Whether you live tiny or not, everyone is hungry for more storage space, right? Every time I post to Instagram about our storage hacks, or even to ask for advice, I am blown away by how many people in ‘normal size’ homes can identify as well. Although I have to say, we tiny house folks usually have to get a bit more creative when it comes to finding places to tuck stuff away, especially if you live in an area with four seasons like Seattle (not to throw shade at residents of more temperate climates… they just don’t have to store as many coats!). And even though I’ve been working hard this year to eliminate “stuff”, we still have plenty small space challenges in #mytinybungalow. After three years of living small, we’ve picked up a few tricks along the way, so I wanted to share them with you today!
A Few Ways to Get More Storage in Your Tiny House
Everything serves a dual purpose
This doesn’t have to mean every bench opens up for storage, although I highly recommend it… but, really just being sure any item in your home is serving you in more than one way is huge. When you have dual purpose items, whether they store things or not, it more likely means you’ll have fewer things sitting around, which in turn might provide more space for savvy storage units like any of these options:
Don’t worry about storing things by room or category
Here’s what I mean by this: one usually wouldn’t store their sheets in a TV credenza or under the couch, but when you need storage anywhere you can get it, you do. Don’t limit yourself to “these are sheets, so they have to be stored in the bedroom” and similar thinking. It will only limit your options and probably prevent you from taking full advantage of your available storage. Think outside the storage lines, so to speak.
Sneaky furniture
Speaking of benches that open into storage, this is always a good hack for small spaces. From home decor with extra storage (think coffee tables and ottomans) to hooks and hanging storage — you especially want these in the kitchen. My biggest suggestion here, though, is getting a platform bed with drawers. With this kind of storage you can eliminate one, maybe even two dressers from your bedroom (if you even have room for that to begin with). Here are 3 more posts where I dug even deeper into ways to sneak in storage:
- 20 Ways to Sneak In Extra Storage With Furniture and Home Decor
- 20 (more) Ways To Sneak In Extra Storage with furniture & Home Decor
- 18 Ways To Sneak In Extra Entryway Storage
Perimeter shelving
If you’re someone who has a lot of books or enjoys knicks knacks, perimeter shelving could be an amazing solution for you. All you have to do is measure down a foot or so from your ceiling and install shelves around the perimeter of the room. It’ll free up loads of side table, coffee table and bookshelf space at eye level without making your tiny home feel too crowded. Here are some gorgeous shelves to get you started:
Drawer organizers
Have you ever been cleaning out a drawer and realized once everything was properly organized it just suddenly fit a million times better? Enter: drawer organizers. Use them for bathrooms, kitchens, offices — any drawer in any room. These things are lifesavers when you only have so many drawers to work with and are quickly running out of space. Depending on your needs, here are some great options:
What are other clever storage hacks out there? I’m always in need, so let me know down in the comments!
