6 Ways to Squeeze More Storage into Your Home

Whether you live in a tiny apartment or a spacious McMansion, you’ve probably griped at some point about not having enough storage. But take a look around: there are likely places to stash your stuff right in plain sight if you know where to look.  Scroll through these ideas, then get ready to squeeze more storage into your space.

Photo: Tim Van de Velde for Dwell

Floating Cabinets

We love the way the designers of this home collected random dressers and cabinets, painted them all the same color, then mounted them high on the walls. While not necessarily useful for stuff you need to access every day, it’s a great solution for organizing and stashing out-of-season clothing, holiday decorations, keepsakes, among others.

Photo: organizingmadefun.blogspot.com

Ad Hoc “Shelves”

Check out the cabinets in your kitchen, bathroom, family room. Chances are there’s stuff stacked up in the cabinet but plenty of unused airspace. While installing a shelf might be a challenging, hanging some plastic baskets from the top of the cabinet is a quick and easy project, as Becky from Organizing Made Fun proves.

Photo: the2seasons.com

Capitalize on Airspace

Along the same lines, there might be opportunities to capitalize on some of the air space near the ceiling. In addition to using cabinets and shelves that reach the ceiling wherever possible, you can install shelving above a bathroom door for extra linens or towels – the bloggers at The 2 Seasons show you how.

Photo: Shelterness.com

Stash Under the Stairs

Those creepy stairs leading down to the basement will be a little less ominous if you know that they’re housing your camping equipment, sporting goods, holiday decorations, and other random gear. Build a custom shelf system under there so it fits perfectly and has the exact configuration of shelves you need for your stuff. Or opt for rolling storage cabinets to keep it out of sight. With a more finished look, under-stair storage can be used in the rest of the house for everything from a bar to a bookcase to a vacuum cabinet.

Photo: abowlfulloflemons.net

Double-Duty Doors

Doors, especially those for closets, are often untapped real estate, and there are plenty of hooks, racks, and pouch systems that can be easily installed to make use of this space. It’s a great place to stash gift wrap supplies or crafting gear, and in a closet, shoe pouches can also hold small pieces of clothing, hats and mittens, toys, or decorative accessories; Toni from A Bowl Full of Lemons uses her closet door to stash a rainbow of tank tops.

Photo: Decorchick.com

Cutting Corners

Every room has at least four corners… and often they’re wasted space. And in the kitchen, where every little space counts, we love the idea of these lazy susan shelves in the corner in this pantry. It eliminates the problem of not being able to see or access those items in the back. Seek out cabinets and shelves specially designed to snug into a corner, they’re ideal for shoes and coats in an entryway or bookshelves in a living or family room.