HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-10-24, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013.In small homes, proper storage is a must
MS –Cozy, quaint homes attract
many home buyers and renters. Be it
a cottage-style house or a studio
apartment, smaller living spaces
often involve getting creative with
storage.
People live in smaller homes for a
variety of reasons. Some choose to
live in a smaller home so they can be
right in the thick of things in a city or
urban centre. Others scale back on
living space in an effort to save
money. But storage space in small
quarters is often at a premium and
thinking creatively is a necessity to
keep the home tidy and items out of
view.
Rainy or chilly days are the perfect
times to tackle indoor organization
projects. When the outdoors isn’t
beckoning, you can devote all of
your attention to addressing storage
issues in your home. To begin, take
inventory of what you have, going
through your possessions and
determining what can stay and what
can go. Part with anything you
haven’t used in quite some time.
The next step is to sort items and
get organized. Then you can find a
place for everything. For example, if
you have a dozen bath towels, but
only one sauce pot, you will need to
find more room for linens than
kitchen cookware. You may need to
borrow space from one area of the
home to give to another area. The
following are some additional tips to
increase space in an otherwise
cramped home.
• Add shelves.Increase cabinet
and closet space by adding shelves
to them. This may double or even
triple the amount of usable space,
especially if you customize the
shelving to fit storage containers you
use to store everything from shoes to
craft items.
• Opt for dual-purpose
furniture. Benches with lids that lift
up and sofas that convert into guest
beds are just a few of the many ways
you can keep a small home neat and
increase storage space. An ottoman
is a great place to store extra
blankets and linens, while a trunk or
crate with a sturdy top can be used in
lieu of a traditional coffee table to
keep books or board games.• Think vertically. When floorspace is at a premium, you may need
to look up for storage. Frequently
used pots and pans can be hung from
a decorative rack in your kitchen.
Use magnets on jars to store a spice
rack on the wall near the stove.
Racks above cabinets or on doors
can be used to store everything from
shoes to jewelry to toiletries.
Shelving in children’s rooms can
store lesser used toys away from the
floor. Empty walls are valuable real
estate in a small home and tall
bookshelves can house a number of
different things.
• Take advantage of oddly-
shaped crevices.If you have space
under a staircase or a spot by a
dormer or in an attic eave, use the
space to store items. You may need
to get creative, such as adding a door
and small closet into the staircase,
but such spaces make practical
storage areas and add character to a
home.• Use see-through storagecontainers. Many people find that
plastic storage bins are neater and
more stackable than boxes. See-
through bins enable you to quickly
find items so that you are not
searching around the house for lost
items and creating a bigger mess
along the way. Clear storage
containers work in the refrigerator,
too. You can more easily spot
leftovers, and uniform stacking
containers free up more room for
bulkier items.
• Make use of space beneath
your bed. There is likely ample
room to store more things than just
dust bunnies beneath your bed. A
bed frame with built-in drawers is
the perfect place to keep bed linens
and out-of-season clothes. Beds can
be raised on blocks to create more
space underneath for storing rolling
plastic containers and even seldom-
used suitcases.
• Opt for an armoire. Armoiresare not exclusive to bedrooms.Armoires can be used in dining
spaces or in dens to store items out
of sight. An armoire can be used
when retrofitted with a pull-out shelf
as a laptop desk, storing all office
items behind closed doors when not
needed.
• Improve storage in the
bathroom. Try to choose a vanity
that has under-the-sink storage so
you will have a place to store some
toiletries. Home improvement
centers sell cabinets and etageres
that can be placed above the toilet
tank as a storage space for bathroom
items. In the shower, hang a second
tension-loaded shower curtain rod
on the inside of the shower enclosure
that can be used to hold bags of kids
bath toys and other toiletries,
keeping them off the tub ledges.
When you think creatively, you
can maximize storage space even in
a small home.
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Storage wars
Whether it’s a smaller home or an apartment, making the
best of the space you have is a must, which is where
creative storage comes in. (MS photo)
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