Monday, January 30, 2012

Storage in a Small House

My house is on the smaller size.  According to the county records, it is 1036 square feet.  So...if you do the math...it's a pretty tight fit for the six of us.  I'm not complaining.  We have learned to live in a "small" space and do just fine.  However, storage and organization is key.  When just a few things are out of place, the entire house seems to be in disarray.
One of my challenges is finding a place for everything and still making it all look nice.  Here are a few of my solutions.
My Better Half and I share a closet (1 of only 2 in the house!!).  It is like a coat closet and measures only 30 inches wide, so I take advantage of hangers like this.


I got a few of these at a thrift store for $2-$3.
We don't have an office space so I need to hide paperwork and filing cabinets inconspicuously.

Every little space in our house has been used for something.  During our kitchen remodel, there were a few little inches that were not allotted for in the plans...those inches are being used for storage of my pans.

Under-bed storage is a treasure.  This is what we have done under my Princess' bed.  We did away with her headboard and frame and set her box springs right on these under-bed storage boxes.  Her out-of-season clothes are in these.
These wouldn't fit under the bed without getting rid of her frame.
In between these storage boxes are boxes with her play dough, tea set, coloring books, and so on.
My Better Half made our boy's beds.  They are in need of an update but for now they are captains beds with the drawers right under the beds.
They wanted an autograph wall but we settled on letting them have their friends sign their beds instead.
Now that I'm learning to sew, I'm trying to create a space that is practical.  I'm hoping to get that area organized by Friday so I can show you what I've done in my weekly organizing post.
I've decided (with no real other options) to use part of my school room.  The table that we were using for school is in there and not being used anymore except to collect clutter.    So I'm putting it to dual use. It will now be my sewing table and will be storing a bunch of big totes underneath.

I didn't want the totes to be seen, so I made ( I sewed the pleats in it and hemmed it :)) this table skirt and used velcro and hot glue to attach it to the table.  I can fit at least 8 totes under the table while it is sitting on top of them.
What great storage.  It doesn't look half bad either!
These are a few of our storage and organizing tactics.  My Better Half is working on a really cool one now.  I can't wait to show you!!
Blessings,

Linking up to these sites:
 Friday    Delicate Construction Creation Corner,   French Country Cottage,   The Shabby Nest,   At The Picket Fence, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days,  Life As Mom,   Fingerprints on the Fridge, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Frugal Girls,The Grocery Cart Challenge, While He Was Napping, Miss Mustard Seed,Remodelaholic 
Saturday  Funky Junk Interiors, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Young An Crafty, Six Sisters' Stuff
SundayC.R.A.F.T,  Nifty Thrifty Sunday,  DIY Showoff,  The Girl Creative   Homemaker on a Dime
Sew Much a Do   Wow Us Wednesday   Ginger Snap Crafts    Power of Paint Night Owl Crafts
Thursday  Design Dazzle Somewhat Simple    The Shabby Chic Cottage   House of Hepworths   Just a Girl    Delightful Order     The Frugal Girls     Thrifty 101    Diaper Diaries  A Little Knick Knack  The 36th Avenue    
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Posted by Carrie at 6:04 PM
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17 comments:

  1. great ideas!! I esp like that filing cabinet!!

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  2. What great ideas! You are really using all your space well.

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  3. I have two 5 foot tables that I would love to put fabric around to make them look a little better.. Can you elaborate on how you did yours? I would appreciate it greatly! :)

    Thanks for sharing your ideas.. They are all great!

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    1. I will elaborate on Friday when I do my organization post. I wanted to include it in this one but didn't get that far!!

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  4. I hear your pain. I too live in a little, tiny house and believe me every inch is valuable. I use hangers like that too and have created many storage spaces that never would have been. You did a great job with finding usable space. Great ideas.!! Have a great week!!

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  5. I love the pans! When we re-did our kitchen I had to go back to the cabinet manufacturer (we bought a set at a builder's auction)to buy a spacer. Now I wish I hadn't!

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  6. You're getting good at sewing!

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  7. What great ideas! Thanks for sharing =)

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  8. Wonderful ideas. We live in a small house, so I will definitely be using some of these ideas. We have a folding table in our basement for crafts, laundry folding, etc., and I never thought to cover it store things underneath. Thanks! I'm your newest follower.

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  9. Your house is huge beside the house I grew up in. I grew up with 7 people living in a small travel trailer. Just 8'X 32' in size. There was one bathroom and there was a bunk bed in the hall. My parents slept in a double bed and 3 of my brothers slept on a pull out bed in the 'living area' (it was the only piece of furniture in the 'living area') There as a small table in the kitchen area, but only 2 people could sit there. It was tight to say the least. There was not much room for toys or anything else.
    Your ideas look great.

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  10. You've come up with some great storage solutions! I love how you've made them pretty as well as practical.

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  11. Who Doesn't need sneeky storage spots! No matter how big/small your home is. I, too, have a file cabinet in my Dining room! I also make use of those kind of hangers. I like to see how others make use of storage spaces.

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  12. I'm very impressed. I especially love your hangers.:)

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  13. Great ideas! I love your use of fabric to conceal storage. Your cookie sheets stashed in the gap next to the cabinet are a great example of making use of awkward spaces, which I wrote about in my article on space-saving kitchen storage, so I added a link there.

    Some friends of mine added a lot of storage and display space to their small home by installing a shelf all the way around the top of every room, just above the door frames. They keep all kinds of stuff up there! They have a footstool stashed under larger furniture somewhere in each room so they can grab it to hop up to get things off the shelves.

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  14. Very clever! I know what you mean too about small houses and storage - you have to be very organized!

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  15. Such great organization ideas! I need some of those hangers!

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  16. Great job. I love it! Please consider sharing this with my readers over at http://sassafrassalvation.blogspot.com/2012/02/sasss-sunday-salvation-show-10.html
    Hugs, Kathy

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My Mama used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
I'll add, "If you HAVE something nice to say, share generously."

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