Storage Ideas For Small Spaces: 11 Tips To Organize A Small Home

Whether you live in a 4,000 square foot home or a 200 square foot tiny home there’s no getting around the fact that we all have stuff. And that stuff needs a home. Chances are if you live in a large home, you already have more than enough storage space (even if your shoe collection disagrees). Which is why this post is aimed at all of us small-to-tiny house dwellers who are desperate for storage solutions because we’ve already used up all of the available space in our homes. Here are storage ideas for small spaces you may not know about.

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11 STORAGE IDEAS FOR SMALL SPACES

If you’ve lived in a small space for any length of time, you’ve probably already caught on to the fact that before you can organize anything, you have to declutter. In case you didn’t already know this, here are some posts to get you started with the decluttering process:

• Why you should ALWAYS Declutter Before You Organize
• Shock Treatment Declutter: How to Declutter Your Entire Home Quickly
• Decluttering Your Home: Everything You Need to Know

Once you’ve decluttered, culled, purged, and eliminated your way to a lean, mean, clutter-free space, then and only then can you get down to implementing some serious storage solutions for small spaces. Here are a few inspirational ideas to get you started.

1 | Over the Door Storage

The interior doors of our homes are a gold mine of often-untapped storage space. Think about it, most doors measure anywhere from 3′ wide by 7′ tall. That’s up to 21 square feet of extra storage! And for those of us who live in a small-to-tiny house, every inch counts!

You can pick up the wire over the door organizer shown above here. I use an over the door organizer made of fabric like this one in my kid’s room to organize their collections.

When it comes to over the door storage, you are truly only limited by your imagination. You can use the back of your doors to store:

• Toiletries
• Shoes
• Gift wrap
• Craft supplies
• Toys
• Kitchen utensils
• Cleaning supplies
• Office supplies
• Jewelry
• Tools
• Ironing board
• Chargers and misc. cords

2 | Cabinet Door Storage

Again, much like the untapped space on the inside of doors, the inside of our cabinet doors too often sit bare and lonely. Whether you live in a small house or not, you should totally be utilizing the space inside of your cabinet doors for storage.

If you’re stuck on ideas for which items store the best inside of cabinet doors, I’ve got you covered. You can use the inside of your cabinet doors to store:

• Pot and pan lids (use command hooks)
• Wraps and baggies (mount a magazine holder inside of the door)
• Toiletries (use an over the door shoe organizer and cut it to size)
• Hang paper towels, rolls of trash bags and more with an over-cabinet paper towel holder
• Install pegboard and hang items with pegboard hooks
• Attach a magnetic strip (or paint with magnetic paint) and hang magnetic spice jars, knives, etc.
• Use cup hooks to hang items
• Sponges/cleaning supplies (hang a metal basket so sponges will dry quickly)
• A small trash can (again, use command hooks)
• Tupperware lids (hang a paper file with adhesive strips)

3 | Secret Storage

The storage ottoman is an organizer’s best-kept secret. It not only doubles as a footrest/end table/extra seating, but you can fill it with stuff quickly (say, when unexpected company is knocking at your door) and NOBODY has to know!

Ahem…not that I’ve ever done that or anything.

Since our family currently lives in a tiny house with an equally tiny kitchen, I use a storage ottoman to store my Instant Pot as well as all of my pots and pans. Sometimes, you’ve gotta think outside the box when it comes to storage ideas for small spaces!

4 | Use Command Hooks…Everywhere

If I had to list just one must-have item for organizing it would absolutely be the command hook. Command hooks are small (but mighty) storage solutions which don’t always get the attention they deserve when it comes to organizing a small space.

I can tell you, the first thing I did when we purchased our tiny house was run to my local Walmart and stock up on a variety of command hooks. Command hooks come in several different finishes, shapes, and strengths depending on what you need to hang. There are even waterproof command hooks for the shower/tub.

You can use command hooks to hang:

• Purses
• Coats
• Umbrellas
• Leashes
• Jewelry
• Bath Sponges
• Pot and pan lids
• Kitchen utensils
• Belts
• Scarves
• Seasoning packets (use a command hook with a file clip)
• Baskets (for even more storage)
• Curling irons
• Blow dryers
• Potholders
• Unruly cords/wires

The possibilities are endless!

5 | Increase Closest Storage

Chances are if you live in a small or tiny home, you also have small/tiny closets. Believe me, I feel your pain!

The trick here is to utilize every single square inch of space inside of your small closets for storage. In the closet above does everything right when it comes to organizing a small closet.

Notice how she uses space-saving hangers, a large wicker basket like this one on the floor, and all of the space on the back of the door. Additionally, she has added extra shelves to the top of the closet in order to use the space at the tippy top for storage.

What you may not know is that Lindsay lacked sufficient closet space in her small apartment so she chose to use a small closet located in her dining room for her clothing storage. Genius!

6 | Inside Cabinet Storage

A cabinet is basically a smaller version of a closet, so all of the rules for maximizing storage apply. Except for the space-saving hangers, of course. Although, you can and should hang items inside of cabinets whenever possible.

In order to boost the space available inside your cabinets you can:

• Store less-often-used items towards the back of the cabinet. (Or in higher cabinets which you don’t need to access as often)
• Add extra shelving and drawers inside cabinets so you can use up vertical space
• Use a lazy susan for easy access to items
• Install vertical/slotted storage for flat items such as baking sheets, lids, etc.
• Use some of the ideas for organizing the inside of cabinet doors on the inside of the cabinet as well

7 | Use All The Walls

Who says you have to limit your storage solutions for small spaces to closets, drawers, and cabinets?

I say…use the walls. ALL the walls!

I love what Elsie, from A Beautiful Mess, did with the wall outside of her master closet. It was a super simple project which resulted in a beautiful way to store all of her accessories. See the complete transformation here. 

8 | Utilize Furniture for Storage (even in the bathroom)

In case you can’t tell by now, I’m a big fan of using whatever’s on hand for storage. Here’s proof that storage solutions for small spaces need not cost an arm and a leg. In fact, organizing your small home can be totally free. You can repurpose old dressers, end tables, bookcases, etc. into one-of-a-kind storage vessels.

 

STORAGE SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL SPACES

9 | Use Your ‘stuff’ As Decor

When all else fails, you could just choose to display your favorite collectibles, china, artwork, and doodads instead of shoving them into a closet or hiding them away in a box.

Apparently, there’s a ‘new’ trend which, because I’m a minimalist, I only recently became aware of. It’s called ‘Maximalism’. According to Apartment Therapy,

If your favorite color is ‘everything’. You have a collection of collections. And you view white walls as missed opportunities…

You might be a Maximalist.

Whether you consider yourself a minimalist, a maximalist, or something in between, I say if an item (or items) brings you joy you should proudly display it in your home. Period.

10 | Bookcases…They’re Not Just For Books

Due to the fact that they can go all the way to the ceiling, bookcases are invaluable storage solutions for small spaces. You can literally store anything and everything on a bookcase and if done correctly, it can look quite nice.

In a small house, bookcases can also double as a makeshift wall/room divider as well as a headboard. Which makes them a super versatile tool in your organizational tool belt.

11 | No Room For Nightstands

If you lack space in your bedroom for nightstands, yet you still need a place to put your glasses, tissues, a cup of water, the latest book you are reading, etc. fear not! There are plenty of ways to incorporate a nightstand as storage in your tiny bedroom. Instead of a traditional nightstand, you can:

• Hang a floating shelf (or two)
• Attach a rectangular basket to the wall (you can use either a metal basket like this one)
• Take a wooden magazine holder, turn it sideways, and mount it to the wall.
• Hang a small corner shelf
• Use an indoor plant stand
• Hang a few small cube shelves
• Use a small stool
• If really don’t have space for a nightstand, hang a picture ledge

There you have it. 11 storage ideas for teeny tiny spaces.

READ MORE: 

• How To Organize A Family In A Small House (With Room To Spare)
• Small Kitchen Organization Ideas: Instantly Create More Storage
• How To Live In A Small House With A Family (Without Losing Your Mind)
• 7 Must-Have Organizing Products For a Small Home

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