For the past two weeks we have been promoting Tiny Living and all of its benefits, including how to micro-manage your space and effectively place and utilize your belongings into said shrunken area.
But not everyone lives in a Tiny House. A great majority of our readers do, in fact, live in a regular-sized home. Be it a rancher, duplex, a classic two-story, etc., we know that you need space saving tips just as much as the Micro Living community. While much of the information we’ve already shared is just as beneficial and usable in your own space as they are in a Tiny Home, we decided to expound a bit more on the idea of storage and space saving with a standard house being the model.
When your first walk through the door of your house, the ideal is a foyer of sorts or at least a hallway with a coat closet. Closet doors that swing out into the room, especially in a small hallway where space is already limited, are real square-footage hogs. Pocket doors or Barn doors are a simple and easy solution to this problem, as they do not take up floor space and are easily operated:
How about we forgo the closet door altogether!
Wait, what?
I get it, some of us have stuff in those coat closets that we haven’t seen in 3 years, but stay with me for a minute here. Removing the door entirely allows for a more open feel to the room, even if it is just an illusion. The only way this works is to select a functional yet decorative organizer for your open closet, so that it looks presentable to the world. Here’s an example of something that fits the bill:
While we’re touching on entranceways to the home, maybe you have a mudroom that you can first walk into. That’s great! While mudrooms aren’t the largest of rooms, there are still plenty of ways that you can utilize the space and maximize its efficiency:
A simple set-up like this covers all of your basics: hooks for the coats, a bench to sit and take your shoes off, cubbies to store said shoes into, and two bookcase frames on either side of the built-in bench to hold any other kind of storage you may need to keep in the room, like cleaning supplies or winter necessities (like hats, scarves, and gloves).
One of the next rooms you’ll come across is typically the living room. While it’s true that some people only use their living rooms for show, we’re not talking to those people today. This post is for those families and friends who actually gather here to talk, watch videos, and even host parties. So why not make everything in this room as useful as possible?
Think about a multi-purpose sofa. Not every couch has to pull out into a bed, you know. Nowadays, you see sofas with shelving to allow for extra storage opportunities:
But maybe you don’t want your stuff to be seen? That’s not a problem, either. Sofa storage is just as wonderful an option as the open shelving option shown to the left.
Sofas that open to reveal storage compartments under the cushions are a fantastic way to hide your goodies:
Or even seating areas built-in against a wall with storage drawers underneath are just as useful in organizing and maintaining your possessions.
What matters most is figuring out how to utilize your room and what its main function will be. Will you have a living room with a sofa in the center of the room, in front of a TV and stereo system, or built-in seating between windows to allow for a larger and more open floor space? These are just some of the issues that professional designers consider when deciding how to maximize storage potential in your home.
Continuing our tour, we find ourselves in the kitchen. We did touch on this in our previous post (see it here!). I’m still a big fan of the incognito dishwasher drawers, mentioned in that post, to allow for more cabinet storage under the counters.
Another spectacular space-saver in the kitchen is a stand-alone or built-in pantry that has excellent storage capacity like this beauty here (on the right) by Venegas and Company.
This cabinet is 54″ wide x 108″ high x 28″ deep. That allows for more than enough storage (at least in my kitchen) for spices, oils, mixing bowls, measuring cups, etc., etc..
Want extra counter space? Consider a hideable counter (see left photo) with wheels that easily slides under the counter when not in use and still leaves room for storage beneath it!
How about a table and some chairs for that breakfast nook or even for your dining room? Space-saving, compact options such as this dining set (see right photo) are brilliant and becoming quite popular! The chairs and table are uniquely designed so that when not in use, they fit in perfect unison to help conserve space wherever it takes residence in your home.
Finally, let’s look at some clever space-saving options for the main bathroom. Bathrooms, traditionally, are one of the smaller main rooms, even in a non-Tiny House, so there have been ways to get around storage problems in this room for quite some time.
A shelving unit that fits over and around your toilet is one example of how to add that extra storage.
Don’t like the over the toilet-storage idea, or you have a window there and this won’t work? You can always go the built-in route (Staci’s preferred method):
Towel bars on the back of the door is also a fabulous way to obtain space where there is none.
So, storage is always option, no matter what kind of space you’re living in! We hope these pieces were helpful and inspiring. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your storage and space-saving options and feel free to share any tips or ideas we may have overlooked in the comments box below! We’d love to hear from you!
Also, feel free to call us to work with you on your next design project: 856.269.0707 or email us at [email protected]
-Tara