Maximize Your Space--Think Vertical

Senior Thursday

Last week we talked about paring down your belongings. However, if you are downsizing from a four-bedroom house to a one-bedroom condo, drastic measures have to be taken. Even with paring down, you may still have a large quantity of items with which you don't want to part.

You can keep more if you maximize your space. You can easily turn two feet of floor space into ten feet of storage space. Here are some ways to do this.

• Use tall shelving units that go as far up the wall as possible. Keep safety in mind, as they can get top-heavy. You may have to anchor them to the wall. Use the lower shelves for heavy items and upper shelves for lighter items.
• Utilize the wall space over furniture--your beds, dressers, sofas, desks, tables, appliances, etc. For example, a nice framed photo flanked by decorative shelving over your sofa can add storage to your walls.
• If you can do remodeling on your new property, knock out the drywall between the studs and install horizontal boards in the nook. This can house cleaning products in the garage, magazines and toiletries in the bathroom, or knick-knacks in your living room.
• Go to the ceiling. Build shelving units that go to the ceiling--in your closet for clothes, in the den for books, and in the bedroom for collections.
• Use the perimeter of the room. Run a shelf around the entire room, over doors and windows, too. This will give you lots of linear feet for displaying your collections or holding books.
• Purchase multi-purpose items such as storage ottomans, chairs that convert to beds, or storage benches. That floor space these items are using will also become storage for you.