I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! With holidays coming to a close, organization seems to be on the forefront of all our minds. For the past 13 years I’ve lived in small apartments or houses, which has made me a master on ways to maximize storage in small rooms. Today, I’m going to share with you 9 creative ways to add storage to a small space. Hopefully these ideas and projects will help you tackle the new year with a resolve to get more organized, regardless of your square footage!

I’m joining Julie Blanner and some other wonderfully brilliant bloggers as we all share with you some of our favorite organization and cleaning tips, in our Celebrate Organization Tour. Be sure to check them out at the bottom of this post!

1- Wall-Mounted Bookshelf –

Without taking up valuable floor ‘real-estate’ or buying another bookcase where you may not even have enough books to fill it, add a wall-mounted bookshelf! These two options can be built with just a couple boards in less than 2 hours!

Vertical Spine Bookshelf

Bedside Bookshelf

 

2- Seagrass Baskets

Seagrass baskets are so versatile and are the perfect way to add extra storage under a bench or on a shelf. I prefer the ones that have a lid because if the items inside aren’t perfectly tidy or a bright color, it won’t be seen. Seagrass baskets also come in several different finishes now, not just the light honey-color that I use most in my home. I’ve seen gray, dark mahogany brown, white, and even a blueish wash. My favorite places to find them for the best prices (and most stylish appearance) are HomeGoods, TJMaxx, and Target.

Master Bathroom Vanity

Blue Console Table in Fall Living Room

Spring Entryway

Spring Living Room Bookcase

 

3- Storage Bench

A bench below a TV or between two bookcases is the perfect hideout for speakers, a subwoofer, or even to store extra blankets, pillows, home decor, or games! This bench is more for storage and not as much for actual sitting (unless you are a small child), because the mantel shelf below the TV doesn’t allow for much clearance, but this would be a great option to put beneath a window, or any accent wall holding art, a chalkboard, or higher shelves.

Storage Bench 

 

4- Dual-Function Desk

Making sure anything that occupies valuable floor space is serving a double duty is essential when maximizes a small space. This desk that sits in a master bedroom, serves as a home office space with ample space for a laptop and a lamp, but also serves as a vanity– holding makeup, hair supplies, etc with mirrors under each lid (there are three).  Because there are 3 lids, it allows a lamp or other objects to sit on top while still allowing access to the contents inside.

Three Compartment Desk

 

5- Drawers in Closets

Making drawers a part of closet organization frees up space that a dresser would have normally occupied elsewhere in the room. Adding 5 or 6 stacked drawers can be added to either side or in the middle, as seen in this closet. Ikea sells stacked drawer units that can be added to closet organization, or if you want to save money and get a more custom fit, build a set from a sheet of 1/2″ plywood!

Closet Makeover

 

6- Floating Shelves

One of the biggest challenges with small bathrooms is lack of storage for toiletries used on a daily basis. Many people opt for a mirrored medicine cabinet. However, in a best case scenario, they are limited in shelf space and not very stylish. By adding floating shelves above a toilet that are custom fit for the space, it provides enough space to hold smaller baskets, jars, and containers to hold everything one would need without looking cluttered.

To make the floating shelves pictured here, I followed this tutorial EXCEPT I didn’t use a bottom piece and instead of using 1x4s for the facade and 2x3s for the support,  I used 1x2s (common 1x2s for the support and premium 1x2s for the facade) and 1/4″ plywood for the top.

7- Cabinet Below Bookcase

Finding a 6′ bookcase is pretty easy– they sell them pretty much everywhere. By adding a cabinet to the base of a bookcase, you take advantage of the wasted space that would normally be between the top of the bookcase and the ceiling (at least 2′ if you have 8′ ceilings). This is a super simple build that can be a great place to hide a printer, electronics, unsightly kids toys, and/or board games.

Cabinet Base for a Bookcase

 

8- Roll-Away Dresser

If closet space is too limited to add a drawer unit as mentioned above, make a roll-away dresser! This trundle storage holds the same if not more clothing than a typical 6 drawer dresser would, only it utilizes the often neglected space under the bed. Because the size of this roll-away storage is the exact width of the space available under the bed, the bed frame legs act as guides so it is easy to roll in and out without getting stuck!

Roll-Away Dresser

 

9- Stuffed Animal Storage

Do you know a kid who loves stuffed animals? Well if so, then you understand the struggle of keeping them organized! I came up with this stuffed animal storage that hooks onto a footboard so my kids don’t have to get out of bed to pick one to sleep with AND so they don’t empty a bin searching for that *one* animal. With the flexible paracord walls we can stuff this thing full. This one pictured currently holds 38 stuffed animals/beanie babies and don’t worry– those paracord ‘walls’ cannot stretch more than 4 inches wide, so it is perfectly safe around small children. If you are extra cautious, it is easy to add a few more screws to run the cords even closer together.

Stuffed Animal Storage

 

Check out these other awesome organization and cleaning tips from these amazing bloggers:

Julie Blanner | Shades of Blue Interiors | The Zhush | Thistlewood Farms | Ella Claire |

French Country Cottage | Beneath My Heart | Boxwood Avenue