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In a small apartment, every room has to do more than one job. The good news is that most small apartment organization comes down to a few moves: use vertical space, give everything a container, and pick furniture that stores things. Here’s how that looks room by room.
My apartment is 1,100 square feet, two bedrooms and two baths. It’s a very decently size apartment… until you look at the layout and wonder why it is the way it is. The kitchen space is so underutilized it’s my biggest pet peeve, there is enough space to add a bigger closet (or two), even a pantry, but the design wasn’t thought through at all.
Do you see all that wasted space in the kitchen? In no world does a dining table fit there.
Entryway
Even if you don’t have one, make one. A wall hook rail, a narrow shoe rack, and a small tray for keys turn the first three feet inside your door into a drop zone. That stops the pile from spreading to the couch.
Living room
- A coffee table or ottoman with storage inside
- Floating shelves above the couch instead of a bookcase on the floor
- Baskets on open shelves for remotes, chargers, and throws
- A tall, narrow bookshelf instead of a wide, short one
Kitchen
- Hooks or a rail on the backsplash for utensils
- Shelf risers in cabinets
- Over-the-sink drying rack to free up counter space
- A rolling cart in the gap next to the fridge
Bedroom
- Under-bed bins (or bed risers to make room for them)
- A headboard with shelves, or a narrow shelf instead of a nightstand
- Over-the-door hooks for tomorrow’s outfit and bags
- Vacuum bags for off-season clothes
Bathroom
- An over-the-toilet shelf
- A tension rod shelf in the shower
- Stackable drawers under the sink
- Hooks on the back of the door for towels
The one rule that makes it work
Everything needs a home it can go back to in one step. If putting something away takes opening a lid, moving something else, and then closing a door, it won’t get put away. Make the most-used things the easiest to put back.
More ideas on the Small Apartment Organization Ideas board on Pinterest.
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