Whether you've just moved or you've lived in your home for 50 years, storage is always a necessity. What do you do when you've run out of space? It's time to think creatively and start adding storage in unexpected places throughout your home. This will also help to clear room and make your space look and feel bigger.
There are many areas of your home that are just dead space. Make use of them by adding storage in these tricky areas of your home with these tips.
Add storage beneath your stairs
Believe it or not, there is a wealth of dead space under your stairs. That hollow space can be transformed into multiple and useful storage areas including:
- A closet
- Open shelving
- Drawers
- Cabinets
- Any combination that suits your needs
Transforming the space under your stairs can be done yourself, or if you aren't skilled enough, by a professional carpenter. The side of the stairs offers plenty of space to display your knick-knacks and collectibles or drawer storage for seasonal items.
TIP: Another often overlooked area around your staircase is the landing. Some stairwells have a landing with plenty of wall space that can easily be transformed with some well-placed bookshelves. You could build in between the wall studs to create nooks for books and other decorative items.
Build between wall studs
As mentioned, building between wall studs is a great way to add storage to your home. The space between wall studs could easily accommodate niches five or six inches deep.
Creating shelving between the studs can be done in any room of the house and can be especially useful when creating storage for something you'd wish to disguise -- like a gun safe or a fire extinguisher.
Smaller dead spaces between your kitchen walls can become pull-out pantries for those who don't have one.
- Vertical pull-out drawers are perfect for organizing and storing cans, bottles and jars
- Vertical drawers are ideal for awkward spaces between your kitchen cabinets
- Instead of having a panel covering the space, install a vertical drawer for easy access to your spices
Furniture should be double duty
If you're looking for more storage space look no further than your furniture. If your furniture doesn't already provide you with double-duty functions, GET RID OF IT! If a couch is going to take up so much space in your living room, it might as well function as something else.
Invest in ottomans with lifting lids to store game controllers, throw blankets or DVDs. They'll be out of sight but still within reach, which is definitely a win-win. If you have built-in breakfast nooks or window seats, adding drawers or cabinets to them is a great way to keep your clutter hidden.
Under bed storage is an easy fix for bedroom storage issues -- it's hidden and convenient. However, most of the time, the items you're storing only take up space around the edge of your bed leaving the middle practically empty. If you have a platform bed, install a hinge or lifting mechanism so you'll have access to that under-utilized space in the middle of your bed.