10 Genius Storage Ideas For Small Homes

Living in a small house comes with its advantages, like less time spent cleaning and lower utility bills (woohoo!). But it would be unfair to ignore that less square footage also includes a few drawbacks, primarily limited space. However, creative storage ideas that maximize every inch of space can make you feel like your home is much larger than it is.

Take advantage of vertical space with hooks, shelves above doorways, and door organizers. Add cabinets in corners, get clever with various cabinetry solutions, and use tension rods to create more storage hacks. If you have more advanced DIY skills or the budget for a pro, implement storage under the floor, inside stair treads, and between wall studs.

Whether you’re stuck in a studio apartment, live in a tiny house by choice, or simply want to downsize, maximizing space is crucial. These genius storage ideas go beyond the typical bins and baskets to give you more room to relax and enjoy your home.

10 Creative Storage Solutions For Your Small Space

1. Ditch Closet Doors For Curtains

This pointer might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when it comes to small spaces, it’s a game-changer. Remove closet doors and replace them with curtains. Here’s why.

You no longer have to worry about door clearance, so if you’re already strapped for space, an open closet door doesn’t take away even more. Plus, you get more floor space outside of the closet for other furniture, a mirror in the corner, or just breathing room.

Curtains are also a great substitute for sliding or bi-fold style doors. Even though these doors don’t require the clearance of a traditional door, they still have drawbacks. They make it difficult to access parts of your closet. With sliding doors, it’s tricky to get to what’s in the middle of your closet, and bi-folds make it challenging to get to things on the side.

These drawbacks could make you hesitate to store as much in these areas. However, with curtains, you push them to either side and get full access to your closet. Give it a try for a few weeks, and you’ll likely bid farewell to the doors for good. If you’re worried about resale or renting, keep the doors in your attic, basement, or garage if possible, to put them back up if necessary.

2. Carve Out Corner Cabinets

Add a plywood sheet or paneling across a dead corner to build out a corner cabinet. Cut cabinets, add doors, shelving, hardware, etc. If you lack the DIY skills to pull it off, or just don’t feel like it, hire a handyman.

Repeat this in any room where you notice an underutilized corner. These corner spaces can store games in the family room or extra dishes and dry goods in the kitchen. Put one in the dining room, include a drop-down style cabinet in the middle, add an electrical outlet, and create a hidden dry bar.

There are plenty of possibilities, you just should decide what you need the most. You could also use the same drop-down concept to create a hidden office nook. The drop-down area becomes a desk. Cabinets above and below hold office supplies, a printer, storage space, etc.

3. Add Slim Storage Between Studs

You might need a contractor or pro carpenter for this one, or not; again, it’s all about knowing your skills (and being honest about them). But there is untapped storage real estate between your wall studs, approximately 16 inches.

Add shelves between the studs and cover with a door to become a built-in spice rack in the kitchen. Put a hinged mirror in front of your secret shelves in the bathroom to create a sleek medicine cabinet. Make a cool secret door out of artwork and hide valuables or your secret candy stash.

4. Maximize Vertical Space Everywhere

Maximizing vertical space is a common solution when it comes to finding more places to store things. But go beyond the typical ideas like adding extra shelves in your closet, floating shelves, or pot racks. Here are a few suggestions.

• Mount shelves over doorways inside bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. These go practically unnoticed when you enter a room. You can store baskets or bins on these shelves for towels, extra cleaning supplies, off-season accessories, etc.
• Install hooks on the rear wall of your closet (behind your hanging clothes) to hang items you don’t wear often, like formal wear or coats. You can also use this space to hang things like extra tote bags, belts, and other slim pieces.
• Put shelves on the side walls of your closet for extra shoe storage, purses, back stock items, towels, blankets, or anything else that makes sense for you.
• Use organizers on the backs of doors (cabinet doors, too) for shoes, jewelry, toiletries, large utensils, cutting boards, etc.
• No room for a pot rack or don’t want one? Install a curtain rod on the wall near your stove or above the sink and use S-hooks to hang pots. No window required.

5. Use Tension Rods In Unexpected Places

Place tension rods vertically in a slim cabinet to hold baking trays, muffin pans, servingware, and similar items upright. Does your bathroom vanity have drawers on the side and an open center? Use a tension rod to hang a curtain there, creating hidden storage for towels, a toiletry cart, and other things you want out of sight.

A small tension rod below your kitchen sink can hold spray bottles and other supplies. Heavy-duty tension rods or tension-style shower rods along the wall of your tub, with a few S-hooks, hold baskets for toiletries and more.

6. Maximize Every Inch In Your Kitchen With Clever Cabinetry

Talk to a cabinet pro or handyman about how you can add some clever storage to your existing cabinetry. There are things like toe-kick cabinets, tilt-out organizers for under the sink, and various pull-outs.

You can also purchase things like turntables, slide-out drawers and baskets, and pull-down spice racks that you can install yourself. If you’re not quite ready to break out the drill, start simple with tiered shelves, stackable bins, plate risers, and similar organizing solutions.

7. Use Storage Pieces To Create Room Dividers

When you live in a small house, rooms often serve multiple functions. For example, your family room may very well also be your home office, which isn’t always the most ideal situation. Therefore, you likely want to add some privacy between your work area and the rest of the space.

Use a room divider that includes storage. This could be a set of double-sided bookshelves that hold office essentials on one side and decor and family room fun on the other. Anchor the shelves together and to a side wall to keep them sturdy.

A simpler solution, and a more flexible one if you need to change things up often, is a standing room divider. However, use a divider that incorporates storage. Some of these dividers have shelves, others offer a pegboard system that you can adjust to your needs with shelving, baskets, hooks, and other accessories.

8. Turn Stairs Into Drawers

If you have stairs anywhere in your home, turn them into storage by converting the treads into drawers. You can also carve out space under your staircase for a closet, reading nook, pet room, kid’s area, tiny office, or meditation zone.

Yes, you’ll likely need some pro help with this one, but if you’re strapped for space, it could be a worthwhile investment. Plus, you don’t have to do it all at once. Start small, maybe turning two steps into secret drawers, then build from there as you can.

9. Create Secret Storage In The Floor

A lot of tiny houses use this trick to add more storage, so why not use the idea in your home? Carve out a space in the floor to add a trap door and secret stowaway zone. The more hidden you make it, the cooler it becomes.

But seriously, you could store seasonal items, backstock supplies, and other odds and ends in this space. Make sure to do it right, though.

Don’t just chop a hole in your floor. You need to build it out properly and finish it well to ensure everything stays safe, sturdy, and watertight — so discuss it with a professional.

10. Install Ceiling-Mounted Pulley Storage

Pulley systems and lifts are a common addition to garages for extra storage. However, you can also use a similar idea in other areas of your house, depending on your ceiling height. If you have a small house, but high ceilings, consider adding a lift to stow things you don’t need to access frequently.

This would look at home in a more industrial or urban loft design. But you could also build or find more rustic versions that could work in a more farmhouse or cottage-style home.

If you love the idea but worry it won’t look right with your design, consider ways you could mask the lift. For example, you could hang curtains in front of it, or build a panel that covers it, etc.

A Small House Can Still Be A Storage Masterpiece

Thinking outside the box and maximizing your space are big factors in making a smaller house work for you. It’s possible to live comfortably and stylishly in a small home when you know how to organize and store items efficiently.

Use vertical space well, incorporate things like tension rods and clever cabinetry, and add storage anywhere you see the opportunity. Shelves between wall studs, drawers inside stair treads, and hidden floor storage are only the beginning. It's about what you can imagine and then making it happen. Don’t be scared to dream big, just because your house is small.

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