Coffee Pod Holder
For those of you with Nespresso Vertuo coffee pods, check out this unique storage display made from wood and metal. It can be a tabletop or wall-mount design, and you can choose from different wood stains and two different metal finishes. This fits five pods across and six pods high so that you can store and display 30 pods.
15. Bathroom-Mounted Mounted Cabinet Organizer
This multi-tiered cabinet organizer enhances your bathroom, utility room, or bedroom storage. It can be mounted on a wall or a door and has five compartments to stash various items. Thanks to the cabinet’s openness, you can quickly find and reach what you want.
16. 3-Pack Under Bed Wheeled Storage Bin
Thanks to the attached wheels, these under-bed storage bins are available in a 3-pack, which are easy to pull out and in as needed. Eight wheels glide well, and a single handle that’s simple to pull on. This can hold different items, from clothes to shoes. With the large size, you may fit about four underneath a twin-sized bed and eight under double-sized, queen-sized, or king-sized beds.
17. Open Wooden Storage Shelving Unit
This open shelving unit is made from reclaimed wood and has dock cleats that store three rolled-up towels. The rest of the space can be used to store other items like toilet paper rolls, or the top area can be used for decorative purposes. To match your specific décor, you can choose a different primary and secondary color.
18. Under The Cabinet Utensil Organizer Drawer
This utensil organizer is a great way to use the space under your upper cabinets. It works well with excess silverware and little drawer room to stash it. It’s a lovely handmade wooden organizer that pulls out just like a regular drawer but also angles downward to give you easier access.
19. Over The Door Laundry Bag
With this mesh laundry bag, you can keep all your dirty clothes off the floor and in a single spot by simply hanging it over the door. It weighs less than a pound, but it’s reliably built to hold some clothes without falling off the door. This is available in a single white color.
20. Under Shelf Bronze Design Basket
No hardware is needed to install this under-shelf bronze storage basket. It’s easy and fast to slide it right into your cabinet, and it can be used in different rooms, from the bathroom to the kitchen. The basket holds minor items like aluminum foil, dish towels, and more.
21. Corner Floor Storage Bathroom Cabinet
This freestanding corner storage cabinet is ideal for modernizing a more compact bathroom or simply lacking a closet. It’s narrow enough to fit in a tight spot without sacrificing storage capacity. The top compartment is great as a toilet paper holder. Meanwhile, there’s a bottom 2-tier design for extra space. It even has waterproof and moisture-proof material.
22. Shoe Storage Under The Stairs
The unused space under your stairs can become extra closet space with a pull-out coat rack and pull-out shelving. A remodeler can safely create this extra storage for you while maintaining the structural integrity of the stairs. After you move coats, boots, and shoes into this new storage area, you can convert the coat closet into shelved storage.
23. Install A Bookshelf Beneath The Bed
The space under the bed can become more than a place to grow dust bunnies. Creating bookshelves under the bed can eliminate stacks of books in all areas of your home. The books will be organized and easier to find. In addition, the space under the bed will be sealed off, preventing more dust bunnies from growing there.
24. Simple Shower Ring Scarf Storage
Instead of having your scarves stacked in a drawer or thrown over a hanger where you have to sort through them, you can hook shower rings over a hanger. Your scarves take up less space than in a drawer, and they are separated for easier access than just throwing them over the hanger.
25. Space-Saving Jars Mounted Under A Shelf
Occupying minimal space on the wall, this shelving unit holds the essentials for that morning cup of coffee or a coffee break. The top shelf holds coasters and coffee cups. Some jars mounted under the shelf hold essentials, such as coffee, tea, and sugar. More cups are hanging at the bottom. This shelving unit adds a rustic look to your kitchen.
26. Hidden Sliding Shelf In A Small Bathroom
A pull-out cupboard in a narrow space between the sink and the wall can create more storage space in a small bathroom. The cupboard is attractively built to coordinate with the bathroom. It fits perfectly in the narrow corner by the door, providing shelving for cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids, toiletries, cosmetics, and towels.
27. Build A Freestanding Bathroom Cabinet
Instead of just having a toilet tissue holder attached to the bathroom vanity, you can add more storage by slipping a freestanding shelving unit into that space. It can hold items for quick access, such as a toilet bowl brush and extra rolls of toilet tissue, and it can be built to coordinate with any bathroom.
28. Maximize the Space Beneath Kitchen Cabinets
Install drawers under your kitchen cupboards to store unused space. You can do it yourself or hire a handy contractor. At first glance, this may not seem like a lot of space. However, you could store kitchen linens, cutting boards, cookie sheets, pizza pans, muffin tins, and other oversized items in these drawers.
29. Slip A Slender Table Behind The Sofa
A skinny table behind the sofa can add both decorative and storage space. Lamps, a clock, pictures, coasters, and plants can be placed on the table. Table lamps free up floor space used by floor lamps and avoid holes in walls from wall lamps. Books, a small box for small items, and a remote can be kept on the table.
30. Adorable Hanger Hack For Sandal Storage
Hanging sandals removes clutter from the closet floor and makes it easier to find a matching pair. Cut wire coat hangers and shape them into hooks. Spray or paint them and cover them with fabric or ribbon. Now, you can organize your sandals and clean up your closet floor.
31. Hanging Shelves Double Cabinet Space
Adding hanging shelves allows you to store items more easily without stacking them. Stacking items to get everything in the cupboard means you have to remove the items on top to get to the items on the bottom. These hanging shelves hold the items that would be stacked, so the items on the bottom are easier to access.
32. Rolling Spice Rack Beside The Fridge
Spices cannot be stacked, so they are scattered on a cupboard shelf or in a spice rack that takes up counter space. However, this rolling spice rack uses two good elements to create space. First, it converts unused space into storage, making it possible to store the spices vertically.
33. Sliding Shelves Mounted Behind Bathroom Mirror
Rather than the traditional medicine cabinet, which has a door that opens out over the sink and is at times in the way, this mirrored storage area has right and left sliding shelves that stay against the wall when open and only pull out half the width of the storage area, compacting the space needed to access items.
34. Free Up Sink Storage With Appliance Hooks
Hair care accessories are one of the hardest things to store in the bathroom. They are odd-shaped and bulky; you must deal with the long cord. Wrapping the cord and hanging them on hooks on the back of the vanity door under the sink gets them out of the way but keeps them easily accessible.
35. Sliding Drawers Make Sink Storage Simple
If you open the cupboard under the sink in anyone’s home, you will probably find any necessary cleaning supplies. However, you will probably have to scan or dig through them because they are all jumbled together. These do-it-yourself sliding drawers are easy to make, and organizing your cleaning supplies makes them more accessible.
36. Low-Mounted Coat Rack For Entryway Shoe Storage
Once you explain to guests that this low-mounted coat rack in your entry hall is for shoes, not doggie sweaters, they will probably want one. Shoes sometimes need to be removed to avoid tracking up the house. This is an easy way to prevent someone from tripping on these shoes and keeps the entry hall from being cluttered.
37. Wire Shelving For Storing Pans
These wire racks use vertical storage to make pans more accessible. Pans are stacked, leaving lots of space above them. However, some pans must be removed to access the pan you want. These racks take advantage of the extra vertical space in the cupboard and separate the pans to pull out your desired pan.
38. Attractive Shelves Give Floor-To-Ceiling Storage
Shelving can add storage, but it can also be a place to add decorative items and even create a focal point in your room. This floor-to-ceiling shelving is not complex to build and can be customized to complement your decor. If you are not handy, you can find many shelving choices that complement your decor.
39. Add Storage Between Your Washer And Dryer
Another narrow, unused space between the washer and dryer can be turned into vertical pull-out shelving. This shelving can hold laundry and cleaning supplies. If you have young children, you may want to consider making this or having it made so that it has a frame and can be locked to keep children out of the chemicals.
40. Cabinets Beneath The Stairs Maximize Unused Space
This clever staircase is a set of sturdy cabinets fastened securely together. The cabinet tops vary by the height of the two risers on the staircase. The steps between the cabinet tops are boxes; each hinged so that the step lifts to reveal more storage space. The cabinets have adjustable shelves.
41. Pantry Door Transformed Into A Spice Rack
Individual jars are small, but spices can take up shelf space. So, finding unused space where spices can be stored vertically is excellent. Creating shelving for spices on the back of the pantry door is a perfect solution. In addition to the spices, space was created for food storage supplies and bins for potatoes and onions.
42. Shelves Multitask As Storage And Room Divider
This shelving unit has boxes and baskets that create storage but are also decorative. It is also a room divider and a focal point. It is backless, so items on the shelves can be accessed from either side, and neither part of the room is treated as less critical decoratively.
43. Mount Colorful Hat Boxes For Bathroom Storage
This unique idea adds decorative storage to the bathroom. Attaching hat boxes to the wall and using them to store toilet tissue and rolled towels makes this storage idea a creative focal point in the room. You can use the colors and the designs on the hat boxes elsewhere in the bathroom.
44. Fill A Shoe Organizer With Cleaning Supplies
Another idea for those cleaning supplies cluttered under the sink is to hang them on the back of a door in a multi-pocket shoe bag. Individual items will be easier to spot, making them more accessible. If you have young children, you can hang them on the back of a locked closet door.
45. Install Handy Fixtures In Your Island
In most kitchens, the paper towel holder is mounted on the wall. However, if you do not want a paper towel holder visible in your kitchen, Remove a drawer and replace it with a paper towel holder. The paper towel is still accessible but out of sight.
46. Commode Shelf Keeps The Necessities Close By
This clever idea can be purchased, or you could create your version. Start with a tank-top organizer that has brackets you can use to hang side organizers. Next, decide what items, such as rolls of toilet tissue, you want stored by the toilet for easy access. Then, purchase or create storage holders for these items.
47. Angled Shelving Conveniently Holds Laundry Baskets
One shelf above the washer and dryer is not unusual, but a second slanting shelf adds extra convenience. The slanted shelf can be placed above a shelf for laundry supplies. It has a lip that will hold laundry baskets, and the slope makes it easy to get clothes out of the baskets.
48. Shower Curtain Clips Hold Your Beauty Products
Cosmetics take up space even on a large bathroom vanity. When you have a more petite vanity, you need to be creative. Using shower curtain clips to hang cosmetics in a tube helps you organize them and removes clutter from your vanity. You can install an extra towel bar conveniently to hang them.
49. Install A Full-Length Mirror With Hidden Shelving
This idea performs double duty. It provides a full-length mirror and hidden storage for cosmetics and other health and beauty aids. Get a full-length mirror and build a frame for it. Add shelving, a knob, and hinges. Stain or paint it to complement your bathroom decor. Then, mount it on the wall.
50. Artwork Transforms Into Fold-Down Table
Fold-down tables clear floor space in areas where space is at a premium. However, they usually look like a board on the wall when folded. This table becomes a positive focal point in the room when the artwork is added to the underneath side of the table, and the folding legs become part of the frame.
51. Gorgeous And Modern Built-In Laundry Storage
Stackable washers and dryers are space savers in small laundry areas. A do-it-yourself shelving unit built around the stackable washer and dryer gives you a place for your laundry supplies. To hide your laundry nook, add hinges and a door. If you have small children, add a lock. Then, your children cannot get into the detergent and other cleaning supplies.
52. Make Practical Use Of Open Wall Space
Any empty wall space can be turned into decorative storage—Mount wood on the wall. Paint or stain the wood to complement your kitchen decor. Then, decide what items you want to hang. Attach hooks where needed to hang your items decoratively. Using the area to hang your pans is great for accessibility and decoration.
53. Turn Your Fridge Into Magnetic Spice Storage
Here is another idea for storing spices in an unused, vertical space. Get small, flat tins with plastic lids. Label the spices on the lids. Attach magnets to the bottom and arrange them in the refrigerator. This makes the spices accessible and clears up much space in the cupboards.
54. Keep Organized With A Stylish Organizer Wall
A space on a wall can help organize your whole family. Start with a desk calendar where your family can write appointments. Add a dry-erase board for quick messages. Then, wall-mounted file folder holders for each family member should be added where essential papers that need attention can be stored. Now, you have an organizational area for your family.
55. Use Every Inch With Rolling Under-Bed Storage
Under-bed storage is a way to convert unused space. Anyone can manage this idea, even if they are not do-it-yourselfers. Start with a bookcase with adjustable shelves. Paint it or leave it as is. Attach wheels to the back and two handles on one side. Lay it on its back, and you have an instant under-bed storage unit.
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