There are lots of practical storage ideas online but most of them are ugly. To overcome this lack of a comprehensive resource, we have hand picked 50 beautiful storage ideas for small house that you can mix and match to maximise your storage space. Some of these ideas are really creative while are common sense.
Updated: Check out 5 cheap storage solutions for your small house
Get rid of stuff first
Storage idea #1: Consume digital instead of physical media
Books, DVDs, magazines etc takes up lot of space in the house. The worse thing is that the space they occupy tend to increase over time as we buy more and more of them. With digital subscription services becoming so cheap and common, it is time to leave the physical media and enjoy the benefits of digital media. For books, there is Amazon’s Kindle. For movies, there is NetFlix. For magazine, there is the Next Step magazine app. All the media content we want can be stored online and saves lot of space in the house.
Storage idea #2: Digitalise everything!
Papers, documents, certs etc. All these create storage problems especially when we have been saving them for years. One way to reduce such clutter is to use a scanner and digitalise every paper document you have.
Storage idea #3: Get rid of stuff that hasn’t been used in a year
Any item that you have not touch in a year means it is probably not useful or you probably bought it in a moment of haste. Get rid of it to create more space.
Make use of wall space
Wall space are valuable spaces that are often under exploited. With a small house, everything counts and we need to make full use of what we have. Some of the creative storage ideas will make you rethink of how to make use of your wall space.
Storage idea #4: Use movable wall shelves to act as room dividers
This great concept from the Great Small Apartment Design Solutions used a movable wall shelf, mounted on a track to act as a protective wall for the bedroom. It not only creates storage space but increases the privacy of the bedroom without wasting valuable space.
Storage idea #5: Use really high wall storage
Don’t be afraid to build really high wall shelves. Use those to storage stuff that is used probably less often such as your winter wear or special cleaning solutions. Make sure you have a ladder at the side to make the high book shelves accessible.
Storage idea #6: Replace your feature wall with modern shelves
Don’t waste valuable wall space with a purely decorative furniture. Modern shelves look equally outstanding and they can contribute to creating more storage space in your house. See below for some ideas:
Storage idea #7: Shelve an entire wall from ceiling to floor
A whole hearted wall shelving gives you much better mileage than just a few wall cabinets. It it also easier to incorporate them into the design of the home if it is full ceiling to floor shelf.
Buy furniture with storage
There are lots of interesting furniture designs currently that have lots of storage options. See the list below for some really creative ideas on squeezing out more storage from your furniture.
Storage idea #8: Sofa storage
Never thought you can have so much storage for your sofa? See how creative these designs are.
Storage idea #9: Coffee table storage that serves multi function
Coffee table is a luxury in a small house but if you buy one that can plenty of storage as well as being able to serve multi function, it will be a great storage solution.
Storage idea #10: Combine office desk with book shelves
There is so many good ideas here. First, it combines a furniture meant for seating with a storage furniture. Second, it make full use of wall space. Third,it looks so cool that your visitors will surely be talking about it.
Storage idea #11: Use partition storage to create different spaces
Despite a small space, it is still important to use partitions to mark up different spaces as well as to create privacy. Rather than using normal room dividers, you can use partition storage which acts as both shelves as well as dividers.
Bedroom storage ideas for small spaces
With small spaces, we need to be really think out of the box if we want both privacy as well as storage options. Storage idea #4 can be considered a bedroom storage idea but below are some more tips you can consider.
Storage idea #12: Use bunk wall beds to create more space
Using wall beds is a great way to create more space in your small house. By storing your bed along the wall, you free up lots of space and immediately transform it into a more spacious house.
Storage idea #13: Use bunk bed to create more storage space under the bed
The beauty of bunk bed is that it uses the empty space floating in the air, thereby allowing more storage space to be created underneath it. This idea is especially great for children.
Storage idea #14: Make of your bedboard to create more storage
Bed board used to be for anchoring yourback or head. The image below shows that you can make full use of this space to also create more bedroom storage that can store your bedding sets, mattress etc.
Storage idea #15: Use pull out bed under stairs
If you need a place to store a second bed, a great idea is to buy a pull out bed that can be placed either under stairs or a raised platform to avoid taking more valuable floor space.
Make use of storage under stairs
For houses that have stairways, the area under the stairs represent a golden opportunity to create more storage. Here are some ideas on how you can do this.
Storage idea #16: Transforming stair treads into drawers
Stair tread can be used to store shoes or other small items that are frequently used in the living rooms.
Storage idea #17: Put shelves under stairs
Besides the stair treads, the area under the stairways represents plenty of space. You can either create a workstation under the stairs or transform the entire area into shelves that can be used to store picture frames, books and other small items.
Bathroom storage ideas
Bathroom requires lots of storage space. Towels, toiletries etc all require space. Without proper storage, it can easily lead to a messy bathroom.
Storage idea #18: Build cabinets below vanity
The vanity area usually has lots of empty spaces below it. By making full use of this space by building an inbuilt storage that can hold all the toiletries.
Storage idea #19: Combining bathroom furniture to streamline the use of space
Most of the time, there are little spaces between bathroom furniture. These spaces are usually wasted. To save such space, you can use bathroom furniture that combine several functions into one. For example, the image below shows how a bathroom sink shelf can be combined with bathtub.
Storage idea #20: Put shelves under your bathtub
Even with a small house, it is still possible to have a bathtub to pamper yourself. Rather than wasting the entire space, you can put up shelves under the bathtub for more storage capacity.
Storage idea #21: Build shelves on pipes
Most bathroom have pipes running around. Instead of doing nothing, why not place some shelves between the pipes to create more shelving storage? Below is an example of how this can be achieved.
Storage idea #22: Recessed shelving
Built in storage helps to create storage without demanding any space on their own. They are extremely useful when you are facing a serious shortage of space.
Storage idea #23: Use cabinets between the bathtub and ceiling
There is usually some small space between the bathtub and the wall. Make use of this space to stack up on lots of cabinets so that it is full of storage capacity for your bathroom accessories.
Storage idea #24: Floor to ceiling cabinet
Make sure you make full use of the available space by installing a floor to ceiling cabinet. This will really give you lots of storage space in your bathroom.
Storage idea #25:Create a small ledge around the bathroom
Putting a small ledge around the bathroom. This will give you lots of small space to put all your toiletries. The image below will illustrate how you can put the concept to work.
Kitchen storage ideas for small spaces
With small spaces, our concept of kitchen might need to change. Rather than having a full kitchen, we might need to consider shared spaces or having a multi function kitchen cabinet.
Storage idea #26: Use lots of kitchen hooks
Install lots of kitchen hooks to hang your cooking utensils. You can also installing a spice rack to store all your spices. These items will help you to make full use of the empty kitchen walls.
Storage idea #27: Use a knife rack
Usually, we will store our knives in a knife block. However, they take up lots of valuable space. Instead, try using a wall mounted knife rack to free up more space at your kitchen top.
Storage idea #28: Go for mini kitchen appliances
There are many mini kitchen appliances in the market today. From mini food processor to mini cupcake maker, you can buy these smaller sized appliances to save lots of space in your kitchen.
torage idea #29: Use corner cabinet to avoid wasting this space
Most kitchens failed to use this space due to not installing the corner cabinet. I strongly recommended that small house install corner cabinets to avoid wasting this precious kitchen space.
Storage idea #30: Kitchen banquette with storage
Having a banquette as a causal dinning not only creates a causal dinning place but the cabinet under the seats creates lots of storage. The actual banquette also takes up less space than a normal dinning table.
Storage idea #31: Hanging ceiling rack
If your kitchen cabinets and walls are already filled with stuff, you might want to consider the ceiling. By using a modern hanging rack, you can use it to store your pots and pans.
Storage idea #32: Combining spice rack with shelf
Lots of the kitchen will have spice jars and recipe books. This clever idea combines both storage into a single unit, thus saving you lots of space and creating lots of storage.
Clothing storage ideas for small spaces
Storing clothing constitutes a big part of our storage problem. In the past, we only had wardrobes as the main way to store our clothes. Nowadays, the ideas are much more innovative. Let’s take a look at some of these creative ideas.
Storage idea #33: Rolling closet cabinets for clothes
Big wardrobes are great for storing clothing but their bulky size also means a big problem for small houses. Now, thanks to this rolling closet cabinet idea, you can have the luxury of having a big wardrobe without giving up too much floor space.
Storage idea $34: Store clothes under the bed
Buy a modern bed storage and you will have any source of storage place to out your clothes. Perfect for winter wear or blankets!
Storage idea #35: Use partitions for your wardrobe
If you use partitions to divide your wardrobe into smaller compartments, there will be less wastage of spaces. In fact, proper storage can often reveal hidden storage spaces that you might not be aware of.
Storage idea #36: Attach hocks to cabinet side doors
You can add hooks to the side door of your cabinets to hang various items including ties, necklaces etc.
Storage idea #37: Use a slim wardrobe rack
Without much space, a typical wardrobe might take too much space. In such cases, using a slim wardrobe rack like the one below can help to save lots of space.
Multifunction furniture
Multifunction furniture are great for small houses. Most of the time, they perform both a storage role as well as a functional role. Let’s take a look at some of the more creative multifunction furniture.
Storage idea #38:Multifunction table
A very sleek design that can transform a table into a small gathering place with cushions. A very sleek design and very functional.
Storage idea #39: Multifunction bed
A bed that can be stored neatly or be transformed into a bed and a working office space. Very very nice!
Storage idea #40: Multifunction sofa
Imagine a sofa that can be transformed into a bookshelf. Well, you can get it now and below is how the concept will look like.
Storage idea #41: Multifunction kitchen
A compact kitchen can be transformed to serve different purposes, including cooking, washing and storing. A brilliant concept that is meant for small houses.
Storage idea #42: Multifunction tv console
A Tv console that can be flipped open to reveal hidden storage for your DVDs or CDs.
Storage idea #43: Mutlifuction dining table
A dining table that can be extended to a 4 seater when in use. When not, it can simply be slide back into the wall where no space is occupied. A brilliant design.
Storage idea #44: Multifunction pool table
A pool table that can double up as a dining table. If you really want to play pool in a small house, this is the table to get!
Creative storage ideas for small houses
The rest of the ideas showcased here don’t fall into any category but they are all creative storage solutions for small spaces.
Storage idea #45: Ceiling storage
Ceiling is an often under used space where you can exploit. The example below shows you how the ceiling can be used to store books. It is a clever idea that I have seen few people used.
Storage idea #46: Crown molding as shoe rack
Running out of space to store all your shoes? How about using crown molding to create instant shoe storage that can hold quite a number pair of shoes. See image for example.
Storage idea #47: Movable study table
This is a great idea for creating a movable study table that can be hidden. This can free up lots of space as you can simply roll out the study table as and when you need it.
Storage idea #48: Creating storage in high places
Make full use of the space between the door and the ceiling by installing a full storage shelf. Not only does it use an previously unused area, it also creates a nice featured wall effect.
Storage idea #49: Room divider as magazine rack
Similar to idea #11, a room divider can be used to serve as both a partition as well as for storage. In this idea, you can consider using a room divider as well as a magazine rack.
Storage idea #50: use a wall mounted mail organizer
Mount a organizer that can help to hold all type of small items such as keys, mail, letters etc. This will help to keep your room organized while creating more storage for small items.
