Clever Storage Ideas For Small Apartments

These days, more and more people are swapping the Australian dream of a three-bedroom house and backyard for the advantages that come with living in an apartment. They’re affordable, easy to maintain, and often close to the centre of town. The only downside? The lack of storage space.

Whether you’re downsizing after selling the family home, or moving into your first rental, it can be tough to fit your belongings into a small apartment. But it is possible! Especially with these nine storage ideas for small apartments.

1. Compartments, compartments, compartments!

Before rushing out and buying new storage containers, the first thing to do is take a look at how your belongings are currently being stored. Is each cupboard neatly packed, or is it filled to the brim with a jumbled mess of objects?

As we touched on in our guide to storing self-care items, compartmentalisation is key. Put simply, compartmentalisation involves sorting your items into different categories and using storage solutions to keep them in these groupings. Initially, it might seem counterintuitive, but compartmentalising your belongings is one of the best storage ideas for small apartments as it not only helps you to save space but also makes it easy to find what you need when you need it.

Popular examples of compartmentalised storage ideas for small apartments include:

• Using drawer dividers to keep stationery items, or cutlery, neat and tidy instead of mixed together.
• Using small plastic boxes to organise different self-care products. Old shoe boxes also work a treat!
• Using small baskets to keep clothing in neat piles on wardrobe shelves.

2. Make the most of vertical spaces

When it comes to storage, most people think of how to store things horizontally and forget that there’s so much vertical space in every home that goes underutilised. With the right storage accessories, you can turn spaces like the inside of cupboard doors, and vertical nooks into small storage spaces for those items that never seem to fit anywhere. Storing things upright is particularly useful in the laundry and kitchen, but it also works in wardrobes. Some popular vertical storage ideas for small apartments include:

Placing hooks on the inside of the kitchen door or laundry cupboard to hang up the dustpan and broom, rather than leaving them on the floor.

• Investing in a spice rack that hangs on the back of the pantry door.
• Buying hanging wardrobe organisers to store clothing or shoes.
• Storing your ironing board in the gap between the fridge and the wall.

3. Store items under the bed

Storing items you don’t need on a regular basis under the bed is a great way to keep things out of sight, without taking up precious cupboard space. Many beds these days come with built-in drawers to make storing items under the bed a breeze, but plastic containers work just as well if you don’t want to buy a new bed. If you have a particularly low bed, look for long, shallow containers—they fit almost anywhere!

4. Use suitcases like a Trojan horse

Chances are you have a bulky suitcase or two hanging around the place, taking up precious storage space. Rather than leaving it empty when it’s not in use, consider filling it with linen, old books, shoes or out-of-season clothing, and simply empty it when you head on your next holiday. After all, it’s taking up space in the cupboard anyway!

5. Install wall-mounted shelving

Wall-mounted storage has rapidly become one of the most popular storage ideas for small apartments. Wall-mounted storage not only keeps your items organised but is also a great way to liven up your living space by having your belongings on display. It’s available in a range of sizes, from simple shelves for displaying photo frames and other precious items, to full-size bookcases. You can even buy wall-mounted wine racks!

6. Create an entranceway ‘drop zone’

One of our favourite ways to minimise clutter is by creating a ‘drop zone’ in the apartment’s entranceway to place things like keys, hats, coats and umbrellas. The drop zone can be as simple or complex as you want and might include items like a shoe rack, hat stand, shelf, bench or wall hooks to keep regularly used items from cluttering up your cupboards and shelves. And with the right accessories, it can really add to your home’s décor.

7. Use your apartment’s storage cage

Most apartments come with access to a lockable storage cage, typically located in the apartment block’s garage. Storage cages are a great place to store items you don’t need on a regular basis, such as camping gear, car supplies and other odds and ends that don’t fit neatly around the house, like spare inflatable mattresses that you only need when relatives visit! If you decide to use this storage method, it’s important to make sure your storage cage is securely locked, and that more valuable objects are kept out of sight.

8. Organise your belongings according to use

Getting smart with storage ideas for small apartments doesn’t have to involve buying new storage solutions. In fact, you can save a whole heap of space simply by reorganising your belongings according to how regularly you use them. If you know you don’t need to access something for a while, pack it away neatly on a top shelf somewhere along with other similar items. Because you won’t need to access these items for a while, you can afford to pack them in slightly tighter, which will help you fit more in.

9. Consider renting a self-storage unit

If you’ve ruthlessly Marie-Kondo’d your belongings and maxed out every last bit of your apartment’s storage space and still have leftover items you don’t want to part with, it might be time to consider renting a self-storage unit. They’re secure, affordable and the ultimate clutter buster as they let you remove unwanted clutter from your home, without having to remove it from your life for good.

For more clever storage ideas for small apartments, contact us today.