Your bed can work double duty as a storage unit.
Credit: Gothic Cabinet Craft
This fall take a tip from the squirrels and start storing everything away. All right, not everything — but put away that kitchen clutter, stash your skimpy summer clothes and finally organize your desk. You’ll be surprised how much better your place looks when junk, supplies and non-necessities are put into their proper places.
Double down
“Storage furniture is usually double-duty furniture,” explains Aristidis Zaharopoulos, owner of furniture maker Gothic Cabinet Craft, which has 30 New York locations. “For example, a storage chest can also serve as a coffee table.” Storage beds, with drawers tucked underneath the frame, are also great options. Zaharopoulos and company have been building storage beds since 1969, and it’s the most popular item they sell.
Waste not
“No matter how much space you have, you always end up needing more,” says Zaharopoulos. So don’t let those walls go to waste — make them work for you. Consider mounting a wooden organizer, which usually has a combination of shelves, drawers, cabinets, hooks and rods. You’ll see them used to store craft supplies or workstation accessories, but you don’t have to stop there. Keep your desk clean with one of those bad boys.
Reach for the sky
No one said that shelves have to be eye-level. Well, maybe someone did. But they were wrong. Let the ceiling be the limit when it comes to installing your shelving. You can buy them big or customize your own, but either way you’ll be pleased that you didn’t stop at a lousy 5-foot-tall bookshelf. With a skyscraper of shelving you can books, organize office and art supplies, or just show off your treasures and trinkets.
“Obviously, efficient use of space in a city apartment is critical for good living,” says Andrew Black of Black & Sons Furniture Makers in Wisconsin (he’s the son half of the name). And there’s another plus, Black adds: “Smaller, more efficient homes can have more lasting value, and because it costs you less to live in them, you can afford to fill them with more beautiful things.”
Bathrooms need storage love, too
Creative storage can happen anywhere. Don’t neglect the bathroom, which may have room for a small storage bench or sink-side end table. And your linen closet could probably use a few simple canvas boxes or hanging shoe organizers to keep everything in place and make a little more room for spare toiletries or cleaning supplies. Finally, get under your bed and organize it with the help of sweater boxes, shoeboxes and Tupperware.
