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Once you’ve lived in a place for a while, one fact becomes clear: Your home isn’t getting any bigger, at least not without time and effort (and a truckload of cash). We all tend to grow into our homes, filling it with stuff over time, and that can lead to a storage crisis.
But your house can probably offer you extra storage with the right purchases and approach. There are all kinds of clever ways to increase the storage around your house. If you’re ready to get all that stuff off the floors and furniture and nearly tucked away, here are some ideas to explore.
17″ x 21″ – Brown Frame
Brown Secret Storage Wall Art
$79.95
at Wayfair
$99.95
Save $20.00
$79.95
at Wayfair
$99.95
Save $20.00
28 x 12 x 6.5 inches, Rustic Brown, Chic Floating Storage Console Table or Desk for Wall
Kate and Laurel Kitt Modern Floating Shelf with Drawers
$163.99
at Amazon
$179.99
Save $16.00
$163.99
at Amazon
$179.99
Save $16.00
12″ x 13.5″ x .75″ Metal Drop-Leaf Table Brace Mounted Counter Extension
Camco Bamboo Accents RV Counter Extension
4-pack Heavy Duty Stackable Furniture Risers Supports 1,300 lbs, Black
Home It Adjustable Bed Risers
$19.99
at Amazon
$25.99
Save $6.00
$19.99
at Amazon
$25.99
Save $6.00
600D Oxford Fabric, PU Leather Handles, Adjustable Magic Tape Partition, XXL 66L (2, Black)
DCET Rolling Underbed Containers
$39.99
at Amazon
$49.99
Save $10.00
$39.99
at Amazon
$49.99
Save $10.00
White, 22.5 inch Rustic Wood Wall Mounted Shelves 22 lbs Capacity, Set of 2
BAYKA Floating Shelves
$34.19
at Amazon
$49.99
Save $15.80
$34.19
at Amazon
$49.99
Save $15.80
Queen Headboard with 2 Drawers, Charging Station and LED Lights
Maupvit Wueen Size Headboard with Storage
4-Tier Slim Kitchen Cart with Wheels
KLM Rolling Storage Cart
10-Pack Space Saving Cascading Hanger
Wonder Hanger
Use wall art that doubles as storage cabinetry
If every room in your house is littered with small items that don’t have a permanent home and you don’t have any space for extra storage units or bulky open shelving, your walls might still offer a solution: wall art that also serves as shallow cabinetry. You can find framed art like this that doubles as a cabinet for storing jewelry, keys, documents, or any other small items that can clutter your home.
Add some shelves that have drawers
Adding some floating shelves to your walls is an obvious answer to your storage problems, sure, but if they’re just shelves, you’re missing a double-whammy opportunity. Choosing floating shelves that also offer drawers means you get twice the storage power in a single unit.
Transform a bookcase into a closet
Closet space is a crucial part of every home’s storage system. If you need closet space but are out of luck, you can create a shallow closet from a bookcase. All you need is a bookcase that fits your space, closet rod hardware, and some reinforcing lumber if necessary (this depends on how sturdy your bookcase is. Remove the shelves you don’t want from the upper or lower part of the bookcase, install your hanging rod, and move all those extra clothes, shoes, and other items into place.
Add a hinged countertop extension as a prep or dining area in the kitchen
An indirect way to increase your kitchen storage is to add a hinged countertop extension like this. The extension can be used as extra prep space or as a quick dining area, and having it will allow you to keep more appliances and storage jars or baskets on the rest of your countertops without having to constantly move them out of the way when you work or eat.
Use bed risers and under-bed storage containers to reclaim lost storage space
If you’ve run out of ideas for where to stash all your stuff, sometimes the trick is to create some extra vertical space by lifting your bed. A set of simple bed risers combined with easy-access rolling containers like these will give you a huge amount of storage.
Install a shelf over doorways and windows
One of the most overlooked places for storage is over doorways and windows, areas that are usually just dead space. If you’ve got enough vertical wall space over a door, a simple floating shelf can create a spot for books or other items.
What do you think so far?
Replace your bed’s headboard with one that offers storage
A headboard on your bed doesn’t have to be purely decorative, and the wall your bed is pushed up against doesn’t have to be wasted space. Buy a headboard with storage built in and you can stash away all the stuff that’s sitting on top of your tables, dressers, and the floor. As a bonus, you can find these with charging ports, so you’ll never have to worry about missing an alarm again.
Add a rolling pantry to your kitchen
No matter how big your kitchen is, you’ll always wind up with stuff cluttering your countertops, or jammed up on top of your wall cabinets. But you can take advantage of another quirk found in many kitchens: that narrow gap between your lower cabinets and the appliances that seems to exist only to collect dust and crumbs. A narrow rolling pantry cart can get you the extra storage you need while eliminating that weird gap, a twofer win.
Use space-saving hangers in your closets
You can get a lot more out of your closets with space-saving hangers like these, which allow you to hang five garments on one hanger—basically making every closet five times larger.
Add pedestal storage under your washer and dryer
The key to finding more storage in your house is looking for the hidden dead space you’re overlooking. One of the most common spots we miss is under the washer and dryer in our laundry area. Adding a pedestal with a drawer under each appliance turns a slice of vertical space into valuable storage.
