Living in tiny quarters is a total breeze with these tips and tricks designed to make the most of small spaces
Feeling trapped in your small home that seems to get more cramped by the second? Living in teeny quarters can be a reality for many homeowners, but going tiny doesn’t mean sacrificing functionality or style. Rather, small houses and apartments tend to bring out the creativity in clever DIYers who make it their mission to utilize every nook and cranny efficiently. And lucky for us, we can learn from their crafty ways.
So peruse these savvy space-saving hacks for small homes that can transform your tiny living area into the roomy dwelling of dreams. From kitchen DIYs to laundry room tips and tricks, below you’ll find 15 crafty projects awaiting your discovery.
1. Opt for a headboard with built-in shelves
Searching for a space-saving hack that is both minimalistic and budget-friendly? This plywood headboard with built-in shelves will be right up your alley. The shelves—fixed on either end of the headboard—provide plenty of storage for all your bedroom accessories, therefore eliminating the need for bedside tables. Think of all the floor space you’ll be freeing up!
2. Suspended wood slab nightstand
Okay, so maybe your DIYed headboard isn’t cutting it in the storage department. Luckily, there’s another project that is slim in design and takes up zero floor area—a wood slab nightstand suspended from the ceiling with twine. The floating shelf will provide you with another place to house your books, perfumes and growing collection of greenery.
3. Make your own floating wardrobe
Living in a small space often comes with the curse of tiny closets, which means you’ll have to get creative when it comes to storing your belongings. Take, for instance, this DIYed clever floating clothing rack that functions as an open wardrobe. Whether in lieu of a traditional closet or to accommodate your overflowing hoard of cable sweaters, the rack made from leather straps and a wooden dowel creates chic storage for any teeny room.
4. Wire grid cleaning supplies storage
Behind-the-door storage is essential to any home, both big and small. And this wire grid hack is the perfect example of how effective it can be at keeping even the tiniest of cleaning supply closets neat and organized.
5. Sofa with hidden storage
Can’t decide whether you want to optimize style or function in your tiny space? Why not have both! Take a page from the RV living handbook with this DIY sofa hack that provides plenty of storage within the unsuspecting, chic unit. The structure of the sofa is crafted from plywood and can be stained any colour to match your existing home aesthetic. Similarly, the removable cushions can be upholstered with any fabric that tickles your fancy. And the best part, the back of the couch can be used as a convenient shelf to store all of your living room decor.
6. Shelving with a purpose
Vertical storage, like a collection of floating shelves, is a must in small nooks. But be sure to get your creativity in gear when deciding how you want the shelving units to function. Perhaps, you’d prefer the floating feature to strictly house your cluster of bedroom decor and accessories. Or maybe the shelves could take on more use, like functioning as both a storage unit and minimalist work area complete with a hanging desk. Whatever your choice, this small space-saving hack is sure to make a mighty contribution in transforming your miniature room.
7. Sneaky pull out kitchen pantry
Declutter your confined tiny kitchen with perhaps the most clever of space-saving hacks for small homes—a DIYed pantry that slides in and out of the unused cranny beside your refrigerator. For a seamless look, the organizing unit can be crafted to the same height as your fridge so its tall length will allow an abundance of storage for all your non-perishable food items. Not only is the handy kitchen feature modern in design, but it is also super budget-friendly with total expenses adding up to less than $140.
8. Discreet closet pegboard wall
The pegboard has proven its versatility in being one of the handiest storage solutions in tiny spaces. And it’s once again coming to the rescue in this closet hack that sees an entire wall covered in seamless pegboards. The painted feature allows a minimalistic floating shelf, a simple mudroom bench and a crafty way to store a pair of bicycles. While there is a sliding barn door that conceals the closet, we’re willing to bet it’s never closed. Surely the door is left wide open for all to see this ingenious design.
9. Above-the-toilet storage
Incorporating functional storage in your bathroom can be a challenge for even the most spacious of lavatories. So when it comes to the tiny washroom, bulky storage units that straddle a toilet can make your space feel smaller than it already is. Luckily, there’s a better solution— over-the-toilet floating shelves. The simple wooden shelves offer as much storage as a traditional standing feature would. Picture it now, you can store additional toilet paper, bathroom supplies or even potted plants on your bathroom shelving units; there are so many options!
10. Under-the-stairs mudroom
Living in a small home comes with the task of making the most of every unused cranny. The space under a staircase can often go unutilized but with this clever storage hack, you can turn the untouched corner into the mudroom and bookshelf duo of your dreams. The angled area is complete with three shelving units to create a custom built-in look, chic wallpaper for a pop of colour and woven baskets for storing shoes and outerwear accessories.
11. Over the door organizer
Here’s another genius way to utilize the vertical space on the back of a door. This DIY hanging unit is suspended from rope and features a mini pegboard (told you it was versatile!), wire baskets and additional bottom hooks for even more storage possibilities. The project is super easy to whip together on a whim and is so adaptable that it can be used in any spot of your home.
13. The unobtrusive recycling cabinet
While this space-saving hack may be among the more intermediate of DIYs, it’s a clever project that’s slim enough to fit comfortably in the tiniest of homes. The cabinet’s small footprint and tilt-out door make the unit ideal for small nooks of a kitchen or laundry room. If you want to take this DIY up another level, consider attaching spice racks and wire baskets to either side of the storage feature to create a practical mini kitchen island.
13. Sliding door folding table
Replicating crafty storage ideas from tiny homes, like sliding cabinet doors that double as folding tables, can work wonders for your small space. Plumbing pipes are used to secure wooden doors to the long cabinet. The rustic doors are built with hidden foldable legs that transform the slabs of wood into two small makeshift tables. But it is eye hooks attached to the doors that allow them to slide horizontally, and join together in the middle as one larger kitchen table.
14. Turn a closet into a functional laundry room
Don’t have enough space for a laundry room? Why not transform a closet into a rustic laundry area complete with rolling barn doors. Depending on the amount of space you have to work with, your laundry closet can include a variety of other space-saving hacks for small homes, such as floating shelves and woven baskets for additional storage.
15. Rolling kitchen island and breakfast bar
Is it even possible to have a list of space-saving hacks for small homes without a DIY project from IKEA? Okay, so that was a rhetorical question. Because frankly, the answer will always be: of course not! A case in point is this rolling kitchen island that’s crafted from an IKEA Kallax shelf unit using only the top and side particleboards to create a table. Gold casters are attached to the bottom to allow mobility of the kitchen feature. Pair your DIYed rolling table with stools and you have an island that also doubles as a chic breakfast bar.
Feature Image Courtesy of Evy Prentice on Unsplash
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