LIving Room After Visualization
Creative Commons License photo credit: DeaPeaJay

Let’s face it: 80 percent of being organized is simply having enough storage space. While newer homes and apartments have upgraded the amount of closet space available, most people don’t have multiple walk-in closets where they can stash their stuff.

If You Can’t Get Rid of It, Hide It

While it’s nice to think that we shouldn’t have more stuff than our closets can hold, it’s not always realistic. Due to a huge range of totally valid reasons, you may have a lot of stuff that you don’t want to get rid of, but don’t have a place for. The trick to keeping your home looking clean and calm is getting as much stuff as possible out of sight. It’s easy if you’ve got an extra room or closet. If you’re in an older home or an apartment, you can still get your stuff out of sight, you’ll just have to be more creative about it.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few tricks that may work for you:

Under the Bed

Under-bed boxes are cheap and roomy. Available at places like K-Mart and Target, these cardboard wonders sell for just a few bucks. You can fill them with out of season clothing, old textbooks, rarely used memorabilia or mementos, blankets and linens, and just about anything. If they don’t fit under your bed, simply get a box cutter and go to work.

Pros: Cheap and roomy

Cons: Need a bedskirt to hide them, very un-feng shui (if you’re concerned with that)

Repurpose a Dresser

Dressers are a great way to stash stuff, since the drawers provide a built-in organizational system. Pick up some cool pieces at garage sales, from friends and family who are upgrading, or at Ikea or Target (anywhere, really). If a piece has good bones but a raging case of the uglies, try painting the exterior and changing the knobs or handles. With new knobs and paint, you can create a matching set. I’ve used my dad’s childhood dresser as an entertainment center (DVDs, CDs, video games, etc.) and it’s currently the default Repository of Crap for mail, keys, notes, chargers, etc and works very well.

Pros: Looks like real furniture (instead of a storage item), lots of room, easily organized

Cons: One more piece of furniture to port around, may take some work to actually be attractive

Attractive Boxes

Things look under control when they’re containerized. It’s a bit of an illusion, but it’s an illusion that works. You can make a room look less cluttered by putting any homeless items in a box, and then spraypainting, decoupaging, or wrapping that box. Whether it’s sitting on a shelf in a bookcase, stacked with other boxes as an impromptu coffee table, or simply piled in a corner, a box can hide a range of items. Hide CDs or DVDs, old love letters, spillover kitchen utensils, your old tax forms, or anything that needs a place. If you’re worried about losing track of items, place a label tag on the bottom or on the underside of the box lid.

Pros: Cheap, easily accessible, can also function as cheap decoration

Cons: Somewhat haphazard, can look like cheap decoration

Sneaky Coffee Tables

My mom’s house always look very neat and clean. Until you lift the skirt on the one of the coffee tables, that is. Who knows what you’ll find? Her DVD collection? An old fabric stash? Photo albums? If you’re really strapped for space, switch out your cool, minimalist coffee tables or bedside stands for a basic round card table and drape a throw over it. Everything underneath? Free storage space!

Pros: Cheap, easy to change as your tastes evolve, easy to access

Cons: A bit girly, easy to accidentally kick stuff underneath, not great for home with little ones or curious pets

Maximize Closet Space

Your best bet for hiding stuff is in the closet, and there’s almost always some wasted space built into closets. Whether it’s the square feet of floor space or the three feet over the hanging bar, look for empty space. Shelving options are pretty cheap, especially if you’re not trying to make your closet into a masterpiece. Cheap wire cubes (between $10 and $20) can give you both horizontal and vertical space, plus they help keep things compartmentalized. Use them for t-shirts, pajamas, shoeboxes, sweaters, or anything that’s sucking up space.

Another good place to check is in the garage and yard sections of department stores. The items you’ll find here are usually more affordable than products marketed as “closet solutions,” plus you get an industrial-chic look. Pick up bookcase-style metal racking for around $10 to score extra shelves for folded clothes or room for hobby materials. I’ve yet to run out of uses for a hand-me-down plastic shelving unit that has four shelves that break apart. If you’re really concerned about the ugly factor, use plastic spraypaint to add some style.

There are plenty of additional solutions, but these are all things that have worked for me. (And trust me, I crammed a lot of stuff into some small spaces!) So if you’ve got additional suggestions, please pack into the comments and add to the list!

Similar Posts:

If you enjoyed this, please take a second to pass it on:
  • Mixx
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • E-mail this story to a friend!