In a perfect world, every house would have a basement and an attic, walk-in closets and deep kitchen cabinets that stretch on forever -- but the world is an imperfect place. Some otherwise-great dwellings have narrow closets, a couple of small cabinets and no attic or basement. If you're handy -- or at least, comfortable with a hammer and nails -- that may not matter. There are plenty of ways to make more storage space, even in the tiniest of houses.
Make Use of Narrow Walls for Storage
Walls that are out of the way or too small to hang pictures and knickknacks -- like the narrow wall beside your bathroom sink -- often go unused. Instead, hang a few simple floating shelves within arm's reach. Reduce clutter by using the shelves to store items you'd normally keep on the countertop.
Take Advantage of Vertical Storage Space
When you're trying to store infrequently-used items, think above eye level. Stack wicker baskets along the top of your kitchen cabinets to store small appliances you don't use often. Install a pot rack from the ceiling to store the pots and pans you don't use every day. Suspend a clothing rack from the ceiling to store out-of-season items and free up closet space.
Squeeze in More Shelves
With a few supplies and some creative thinking, you can easily double the shelving space in your bathroom and kitchen. Place tiered shelving units along your widest shelves to break the large space into smaller, more usable chunks. Attach narrow baskets to the inside of cabinet doors for more storage space.
Turn Doors Into Storage
Replace pantry or laundry room doors with reclaimed wooden shutters, available at hardware resale stores and charity shops. Not only will the wooden shutters look great, you can use the other side to hang items -- like kitchen utensils or knickknacks -- out of sight. If you don't want to swap out your doors, you can also install pre-built shelving units. Many are designed to fit along the inside of doors and will give you plenty of added storage space.
Reclaim the Space Under Your Cabinets
Utilizing the space under your cabinets could free up some room inside of them. By hanging a rack underneath, you could store wineglasses and coffee mugs under the cabinet using less space than you would have needed on the shelves. You can also use the space to install a magnet to hold up metal jars or spice containers.