Using space effectively
is an important art, especially when you are living in
small apartments. Know the difference between not
having enough space to store your things and not
making the best use of your space. Here are some ideas
that you can use to keep your home organized and make
the best use of available space:
A sliding drawer or a shelf can be added
underneath a cabinet, furniture pieces or a dresser for
greater hidden storage area.
Desk full of papers and files make your work
seem overwhelming. So keep it clear with the help of a
full-suspension filing cabinet strong enough to hold all your
files away from your view.
For kitchen cabinets, you may use plastic
multiple-level shelves that can be readjusted easily.
Furniture pieces with hidden space and
storage are an asset for those living in small apartments such
as coffee tables and ottomans with storage area underneath or
under bed boxes, which are great for keeping your quilts and
linens.
If some of your shelves have too much of
space, while others are too full, you may want to readjust
them according to the space required. Move them a little or
add another shelf in between to make more use of the space.
If you do not have enough space to display
all your collectibles at once, rotate them. Put some of your
things on display, while you store others safely, and then
bring them out once a month and replace the things you have
displayed already. This will make your home seem new every
time someone visits you.
It is very important that you get rid of all
the things that you don't like or are not of your use anymore.
Make best us of your wall space by adding
shelves, pegboards and corner shelves that can be used to hand
up your utensils and tools or display your prizes and
collectibles.
Make use of corner shelves for keeping
picture frames or small things in the living room or soap,
shampoos, toothbrush and other accessories in the bathroom.
They acquire less space and look great.
Storage units are great when it comes to
saving space and being organized. Spices on a spice rack,
canned goods in racks, earrings and other small items in cheap
ice trays, pens and pencils in a pen stand not only avoids
clutter but are also easier to find when you need them.
To make more space in the closets, add one
rod to hang longer clothing on one wall and two or more rods
on the other wall to hang shorter clothing.
Use your common sense and keep things where
they are needed most. Your china, utensils and spices belong
to kitchen, toilet paper, napkins and towels to bathroom,
lines and quilts to bathroom, videos and CDs in your
entertainment area and scissors and glue stick to your work
area. Make space for the things needed in the area there
itself, so you don't have to ransack or run over the entire
house to search for a thing you need frequently.
You can also use portable file boxes to hang
the file folders, on-the-desk trays and caddies to keep your
papers and storage accessories to keep your diskettes and CDs.
You may also want to rearrange the rooms and
customize them according to your needs. If you are used to
read or work in your living room, with your TV on, you don't
need a separate office or study that can be used for other
purposes while your living room needs to be rearranged to
serve both as an entertainment area and work area.
