Whether you live in a studio apartment or a sprawling mansion, you want to utilize every inch of your square footage by maximizing storage space. Each of these ideas can be used for practicality and comfort and organization. Maximizing with style and efficiency is easy if you have a plan!
The first step is to go through your items to declutter and donate. Go room by room and make three piles-
keep, donate, trash. Some of the time, it’s just clutter that needs to be purged. Create a plan of prevention in your entryway. Clutter has been known to expand slowly and stealth like! Organizing your entryway or creating a “landing strip” is a helpful to ensure that unwanted items do not begin to pile up again. Put a bin for shoes, hooks for keys, also, a basket for junk mail to be shredded.
Separation
Mark zones and designate certain items for these areas. Subtle demarcations for rooms where you eat, play, or sleep help to not only make the room feel larger, but to keep items where they need to be. That being said, have a place for everything, therefore, everything will stay in its place! If there isn’t a space for it, things easily end up on tabletops or pile up quickly on the floor. Have more spaces than you think you need for extra items that show up later unannounced. Label makers are not just for the super organized. Simply labeling where things go can be helpful for easy retrieval.
Go Vertical
Maximize storage above your head and beneath your feet. On the top of book shelves or under a bed is a good place to store things that are rarely used or out of season. If you have many of these types of places in your home or apartment, consider investing in a sturdy step ladder. Do not store heavy items too high and nothing of regular use above eye level. Remember, out of sight, therefore, out of mind. As you are looking up, think about how to utilize the walls. Add shelves, wall hung organizers, or pot rails, furthermore, if you own your home, consider putting in built in shelves and storage nooks.
Items with multiple uses can transform a room. Buy a table that can also work as a desk or a sleeper sofa. Storage ottomans, for example, can be decorative, used as a little table, and store items. Make every piece count and have maximum functionality. If you are wanting a smaller space to feel fuller, use fewer but larger pieces.
Outsource some items. If there are things that you cannot or do not want to get rid of but only use a couple of times a year (Christmas tree, kayak, ball gown) consider putting it in storage. Many places are quite affordable. Don’t think of it as paying for a storage unit but merely maximizing your square footage.
