Handy Storage Hacks

Handy storage hacks to make your home bigger on the inside

Fans of the long-running series Doctor Who will well know that the Doctor travels through time and space in a blue box called the Tardis that is “bigger on the inside”.

While the Tardis has “time-lord technology” to thank for its dimensional properties, many people living in small homes might not realise there are some hand hacks they can use to give themselves more space in their own home.

Create a clothing rack corner

If you don’t have enough wardrobe space for storing clothing you can make a simple hanging area for clothing in a corner. Simply put up shelves and attach rails from the shelf to create a hanging clothes rack in the corner. Because it is in the corner it will make good use of the space that might otherwise be left unused and accessories and folded items can be stored on the shelf, while a shoe rack can be placed under the hanging space.

Opt for a headboard with storage

While a headboard isn’t a necessity, it is a nice item to have in any bedroom. Use bookshelves as a headboard and push your platform bed up against one or two shelves that you’ve already lined with books or other items you want to store. This storage tip will kill two birds with one stone, and offers out-of- sight storage behind and below your mattress.

Hang a cork wall for jewellery storage

While cork boards might seem like the ultimate 80s throwback item, if you need to store items that are not heavy, like jewellery they can be just the trick. On its own it might not look very fancy but frame a humble cork board, and you have an elegant storage solution that will keep your necklaces from tangling, and can be adapted to suit whatever you need to display. This simple, sustainable material will keep all your necklaces from tangling — without taking up more space than a picture frame. On its own, cork board doesn’t look as elegant as some countertop solutions, but it can with a nice gilded frame.

Add hooks to the back of your closet wall

If you are fortunate enough to have a built-in a cupboard or plenty of closet space, just behind the clothes rod stands a wall often overlooked because it’s usually covered with clothes. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t store items there that you need to access every day, and it also serves as a great space to hide a safe or shelf for valuables you don’t want anyone finding. Your own secret hiding space for anything you might like to stash out of sight.

Buy hanging fruit baskets to store socks, hats, and other items

Just because hanging fruit baskets are designed for kitchens doesn’t mean you can’t use them in your bedroom, inside a closet or even in your bathroom. What is great about them is they take up no floor space and keep things easily accessible.

Hide keys behind your artwork

It’s quite simple to create a hanging space to keep keys and other items that can be hung out of sight. All you have to do is screw tiny hooks into the wall and add hinges to the picture frame of your favourite artwork or photograph.

 Install shelves and cover them with sliding mirrors

While this hack does cut back on some of your floor space, it will more than make up for the loss of convenient storage space. To create the illusion of more space, install the entire DIY closet directly opposite a window and attach mirrors to the doors. The mirrors will reflect and fill your bedroom with sunlight, trick your eyes into thinking you have an extra window, and make your room feel bigger.

 Replace doors with sliding walls

Large sliding doors with wide doorways create an open space while still allowing you to split your home into zones for different uses or create private areas when needed. Sliding doors also don’t need space to swing open allowing you to use the space for the best placement of all your furniture without having to worry about where the door will go when it opens.

Install shelves along the perimeter of your walls

In most rooms, the least used space is the walls and especially the area directly underneath the ceiling.

Use this to implement some creative storage ideas by installing shelves along the perimeter of your bedroom or study walls to add storage space for books, collectables, or bric-a-brac. If the shelves are deep enough you could even use boxes to store documents or items which you can’t discard but also don’t’ need to be able to get hold of on a daily basis.

Another benefit of shelves are that open storage forces you to live organised (or put your mess on display)

Install a shelf above your bedroom door

The space directly above any door isn’t ever used but can be a perfect place to store anything from linen to towels to spare toilet rolls in the case of a bathroom door.

Get a ready made shelf from your local hardware or home improvement store and install it yourself.