Tips for Organizing Small Homes

Tips for Tuesday

When space is at a premium, finding a home for everything can be a challenge.  Even if you’ve de-cluttered and pared down your belongings, sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough room.  Here are some tips you can use in any area of your home to maximize use of the space.

 

 

·         Think vertical – Tall, narrow shelves use up less floor space. 

·         Install shelves on the walls wherever possible. This includes bedrooms and bathrooms as well as living spaces.

·         Hang hooks and organizers from the ceiling.  This is especially useful in kitchens and garages.

·         Use the backs of doors for shelving or pocket organizers. 

·         Use space under your cabinets for spice racks, utensil racks, etc.

·         Use the space under furniture (beds, sofas, etc.) for storage.  There are plastic containers built specifically for this purpose.

·         Purchase multi-purpose furniture-storage ottomans, storage benches, etc.

·         Install or place organizers in cabinets (wire racks, pull-out drawers, etc.) to maximize storage space.

·         Install hooks in small spaces to hold coats, belts, leashes, aprons, etc.

Creative Uses for a Niche

Tips for Tuesday

Some houses have interesting architetural features like columns, crown molding or fireplaces. Some of these features are useful. Others, like a niche, are pleasing to the eye fomr the outside, but serve little function inside.

So what's a homeowner to do with the space that's often not much larger than a closet?

Do you need storage? Install a rod for hanging clothes or shelves for totes. Then put a curtain across the front to hide the items from view. If the space has a window, cover it with a transluscent fabric or drapery to let light in, but hide the contents from the outside.

Do you need an office? Install a desktop, add a file cabinet underneath, shelving above, and you have yourself a small space for paying bills or writing out your grocery list. You may have to run electricity to the space, and a hole/grommet in the desktop so you can have a light and laptop there for you.

Do you like to read? Build a bench, add a cushion and pillows, and the natural light form the window will give you a serene place to read and relax.

Do you need a place to hide toys? Build a bench in the space, add a hinged lid (with safety clasps), or doors on the front. The toys will have a home and your kids will have a place to sit and read.

Do you have an unusual collection to display? One that won't get ruined by sunlight? Install shelves across the window and use them to display items like colored glass bottles or prisms.

Is there limited space in the bedroom? Push a twin bed into the space and use the window and draperies as a makeshift headboard.

If you don't want to build anything permanent in the space, then place a comfy chair and lamp in the nook for reading, place a small desk for doing homework, put in a small bookcase for open storage, or use the space for a small dresser.

What creative uses have you come up with for a niche?

Maximizing Space in Your Living/Family Room

Tips for Tuesday

These last few weeks, we've been looking at ways to make the most of the space you have. Not everyone has a house with large rooms and large closets, with lots of storage. If you have a large family, but are small on space, there are many things you can do to make the most of what you have.

This week, we're looking at your living room.

• Clear the clutter every night before going to bed. When you start a pile, you keep adding to it, until you have several piles. But if you clear the small piles every night, you won't accumulate large ones.
• Purchase furniture with storage--an ottoman that opens, tables with drawers, a shelving unit with doors, etc.
• Purchase multi-purpose furniture like chairs or sofas that open into beds, or a file cabinet that can serve as an end table.
• Corral the controls--designate a basket or tray for holding the remote controls. Teach the family to put them back when they are done.
• Use wall space for storage. Shelving can hold books, DVDs, CDs, etc. Tall narrow units take up little floor space, but give you a lot of storage.
• Use the space under furniture to store blankets, magazines, table leafs, etc.

Maximizing Space in Your Bedroom

Tips for Tuesday

How many bedrooms do you have in your house? Enough for each family member to have their own? What size are your bedrooms? Are they spacious with large closets? Or do you own an historic home with small rooms and small closets?

Whether you have small bedrooms or not enough, there are techniques you can use to maximize the space in your home.

• If you don't have room in your bedroom for a chair, buy a wedge or back support to read in bed.
• Rather than having a full headboard, save a few inches by hanging draperies or fabric behind the bed.
• Purchase a bed with built-in storage beneath the bed, or…
• Put your bed on risers so you can place boxes/bins underneath.
• Use wall space for storage--hang netting for stuffed toys, install shelves around the perimeter of the room, etc.
• Purchase beside tables with built-in storage, such as a file cabinet or one with several drawers.
• Install closet organizers to maximize space.
• Use tall, narrow dressers that will take up less floor space.
• Place a dresser in your closet to save room in your bedroom.

Maximizing Space in Your Bathroom

Tips for Tuesday

Do you have a small bathroom? Or maybe yo have only one bathroom for the entire family? I was raised in a family of eight, with only one bathroom in the house. I was one of five sisters with one brother. If that wasn't a bathroom challenge, I don't know what was!

But we somehow survived. We had schedules, and everyone pitched in to help keep it clean and tidy. As soon as there was a pile of towels, they were tossed in the wash, then returned to the linen closet. There was a family shampoo that everyone used, rather than six favorites lining the shower. If you used up the toilet paper, you'd better go downstairs and get more to replenish the stock. We made it work because we had to.

If you have a small bathroom, there are ways to maximize the space and make it functional for the entire family.

• If floor space allows, have a hamper in the bathroom to collect dirty clothes and towels.
• If you have a pedestal sink, hang a curtain on the outside of the bowl and hide supplies behind it.
• If you have a cabinet sink, install a two-tier slide-out drawer for storing toiletries.
• Store cleaning items behind the toilet on the floor.
• Collect bath toys in a mesh bag or dish drainer.
• If you need a seat in the bathroom, install a fold-down seat so you won't use up floor space with a chair.
• Use the corners in the shower stall for corner shelves or tension rod storage for your shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.
• Group toiletries together in like categories to find them easily.
• Store bulk items like toilet paper in another room.
• Utilize wall space by installing a cabinet or shelving in empty space.

Maximize Your Space

Tips for Tuesday

Even though houses seem to be getting bigger and bigger, we've accumulated so much stuff, even large rooms and closets can't always hold what we need. In that case, the best solution is to get rid of some of your stuff.

There are instances, however, where the house or apartment is just plain small, and a challenge for the home owner. But there are ways to maximize the space to make it a comfortable but functional living area.

• Go vertical. Use wall space all the way up to the ceiling. This might be shelving or tall cabinets. When storing your possessions, containerize smaller items, and label all bins.
• Use multi-purpose furniture. Purchase storage ottomans for the family room. Use a file cabinet as an night stand in the guest room. Use a tall, narrow dresser in the bathroom to store toiletries.
• Use the attic. Install a floor, then add storage units such as bins, portable closets and hooks.
• Overhead storage. This can be utilized in the basement or garage. If your basement isn't finished, install hooks/rods in the rafters and hang items like wreaths, holiday decorations and off season clothes. For garages, use hooks in the rafters, or install drop-down shelving over your cars.
• Use nooks and crannies. Corners are great for storing less-used items. Or build shallow nooks into your walls to hold magazines, display collectibles or store bottles/cans.
• Use the space under your stairs. If you have any stairs in your house, there is space beneath them. Make a bookshelf, install a closet, or use it for seasonal storage.

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.

Maximize Your Space--the 80/20 rule

Senior Thursday

When you are downsizing, space is limited. Therefore, you must be smart about how you use what space you have. Over the next few weeks, we will explore strategies to apply to any area of your home to maximize your space.

Rule One: Apply the 80/20 rule. We use 20% of what we own 80% of the time. So look at the 20% you use and that is what you want to keep.

• Closets—Review your clothes, shoes, purses, hats, and jackets. What do you find yourself wearing every week or two? What haven't you worn in over a year? What looks good on you? What doesn't? Keep the things you wear and love.
• Kitchen—Go through dishes, pots and pans, bakeware, pantry, glassware, flatware, and small appliances. Get rid of those things you haven't used in the last twelve months. Then put lesser used items in a box and pack it away. If you don't need to retrieve anything over the next six months, ask yourself if you really need it.
• Garage—Sort your tools, gardening equipment, and automotive supplies. Get rid of anything that isn't in good condition. For the rest, consider your new lifestyle and home situation. Will you need gardening tools, or will you be in a townhome with lawn service?
• Books/Magazines--Keep only your absolute favorites. Old magazines can be tossed. If you have a subscription, you can access the articles online.
• Bedroom—You only need two sets of bed linens for each bed per season. Choose your favorites.
• Bathrooms—This is an area most people can trim down. How many different shampoos, conditioners and lotions do you really need? What scents do you usually wear? Trim down on your toiletries, towels, and hair care.