If you’re like many homeowners, you probably wish you had more storage. You can take advantage of areas that aren’t currently being utilized and stash items so they’re out of sight, but still easily accessible.
Buy Furniture With Built-in Storage
Remote controls and other odds and ends can take up space and easily get misplaced. Keeping them in designated areas can help you avoid clutter and make it simple to find items when they’re needed. Look for a coffee table or an ottoman with a built-in storage compartment.
Use the Space Under the Stairs
If your house has a staircase with an empty space underneath, that’s an excellent place to use for storage. Depending on the size of the area, you might want to add boxes to hold your kids’ toys or shelves to store shoes, books, canned goods that you can’t fit in the kitchen pantry, extra paper towels and toiletries, or any other items that you need to have on hand, but don’t have room for somewhere else.
Utilize the Insides of Doors
The cabinets and closets in your home are obviously valuable storage areas, but you might not be using them to their full advantage. The back of a door can be an excellent place to hang jackets, purses, backpacks, or a broom and mop. That will keep them out of view and out of the way, but you’ll still be able to grab them whenever you need them.
Take Advantage of Space Under the Bed
The area under a bed is a prime storage space that’s often overlooked. You can buy a bed frame with built-in drawers to store off-season clothes, or you can get some plastic storage bins and simply slide them under the bed. Drawers from an old dresser can be perfect for under-bed storage. If you need to store coats, blankets, or other bulky items, you can put them in plastic bags and vacuum out the air to minimize the amount of space they take up.
Add Built-in Storage in Any Room
Look around your house and zero in on areas that can be converted to storage spaces. For example, if your home has a bay or bow window, you can turn the space into a seating area with built-in drawers underneath. If your bathroom doesn’t currently have a medicine cabinet behind the mirror, you can add one and instantly increase the amount of storage available.
If there is an empty space above a door or cabinet, you can use it for storage. In the kitchen, you might want to utilize that area for small appliances or dishes that you don’t use often. In other rooms, you can add a shelf above the door to turn it into a storage space. You can also take advantage of narrow areas between appliances in the kitchen and add shelves or a storage rack that you can slide in and out.
