How does your home’s square footage stack up to the average? New homes built in 2019 had a median size of 2,301 square feet, but the numbers vary significantly, especially if you live in an older home or in a large city. No matter where your square footage ranks, it’s easy to feel like you don’t have enough room. Finding creative ways to save space lets you get more use out of your home. Keep reading for seven ideas on how to save space with creative home storage tips.
Secrets to Save Space in Your Home
1. Declutter
One of the best ways to save space in your home is to cut back on what you own. Unnecessary furniture takes up valuable real estate within your home. If your furniture is oversized, consider replacing it with smaller pieces that serve the same purpose.
Go through each room with an eye for cutting back on what you own. Instead of having a kitchen gadget for every different type of task, choose a few sturdy multi functional pieces and get rid of the rest.
Be realistic about how many multiples of items you need. Having two sets of bedding for each bed is usually enough, for example. Unless you entertain frequently, you don’t need a lot of extra dinnerware and silverware. Once you get rid of items, you have extra storage space. You can use unique home storage tips to better organize what you have left.
2. Fold Up Your Bed to save space
Your bed is likely the largest thing in your bedroom and can make small bedroom storage more difficult. You can’t go without a bed, but you can move it out of the way when it’s not in use.
A Wilding murphy bed is one option for your bedroom. When you’re not using it, the bed easily folds up against the wall, freeing up floor space and making the bedroom look bigger. You can also customize the bed with extra storage.
Murphy beds work well because they’re just as comfortable as traditional beds. They’re easy to open and close, which means you can quickly transition to bedtime or daytime mode.
3. Use Storage Furniture
Space-saving furniture options don’t stop with your bed. You can choose storage furniture to go throughout the house for easy, hidden storage in any room. It’s like your little secret since no one will know the furniture has items stored inside it. Storage benches and ottomans are versatile and multifunctional. You get extra seating in your room, and they open up for easy access to the hidden storage inside.
Place a storage bench or ottoman in the living room to hold your child’s toys, store magazines, or keep extra blankets on hand. In your bedroom, it can hold extra bed linens or out-of-season clothing.
4. Go Up with Storage
In a small home, floor space is limited, which makes large storage cabinets difficult to use. Wall space often goes unused, though. One of the easiest storage tips is to go up with your storage. Instead of thinking of your walls as just a place to hang art, use them for storage. Tall, narrow shelves or cabinets fit into narrow spaces without eating up much floor space. Yet they still give you plenty of places to store items.
Wall-mounted shelves, hooks, and baskets can go anywhere on your wall without using any floor space. Install a shelf over your toilet or bathroom door to hold extra toiletries, or use hooks to hang items.
If you have lots of extra blankets, consider a narrow blanket ladder. It doesn’t take up much floor space, holds lots of blankets, and offers an attractive way to store your extra blankets.
5. Reclaim Your Corners to save space
Corners also tend to go unused in many rooms since it’s not easy to fit items into corners. Special corner storage units can help you reclaim that awkward space. Put a corner storage cabinet in your bathroom to hold toiletries or towels. A corner TV stand saves space in a small living room. Wall-mounted corner shelves can work in any room when you need extra space.
6. Customize Storage
You can find lots of premade storage options in the store, but finding the right options for your space can maximize your storage. Take measurements of areas, so you can find storage solutions that fit perfectly. Before buying storage cabinets and containers, look at the items you need to store. Consider the best type of storage and how much of each type of storage you need.
You might need baskets or plastic storage tubs to hold small toiletries in your bathroom. Hooks in your closet make an ideal storage option for belts, scarves, and other accessories. Over-door storage solutions take advantage of door space that otherwise goes unused. These storage units come in a range of sizes and types to fit the specific items you need to store. They can go inside closets or on the hidden sides of doors to keep them out of the way.
Built-in storage offers the most custom option for using every inch of storage space. You can build storage shelves or cabinets to fill an entire nook or wall. Premade shelving and storage units often won’t fit exactly, which leaves unused space in your room. You can also add storage under stairs and in other unused space.
Add a door to access the space under the stairs, or add drawers to the area. This top rated modern storage cabinets would be a good addition to your home to help you save space.
7. Use Pull-Out Storage
Pull-out shelves added to existing cabinets and storage spaces can make them more functional. This option is especially helpful for deep or tall cabinets. You can make use of the full storage space since you can pull the shelf out to reach the items in the back.
Upper cabinets can often be fitted with pull-down shelves. They slide out and tip down. This makes it easier to reach things that are on higher shelves. This is also an ideal way to add storage in a garage. Ceiling-mounted storage that pulls down lets you create storage at the top of the garage.
Find Ways to Save Space in Your Home
When you need to save space, getting creative can help. From multi-purpose furniture to maximizing every square inch of storage, you can often find more space in every room. Visit our decor section for more ideas for your home.