Adequate storage space always seems to be a problem no matter how much space you have in your home. With modern homes becoming smaller and smaller to save on space, lack of sufficient storage space is an even bigger issue. But did you know that there are many things you can do to add storage to your home? Since storage isn’t a physical commodity, you can always play around with a few things to add more space around your home.
What are the easy ways to add storage to your home, just my imagination? Some of the critical things you can do include using furniture pieces that can multitask, finding dead space around your house and converting it into storage space, getting rid of unnecessary stuff, thinking vertically, and eliminating junk drawers. You can also use wall space, invest in space-saving hangers to optimize your closet space or install more shelves in your home.
This blog post discusses some simple things you can do to add more storage space to your home. Read on to learn practical tips and tricks that may you a lot of money in storage fees over the long term.
1. Declutter and Purge
The first thing you need to do to create additional storage space in your home is to get rid of the stuff you no longer use. In most cases, you will find out that more than 50% of the available storage space in your house is occupied by things you no longer need.
The best way to find out what you need and what you don’t need is to conduct a thorough audit of everything in your home. You will be surprised at how much stuff you have accumulated without even realizing it.
All unwanted stuff is now crammed in random drawers or stashed in different places making you believe you don’t have enough storage space in your home.
Since we don’t want to turn this into a lecture on clutter, let us just say that decluttering your home can add massive storage space to your home. You can also purge duplicate, broken, or unnecessary items from your home to create more space.
In fact, this is one of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest ways to free up some extra storage space in your home.
Imagine how much storage space you could create if you cleared your kitchen or got rid of all the unnecessary stuff from your bathrooms. Try it out today and see how much space you will create.
2. Use Better Storage Solutions
You must be asking yourself what a better storage solution is. Well, a better storage solution is one that creates more space and streamlines your item organization process by grouping like items together. The primary purpose here is to ensure that every item has a proper “home” and can easily be retrieved if need be.
Professional organizers recommend using transparent plastic containers to accomplish this mission. These containers allow you to see through them, saving you precious time when you need to retrieve something quickly.
You can choose the highly decorated containers for your living room, bedroom, and dens. Ensure you label the storage containers appropriately for easy retrieval of items later.
Labeling becomes even more critical when you are using these containers in storage spaces like the attic, basement or the back of your main closet.
Even if the storage containers are 100% transparent, labeling them will always speed up item retrieval when need be.
3. Eliminate Junk Drawers
Get up now and go check your junk drawer. If the first thing that hit your mind was “which one?” you are wasting a lot more space than you even know. The best way to start your journey is to pick the closest and deal with the rest later.
Now open the junk drawer and start by getting rid of any duplicated items, items that belong somewhere else, those you haven’t been used in years or aren’t sure if you still need them.
Follow these instructions, and you will realize that nothing remains in the drawer. Now you have created extra storage space in your home that you can redefine its purpose and bring in important items that have been lying on the floor somewhere in your home.
4. Remove Some Walls
If you have a decent budget to spend, you should consider removing just one wall between two adjacent rooms that you think can join and become one large room. This can make a significant difference to how your home feels in terms of available storage space and usable areas.
The truth is that walls usually dictate the size and scale of usable space and may sometimes limit your options in terms of fixtures and furnishings.
You will be surprised just how much impact the removal of a single wall can make on your entire home. The overall feeling will change for the better, and you will end up with extra storage space for your stuff.
This simple modification will make your room far more flexible and completely change the dynamic of the room. It also alters the natural walkways, making your property feel quite different from the moment the wall is brought down.
5. Install Additional Shelves
Installing additional shelves on otherwise bare walls is an excellent idea that will help add more storage space to your home. Besides adding more storage space, you will also introduce a new and more exciting look to a previously dull corner of your house.
However, with the installation of shelves on your walls, you will need to invest in storage containers and baskets to keep your stuff safely tucked away. This is because shelves are open space, and if you don’t sort your items and store them appropriately, they can become cluttered.
Keep in mind that a cluttered and highly disorganized space can take away the positive vibe of your room. This is why you should invest in good storage containers to help you stay organized. As mentioned earlier, ensure the storage containers you purchase are transparent.
6. Go for Multifunctional Furniture
Multifunctional furniture is any piece of furniture that can be used for more than one purpose. The primary goal here is to go after furniture pieces that can help increase the storage space in your home. Some of them include:
- Hutches, sideboards and buffets: These sets of furniture can be used to accommodate extra kitchenware that would otherwise take up valuable space in your kitchen cabinet space. You can store your items in the glass display area on top and use the bottom part to hide your liquor bottles.
- Storage Ottomans: Storage ottomans are usually seen as the workhorse of multifunctional furniture and rockstars when it comes to creating additional storage space in your home. Storage ottomans can serve a wide range of purposes. A storage ottoman can hold anything from extra clothes to utensils, and even shoes.
- Nightstand with drawers: Another option for multifunctional furniture is the nightstand with drawers which gives you extra storage to tuck things away and keep the top of the stand all cleared for a perfect view.
- Under-bed drawers: A significant number of modern beds come with extra storage built underneath. If your bed doesn’t have underneath storage, consider getting some drawers on wheels to increase storage space under your bed. This is the perfect place to store your seasonal clothes that tend to take up a lot of space in your closet.
- Storage headboard: If your bedroom is relatively small, you should consider getting a headboard to add some extra storage space to it. Some have open shelving storage, while others are designed with closed cubbies. The choice is yours. You can store some of your stuff on the shelving and tuck the rest in the cubbies.
7. Think Vertically
Lastly, don’t ignore the space above your head if you want to create additional storage space in your home. The space above your head provides you with an excellent storage solution for your out-of-season, worn out, and little-used items.
You can take advantage of the relatively higher storage space by investing in a strong step ladder that will help you reach these areas.
However, don’t store anything heavy above because it can lead to avoidable injuries or property damage. Ensure large appliances and boxes full of heavy stuff remain on the ground.
For higher spaces, use smaller containers and keep everything lightweight so that you won’t get hurt if they come down and crash on you.
Use plastic storage containers for all spaces near the floor. Plastic containers tend to stack well and make it relatively easier to retrieve items when need be.
Summary
Adding extra storage space to your home is an excellent idea because it helps keep everything organized and prevents the accumulation of unwanted clutter. The tricks discussed in this article can provide you with a good head start if you are looking to make your home look bigger than it is.
However, before you start, carefully assess your choices to see if they can serve you over the long term. You can also find inspiration from other people’s houses and see if you can implement the same in your home.
