Adore your house but wish there was more space for storage?
An expert on tiny spaces, who knows how to use every square metre of the house to the fullest, shared a few useful tips.
Tiny House Builders owner Rebecca Bartlett says tiny houses are the example of how minimal space can be used to its maximum functional potential with creative storage solutions.
There’s no cookie-cutter strategy to improve storage.
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“You have to be creative and think differently,” she says.
Getting rid of the clutter and cleaning the house is the first step.
Second, analyse your lifestyle and how you use each room and what you wish you had in each room.
Think of basics, keep it simple, Bartlett says.
“Before you make changes to the space analyse where are you going to put the broom or keep that clothes rack.”
Bartlett is convinced that improving storage at your home and having everything in the designated spot, shifts your life in a happier direction.
“It's a big thing knowing where everything is, grab things and off you go, because it increases your time management and you are not wasting time looking for something in the box that’s in the garage.”
Here are her favourite ways to maximise storage at home:
Mudroom
Organising the hallway by the front door to provide a transition between the outdoors and the indoors, also known as the mudroom, is the key to getting your home organised.
A mudroom, a favourite Pinterest trend, is used for storing items that are commonly carried in and out of the house. The name comes from its primary job is to keep muddy outdoor stuff out of the house.
One of the smart ways to organise a mudroom is with a built-in wall shoe-rack with a cube for each pair of shoes. It can be covered to reduce visual clutter or open so you can quickly spot the pair you need.
Install a bench to plop down on when tying shoelaces and have more hidden storage under the bench seat.
Add a few hooks on above the bench to hang coats, umbrellas, hats, bags, even the lead for the dog.
You could replace the wall hooks with a set of cabinets or cubbies, one for each family member to keep the area more user-friendly and personalised.
Kitchen
Tiny house expert Bartlett says the way to optimise storage in the kitchen is opt for less deep cabinetry and customise it.
“There’s no point having super deep or high cabinet that you cannot get to,” she says.
Make the space more functional by installing a rotating wire basket in a corner cabinet so that items don’t get lost in the back corner.
In a small apartment where you are trying to squeeze the most of your kitchen, consider an oven and a microwave combination in appliance and converting the space saved from the second appliance into storage.
If you have no wall space, add a free-standing shelf to stash your pots and appliances or create shelves around the lower cabinets at every possible opportunity - inside cabinet doors or at the side of a corner cabinet, for example.
You can also turn your stove into extra counter space by covering the burners with two large cutting boards and use it for meal prepping.
Bartlett says when building new or renovating an apartment kitchen, think “How often do we actually use all the burners on your stove? Maybe you just need two? Look at the way you live and understand what you day to day living is like,” she recommended.
Bedroom
The bedroom is often the space where most of our belongings need to live, but has minimal space for storage.
The old trick of putting plastic containers underneath the bed looks tacky, but luckily there are more aesthetically pleasing and efficient ways to store stuff.
When shopping for furniture, check out flip top versions of couches, beds or ottomans that open up for storage meaning you’re not cluttering the room with extra furniture pieces.
Or look for a storage bed with built-in storage drawers to keep seasonal gear such as winter coats or summer camping gear that you don’t need to use very often, but can easily access when needed.
It’s also a good place to store bed linen or blankets, free of dust.
