Do you need some quick and inexpensive storage ideas for your small apartment?
The best small apartment storage ideas are multi-functional and chic. While having a space of your own is empowering, sometimes we need help managing and designing that space.
I have had the distinct pleasure of living in dorms, a oneish bedroom apartment, and a two-bedroom condo. None of these spaces are large. Over the years I have had to develop strategies and techniques for storing all my things.
This post is all about the best small apartment storage ideas I have developed while living in small apartments.
Disclaimer
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While I lived in New York, I had to find ways to keep all the goods, products, and keepsakes, stored in my oneish bedroom apartment. There was no door separating my bedroom from the rest of my home, just an arc way. I call this my oneish bedroom apartment. I transported items from college, my stay in Boston, and Detroit, and my previous years in New York to my new apartment. Before then, I was always sharing a home or dorm. I felt a grand sense of pride in having my own space in New York, but I often became frustrated with the amount of clutter I had.
Whether your apartment is a highrise overlooking Manhattan, or a oneish-bedroom walk-up with a gorgeous view of another oneish-bedroom walk-up in Brooklyn, you want your space to be functional, organized, and beautiful. Clutter is the main culprit to having a space that is not organized, functional, or aesthetically pleasing. To conceal or reduce your clutter there are a few inexpensive, space-saving, and chic things you can get today!
The Best Small Apartment Storage Ideas List
1 – Ottoman
2 – Bookcases
3 – Shoe Rack
4 – Storage Cabinet
6 – Storage bins
7 – Vaccum Bags
8 – Cubes
Ottoman
Ottomans are some of the most versatile storage decor pieces. They provide extra seating while concealing your storage items. If you have a small apartment you must have an ottoman in your living room. When I lived in my small apartment I used my pink ottoman to store extra bags and gadgets I frequently used. Pink wasn’t the best choice in color, but it was a gift and extremely useful in concealing.
Here’s a much more chic option from Amazon, and it comes in 9 colors to blend well with any decor. What I like most about this ottoman is that it’s compact but can hold up to 250 lbs.
Bookcase
Yoooo, I love a good bookcase. Right now, I have 3 easy-assembly, four-tier, bookcases I purchased from Amazon. They are exactly what I needed to organize and store the mounds of books I have from my years of schooling. Bookshelves aren’t only great for storing books, they hold other items like small, heirlooms, and trinkets you want to display. Bookcases are also a great way to elevate your space to create dimension and levels. While in New York, I spray-painted two bookcases that were given to me by a previous roommate who was getting rid of her stuff. I used them as decor pieces and storage pieces in my living room! They were multifunctional and added a chic dimension to my living room area!
Currently, I have these bookcases from Amazon! They come in 3 neutral colors and are made of mass timber. I love that these bookcases were easy to assemble. I assembled each in 30 minutes and have kept them in great condition for over a year. They are not sturdy enough for constant moving. If you do plan to move around these bookcases you may need to renail the back of the bookcase.
Shoe Rack
I am not a fan of door-hanging shoe racks, they sully the aesthetics of a beautiful closet #Sorrynotsorry. However, creating an organized storage space for your shoes can make any cluttered bedroom all the more functional. The shoe racks that I use are floor racks that can be fit to any closest size. Using the spacing on your closest floor optimizes your floor space in a way that is organized while keeping your closet chic!
Here is the shoe rack I currently have from Amazon. It was super easy to assemble and gives me plenty of space to organize my shoes.
Storage Cabinet
Get a cabinet, trust me. If you don’t have built-in cabinetry, simply having a storage cabinet that matches the decor of your home office will provide you with great storage options to conceal all your things! Also, cabinets can function as an artistic accent piece. If you don’t have a storage cabinet it is an absolute must-have. Use it to store your liens, toiletry surplus, or other nick-nacks you can’t seem to find a home for.
This store cabinet is one of my favorites on Amazon. The color and design give a rustic old American farmhouse feel that can translate to many styles nicely.
Envelope Accordion
Having a cabinet or file accordion to organize incoming mail and other important documents that come across your desks and into your home will save you from piles of papers that sit on your kitchen counter or home office desk. This is an expensive way to keep your important documents.
I have used a file organizer like this to keep my mail and schoolwork kept and separated. Depending on how many files you have it may be more beneficial to have a cabinet. However, for small spaces, I recommended this file organizer.
Storage Bins
I use storage bins to store papers and books from previous years of school and work. I store items from high school, cards, and notes that I am not ready to compile or to part with. The use of containers has helped me to categorize these items by the period or event so that I know what each container has in it. Additionally, I keep my notes and books from my schooling in these containers categorized by class so that I can refer back to them when needed throughout my career. These containers can slide under the bed or stack in the closet. They keep your papers safe and contained.
Check out the storage bins I use to keep my papers, books, and documents organized. These bins are small and stackable. You can easily slide them under your bed to conceal them
Sealable Bags
Sealable vacuum bags are great for saving space and storing clothes. I use these quite often to store and protect my clothing. If you don’t have the ability to find storage space outside of your home for your seasonal, vacation, and occasion wear this is an option you can use to protect and shrink the room your clothes take up. You can store these bags in your closet or under your bed.
These are the sealable bags I used. The great thing about them is that they come with a hand pump in case you don’t have a vaccum.
Cubes
I love cube shelving. I went to my hair stylist’s house to have my hair straightened and I saw how she had used her cub shelving and I had to get it one. I use my cub as a TV stand however, it doubles great for storage. Just like my bookshelf, I use the cub to store books, albums, keepsakes, and small heirlooms. The cube has additional functionality because you can turn it horizontally or vertically based on the needs of your space. This is a great home office storage option.
This cube shelving system has moved with me to multiple locations. I assembled it myself and it has been sturdy and great for my many uses!
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Other Tips to Declutter Your Small Apartment
The first thing that anyone should do to declutter their space is to take some time to go through your old items to determine the ones you want and those that you wish to discard.
Clean your closet
Decide that you will donate a certain number of clothes before going into your closet that way you commit to decluttering before deciding what to keep. Giving myself a number to donate before decluttering my closest helps me to clean with the mindset to find what needs to go instead of looking for a reason to keep more clothes.
Another great way to free some space in your closet is to switch your wardrobe from your closet to storage seasonally. I keep a winter/fall and spring/summer wardrobe. During the spring and summer, I vacuum seal the clothes for fall and winter and store them away until their season returns.
Rent Storage Space
Sometimes, we just need more space to hold all of our things. Fortunately, my mother and sister allowed me to keep some of my textbooks from college in their basement until I found a place to keep them. I have also had a situation when I needed to rent a storage unit to hold items of mine for some time. If you have keepsakes that you don’t need at the ready, but it’s not time to part ways with them, look for storage space options outside of your dwelling.
Calendar Cyclical Declutters
Calendar a day multiple times a year to declutter. Throughout the year we are bringing in more. To create space for those things we have to build a practice where we are consistently removing items that are no longer useful. Take some time to calendar dates for 2-3 declutters this year!
This post was all about the small apartment storage ideas that will help you clear clutter and organize.
