Growing up in New York City, it was not an uncommon sight to see a room that had a Murphy Bed. This bed actually folded up into the wall, while the underneath side matched the bookcases on each end.
It was a clever way to maximize space in an apartment and create a living space during the day and a bedroom at night.
Storage has always been a challenge for most of us, no matter what our square foot of living space is.
There is an old adage that you can never be too thin or too rich. To that I add, you can never have enough closets.
Below are some ideas to find ways to enhance any available space you have for storing your every day items and some not often used items.
Look under your bed. Do you see all that empty space under it (don’t focus on the dust bunnies)?
What a great place to store extra shoes, seasonal clothing and clothes that you know probably don’t fit but you can’t get rid of it yet (just in case you lose those ten pounds)!
Plastic zipped storage bags under the bed receptacles will give you access to the above mentioned storage.
If you haven’t bought one of those monster TV screens on a stand, consider a flat screen that can be put above the fireplace mantel or between bookcases. It will free up a lot of floor space.
Some additional space can be found by adding a bench seat underneath a window and building cabinets underneath it. In a very small kitchen, you can use the bench seat as a seating area and add a small table with two small chairs on either end and you will then have dining space and the ability to remove a free standing table with four chairs that may be crowded into a kitchen.
Mudrooms are a wonderful thing. Not only can you hang pegs and hooks for clothes, the dog leash, etc. but you can build some cubby holes that let you see hats, gloves, umbrellas and the like at a quick glance. A shelf above, on an opposing wall ,can also keep extra items as well.
In a bathroom, you might use the space between two studs to create a small recessed wall. A perfect place for toiletries, perfumes, shampoos and a magnified cosmetic mirror.
Essentially, there are hidden places in our home to contain everything, including the kitchen sink.