In a small room, it can be difficult to find adequate space to store your belongings. When you need to increase storage in a limited area, make the most of open or unused spaces. Look for furniture that does double duty, make the most of walls and ceilings and find decor that doubles as storage for maximum impact.
10 Small Room Storage Ideas to maximise SPACE
Concealed Bookshelves
Create storage space in a small room by using tall, shallow bookshelves. Find the tallest shelving units that will fit in your room, and line them up to cover an entire wall. About two inches in front of the shelves, hang fabric panels from floor to ceiling in a row so that they conceal the shelving units.
The room size will be reduced by a small amount, but you will gain an entire wall of storage. To make the fabric panels hang straight, fold the bottom edge over and sew to form a tube; insert a small dowel in the tube to create an even weight.
Ceiling Shelves
The upper part of a room’s wall space often goes unused. To increase storage in your small room, use a single shelf that wraps around the top of the room. Install the shelf about 1 to 2 feet from the ceiling, depending on the height of the room; for tall rooms, you can put it lower to store large items.
If you are storing items with visual appeal, like books, art, or knickknacks, leave them open on the shelves. For less attractive items, purchase canvas cubes, fill them and set them on the shelves. The colors and patterns will draw the eye upward, creating the impression of a taller room and additional space.
Hidden Storage
In a small room, make the most of your space by using furniture with hidden storage. Buy a bed frame with drawers underneath, for example, or use side tables that double as cabinets. For a small living room, use a trunk as a coffee table, and store extra pillows and blankets inside.
Buy hollow storage cubes that are upholstered and padding to serve as extra seating like ottomans; place a row of cubes at the foot of your bed to act as a bench and storage in one. If you don’t want to buy new tables or bed frames, add simple skirting to turn open space into a hidden storage area; use straight skirting for a more contemporary design.
One of the best ways to streamline a small space is to remove everything you do not absolutely need in the space. Items that belong in other areas need to be placed where they belong, and things that just end up in the space need to find another home. Items that are no longer needed should be disposed of or donated.
Limit The Function Of The Space
Choose a purpose for that space and try to stick to just that purpose. If the room must be a multi-use space, try to minimize the amount of items needed for the secondary purpose or find creative ways to store them.
A Loft Bed
If your small space must serve as a home office as well as a guest room, you might want to consider building a loft bed. This would enable you to retain a cozy guest area while not limiting your workspace on a daily basis. Additionally, you may choose to keep the bed on the ground, but use the loft for storage. This would be a great place to keep older files, office supplies, and other items that are not required for everyday use.
Vertical Space in your small room
In other small rooms, take full advantage of vertical space by installing shelves around the perimeter of the room, approximately 1 ½ to 2 feet from the ceiling. Leave a comfortable space between the shelves and any doorways, so entering and leaving the room or opening closets will not be awkward.
Color
To make the shelves blend in, paint them the same color as the walls. You can store accessories, books, and collections on these shelves to free up space in other areas. Store the items that are used the least frequently on these shelves. You can add another layer of shelves about 2 feet below the top shelf if necessary, or build floor to ceiling shelves on an entire wall.
Closed Storage for a small room
Closed storage will give the room a less cluttered appearance and therefore make it look and feel larger. Tall, narrow storage towers are great additions for hidden vertical storage. Make sure freestanding units are stable. Secure to a stud in the wall if necessary. If you find a great unit that does not have doors, add your own, or cover the opening with fabric.
You can apply the same treatments to bookcases, or line an entire wall with floor to ceiling bookcases, leaving some shelves open and covering others. For example, you might want to leave the upper shelves open to display decorative items, while covering the lower shelves to minimize the cluttered appearance.
Armoire
Opt for a tall armoire or another type of closed cabinet where you can tuck all of these items away vertically in one area, rather than spreading them around the room and filling the space with separate pieces of furniture.
Another handy way to keep things off the floor is to hang things like bicycles or sporting gear on the wall.
A small room may not have much floor space, but it probably has a lot more useable space than it appears to. Look up and see for yourself! A small room does not have to be crowded, awkward, or uncomfortable. Finding ways to utilize every inch of space takes some effort and creativity, but the extra elbowroom makes it worth it.
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Declutter your tiny room regularly
Don’t keep anything you don’t need use or love Follow Marie Kondo for the best declutter tips.
Further reading
Space saving tips for bathrooms
How to grow veggies in a tiny garden
100 house names for a tiny home
