Organizing in Small Spaces

Organizing itself can be a challenge, but organizing a small space can be even more difficult.  It is the equivalent of taking a three week family vacation in the wood-paneled station wagon packed with everyone's bags versus taking that same vacation in a deluxe RV.  It is difficult to live in a space when your necessary items take over your living space!  

Let's start with the idea of "necessary" items in a home.  Most people could easily live without many of the items they "need" in their home.  

Yes, the first step to organizing a small space is to evaluate what is stored in that space.  If evaluating items seems like a unnecessary step, consider that clutter is expensive.  It costs an average of $10 per square foot to store items in your house.  Put in monetary terms, a person can really calculate the cost of hanging onto that fondue pot they might use someday.

Evaluating items begins with sorting items into the following piles - keep, donate, sell, toss, relocate.  If it is difficult to evaluate whether an item should stay in your space, using the following questions can help:

• When was the last time I used this?  (if it’s been more than a year, let it go)
• How often do I use it? 
• Could I borrow, rent, or improvise with something the few times I might need it? 
• Is it a duplicate?
• Is it out of date?
•  If I didn’t have this anymore, what impact would it have on my life? 
• Do I value this item? 
• Is this item in need of repair or damaged? 
• Am I keeping it because I feel guilty if I tossed it or gave it away?
• How easily could I get another one if I needed it?

Storage for pantry items that do not fit in the pantry
(photo credit:  marthastewart,com)

After surveying the "keep" pile and the space available for the items, an individual can decide if the items will fit or not.  If items do not fit, consider a "second sort" or come up with some creative storage ideas.  Use the guideline of "Frequency of Use," to determine where items will be stored.  Items used daily are placed within close reach.  Items used less frequently can be stored in a more distant, but still accessible location.

For example, if the keep pile for the pantry is larger than the pantry space itself, a person can install shelving along a basement stairwell for items used less frequently.

If the space is still storage challenged (i.e. little or no closets, cabinets, floor space for an armoire, shelving), then it is time to think outside the box . . . or rather, along the walls of the "box."  

Using vertical space from the floor to the ceiling is one way to solve storage problems.  Some of the more clever ideas include:  


    (photo credits:  marthastewart.com)

• Installing a peg board on the closet wall
• Use magnetic paint or galvanized panels to magnetically hang items (this is especially handy with small bath or kitchen items).
• Stack two or three towel bars behind a closed bathroom door
• Install a toiletry shelf in bathroom above the door

And one the better ideas to conquer the little to no closet dilemma--the "Walk-By Closet."  This solution is both smart and beautiful.  Use an older ladder to bridge between two basic shelving units, and a person has designed a unique and practical clothing storage solution.  Place a bench underneath and you create a place to put on shoes as well as store them underneath.

(photo credit:  marthastewart.com)

And speaking of underneath, don't forget that little used space underneath beds .  Evict the dust bunnies and replace them with underneath storage such as a couple of old dresser drawers placed on casters.  

(photo credit:  bhg.com)

With these and other “outside the box” ideas, a small space (that wood paneled station wagon) can start to feel a lot roomier.  With a little effort and imagination, who wouldn’t want to create a more enjoyable space for everyone?