Unusual Storage Solutions From All Over The World
Small city apartments are becoming some of the most common living spaces these days. We may dream of palatial surrounding but the reality is that furniture, clutter and family members have to accommodate themselves in ever smaller rooms. It’s time to think creatively.
Vertical solutions
Use wall space for storage, especially inside any closets and cupboards. A ladder placed against a wall, inside or outside of any cupboard, is ideal for storing shoes. Shoes heels can grip behind the sloping rungs and stay firmly in place. Use a slim ladder to hang stilettos behind a wardrobe door and a vintage-type ladder behind the back or front doors for those boots, gardening shoes and trainers.
The ladder solution also works in bathrooms. Sleek, metal ladders against a wall provide good storage for extra towels. Hang the ladder just above an existing heated towel rail or radiator for more airing.
Use wall space in the kitchen to hang up utensils and cookware. Even dishes can be stored on wire shelving hanging from the wall. Fit a pegboard to the wall if its present surface is too fragile for drilling in hooks and hangers.
Paint a pegboard backing the same colour as bookcases in a hallway, living room or study to hang items such as keys, paper, tape, scissors or umbrellas above any shelving. Create a makeshift rack for newspapers and magazines by hanging them over a length of string or wire pegged to the board.
Aim high
Narrow hallways are not ideal for shelving. It creates more obstacles than the storage problems it solves. But it’s a different matter once you are above head height. Fix bookshelves above door level and above head level along the hallway. This gives you the storage space without losing the open space at eye level.
High ceilings but narrow floor spaces are aspects of many apartment conversions in older houses. Make the most of that extra height by fixing a ceiling framework from which to hang larger object that can’t be stored on the floor. It’s an ideal solution for bicycles and children’s scooters. Just make sure that all of the attachments are firmly fixed so that the bikes don’t fall on anyone’s head.
Think low
You dream of a kitchen island but the kids want to scrawl on the walls. Combine the two by painting the bottom of an old dresser whatever attractive colour you would like in the kitchen. Place a new top over it with a few hooks and other accessories on the sides. Cover the rear side with a chalk board, white board or any cleanable drawing surface and let the kids learn how to become future Picassos.
Not all ground floor apartments have access to a basement or crawl space. But if you do, make any space under the floorboards work for you. There are more ideas than just stashing away old clothes in old suitcases. This is the best space for extra canned human and pet food, as well as non-flammable domestic cleaning materials and garden chemicals.
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This article was contributed by Lloyd on behalf of 2furnish.