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Last updated on April 9th, 2022 at 08:56 pm
One of the questions I get asked the most is how to find places to store things. My answer is to decide where it makes the most sense for it to go and where you would be most likely to look for it. But the problem is, sometimes the room where it makes sense for it to go has little to no storage.
Today I’ll give you a solution for finding places to store items from what already exists in your home or by making investments in storage.
During an organizing session, a client asked where I like to store my cleaning supplies because she was storing hers in the garage. While it would be ideal to have a closet somewhere in the house completely dedicated to cleaning supplies, it’s not practical.
Most of us will never live in houses designed to our every want and desire, so we have to make the best of what we have by making it work for us.
Tiny Kitchens
One room that always lacks storage space is the kitchen. We’re faced with oddly shaped cabinets, small pantries, and very little counter space.
My parents’ kitchen is a very small kitchen. It’s great for cooking because you only have to take two steps to get to the sink, stove, or refrigerator. The problem is it doesn’t have a ton of cabinet or counter space.
Their solution was to use the built-in shelves in the garage as an expansion of their kitchen.
Any small appliances they don’t use daily gets stored in the garage. Extra pantry items are also on these shelves.
While it’s not ideal, it’s effective, and it’s only a few steps away from the kitchen.
No-Storage Bathrooms
Another room that always lacks storage is the bathroom.
The bathrooms in my house only have under the sink storage. And truth be told, I don’t like storing towels under the sink because it gets dirty down there.
Instead, we repurposed a bookshelf we had as an upgraded towel rack. It’s just outside the opening of the bathroom and still looks nice enough to be in our bedroom.
In our first apartment, I used our IKEA cabinet to store dinnerware and my makeup. It sounds really strange, but it worked really well.
Once again, it’s not ideal but it’s very effective.
Repurpose Closets
Closets can be used as something other than closets.
Some people have turned their closets into a mini-office.
My cousins turned their coat closet into a kitchen appliance closet.
I once had a client who uses her closet under the stairs as a family scrapbook library. (That was the coolest use of a closet I’ve ever seen).
You can change a storage space to fit your needs from what was originally intended. You might find that your linen closet has tons of shelves that you don’t really use. You could use the rest of the space to store photo albums or extra dinnerware.
In order to create space that is practically non-existent, you can use what storage spaces you have and repurpose it for a greater need.
Or you can invest in a shelf or standing wardrobe to use as additional storage. (And I recommend not always looking in the organizing section …you make good finds in other parts of the store!)
How can you repurpose a closet, a shelf, or a cabinet to fit your storage needs? Share your ideas in the comments below so everyone can get ideas!
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