15 More small space hacks for your home, office, or dorm room!

One of the most interesting trends in real estate these days is the move towards smaller floor plans. In fact, our average home square footage is lower now than even ten years ago, and older homes can be big on charm but short on square footage.

But none of that means you have to sacrifice utility, convenience or even fun, as there are plenty of creative ways to make great use of the space you already have. In part one of this blog we covered our first 10 small space hacks, and here are 15 more great ways to expand, enjoy, and improve any smaller living space!

Floating shelves
You can hang shelves just about anywhere to add storage and display space, including in front of windows, over doors, and even in corners – which is a fantastic way to maximize unused space in a small room!

Eye level shelving
Too often, people think that bookcases or shelving are reserved for the bottom half of the wall, which essentially makes that space unusable for anything else like putting a couch there, a TV, artwork, lamps, etc. But raise your shelves to eye level, reaching up to the ceiling, and you can still use that wall space for just about anything and still have extra storage.

 Fold down desks, tables, counters, etc.
Back in the 1950s and 60s, just about every house was built with an ironing board that folded up into the wall behind a small cabinet door, and then came down when the ironing needed to be done. These days, most houses have dedicated laundry areas or collapsible ironing boards, but you can use that same concept by folding up and hiding desks, counter tops, vanity tables, and just about anything else into the wall

Hang things from ceiling
You know what your floorplan has a lot of, no matter how cramped? A lot of unused ceiling space! You can utilize all of that blank white overhead by adding hanging shelving, lamps, chairs, storage nooks, and just about everything else you need to save space.

Lofts
There are some seriously cool things you can do with lofts in just about any room to add storage, additional fun living spaces, or even an additional place to sleep. Of course, these work best when you have high ceilings but just about any space can accommodate some kind of loft for storage.

Multitasking with furniture
Mix and match the practical uses of your furniture, making a simple cube into a basket, a foot stool, a TV table, a seat, and much more – all easy to move around anywhere in the house you need it.

Racks on the back of doors
Your house also has a lot of doors, with unused space on either side. You probably don’t want to clutter up your front door and the main doors to your living areas, but why not hang some narrows shelves, shoe racks, and hanging carriers on the doors in the other parts of your house? (Just remember to measure or put in a stopper so they don’t bang the wall!)

Storage over the doors
While we're on the subject of doors, each one of your doorways has about 18 inches to 2 feet or more of wasted space right above it. You can easily add some storage racks or shelves above each one without people even noticing as they pass through.

Hide the television in the wall
A small living room or bedroom looks even more cramped once you mount you big screen TV on the wall. But you can save space and create a luxury home affect by hiding your television behind a mirror, a big painting or piece of art, or even a cabinet. Just add hinges and secure it to the wall and it will easily swing aside when you want to watch TV.

Chop table in half and anchor it to the wall
We talked about “skinny” tables that are perfect for the back of couches, but if you have a narrow hallway that won’t accommodate a full table, simply cut one in half and bolt it to the wall, with only two legs on the floor.

Under couch, chair, and table storage
Beneath your furniture there is a void of unused space, so why not just affix shelves to the bottom of your chairs or sofa where you can store books, speakers, the remote, houseplants, or whatever else is convenient.

Staircase shelving
Large “floating” stairways can easily be transformed into closets, reading nooks, or a place for plenty of shelving, but you can even turn your stairwell into more storage space by making each riser its own drawer! Just don’t forget to leave the drawers out when you walk down the stairs!

Mirror in the kitchen
If you have a narrow or crammed kitchen, such as in many urban apartments and older homes, your first instinct may be to cover it with appliances and utensils. But by adding a counter-to-ceiling mirror to line the wall, your kitchen will look and feel WAY bigger. You can still install shelving along the mirrored wall so you don’t lose any functionality.

Over sink storage
Older bathrooms are usually cursed with some serious storage deficiencies, but you can easily add a whole lot of compartments to keep cosmetics, brushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, lotions, etc. just by installing a simple wooden rack into the wall, over the sink, and below the mirror. Or, try installing a single wooden shelf in the same place.

Baskets
If you don't want to start screwing shelving into the bottom of your furniture or install a custom frame to make this work, you can store baskets or other containers under your couch and furniture instead.

10 Seriously cool small space hacks!

One of the most interesting trends in real estate these days is the move towards smaller floor plans. In fact, buyers are opting for location and amenities over bigger square footage, and builders are responding in kind. From the Tiny House Movement to seriously cool but small urban dwellings, our living spaces have less square footage these days than ten years ago.

Of course, that may be nothing new for people who live in older homes already, as many homes built in the 1940s through 1960s – especially here in Sacramento – are big on charm but a little pinched on square footage.

But none of that means you have to sacrifice utility, convenience or even fun, as there are plenty of creative ways to make great use of the space you already have. Here are our first 10 seriously cool small space hacks, and look for more in parts two and three of this blog.

Mirrors

You may not be able to double the size of your room cheaply and easily, but adding a mirror makes any room look far larger than its true size, creating the perception of more space while also reflecting natural light. You can angle a mirror towards a window or focal point like a fireplace, dining table or large plant to give the room more depth.

Mirrors don’t just have to hang in your living room, either, as they can cover kitchen backsplashes, whole walls, spaces up to the ceiling, entire sides of narrow hallways, or creatively used as decorations, all making your home look bigger.

Storage between the studs

Back in the 1940s and 50s, homes were built much smaller so storage space was at a premium. For that reason, they often had narrow spaces built into the walls just between the studs that housed the ironing board. When you needed it, you simply brought it down into place and then put it back up when done. If you’re in a small house now, just think of the possibilities for additional storage space by utilizing the areas in between your studs!

Back-of-the-couch table

I bet you have at least one sizable sofa in your house, and chances are you have couches and oversized chairs. But behind each and every one of them right now sits…wasted space. Make good use of it with a narrow table that can hold drinks, food, lights, books, or even add stools for a coffee bar type sitting area for sofas with their backs to the room.

Boring stairwell turned cool nook

Staircases are necessary (unless you have an elevator!) but they sure do take up a lot of space. But you can maximize the area under your landing by opening it up and making a cute little reading nook, attach a small door for a doggie hangout, or just an additional space for storage. If the back of your landing is exposed, you can make lockers or cubbies between the studs and add a bench for an instant mudroom.

Under-bed shelving

Do you have a twin, queen or even king–sized bed? How many beds are in your house? That’s a whole lot of wasted space in small homes, but you can make efficient use of it with built-in drawers and shelving. They make specially sized racks for under beds that easily roll out or, at the very least, you can use plastic storage bins to hide shoes and out of season clothing.

Shelving across a window

When you want to hang shelves or dress up small rooms, you’re limited to the wall space around your windows. But whether it’s a diminutive bedroom or cramped kitchen, there’s a great way to include your window areas into “living space.” Just add floating shelves across the span of the window for a great effect. Clear glass or rustic wood shelves work great for this, and you’ll be wondering why people haven’t done this for decades.

Keep a cohesive color scheme

Is your kitchen painted off-white, your living room tan, and your hallway a nice sage green, with multi-colored furniture and decorations to mix it up even more? When someone sees all of these different paints and shades, it instantly chops up the house and makes it appear much smaller. Instead, try painting all the walls and even trim the same color, with the same tone for furniture. It may seem a little “vanilla,” but keeping the same cohesive color will actually make your space appear way larger. You’ll want to stick with an off-white or very light shade for this effect, but any color that you do put in these rooms will really pop.

Magnetic racks

Small kitchens may be short on counter space and cabinets, but one thing they all have is unused wall space. So to make good use of those empty backsplashes or even wall areas, mount magnetic strips and then you can line up your knives, big spoons and other utensils, or even pots and pans.

Rolling kitchen island

So you don’t have room for a center island or breakfast bar in your kitchen but you REALLY want one? There’s an easy solution – just pick up a nice rolling kitchen “island” that can be easily kept in the corner and brought out for parties, big dinners, or whenever else it’s convenient. They make them all different sizes and heights, with bar stools to match, and with butcher block or even granite tops.

This isn’t your grandma's Murphy bed

Beds take up a lot of space, dominating most studio apartments, dorm rooms, and lofts, and cramped bedrooms. But what’s old is new with the resurgence of Murphy beds, which are made a lot sturdier, easier to install and more creative than models from yesteryear. Just by folding your bed back up into the wall, your spare bedroom can now be a place to sleep for guests AND a workout room or office.