Finding Hidden Space in Your Home!

by Harriet Bond
(San Francisco, CA, USA)

Even if you aren't a pack rat, it is more than likely that your personal possessions have outgrown their storage spaces. When this happens, you have three basic options: toss some of it away, find a new storage location, or keep it out in the open!.

Even if you do give some of it away, you are more than likely to continue adding to your collection of seasonal items, useful tools and equipment, and other categories of personal possessions.

Looking for extra nooks and crannies in your home to store your items often involves thinking outside of the box If you know where to look and you are willing to do a bit of minor remodeling, you can find lots of hidden storage space inside your home.

Hidden Storage Space: Doors, Doors, and Doors

Even if you have been resisting this idea, the back of a door is a perfect space for storage. A variety of storage solutions have been created for use on closet doors, including shoe holders, narrow wire shelving, tie racks, belt hangers, and all-purpose hooks All you need to mount these items is a screwdriver or hammer.

The inner side of the doors on kitchen cabinets is another great storage space. Why stop with the cabinets underneath the sink though? It is possible that some of the other kitchen cabinets offer a bit of hidden storage space, even if it is only for a potholder, measuring spoons, or some other relatively flat kitchen accessory. A small decorative hook on the inside of a kitchen cabinet might be the perfect storage solution.

Before making your purchase of one of these storage solutions, check out the spacing in between the inner side of the door and the existing shelving or hanging space inside the closet or cabinet. You might actually be able to purchase something larger than you originally thought.

Hidden Storage Space: Beneath the Stairs

If you are one of the lucky homeowners, you already have a closet of sorts beneath the stairs for storage. However, if you don't already have an existing closet there, why not hire a handyman to put one in for you. The extra storage space could be just what you are searching for to store sports equipment, toys, or other household items.

You can either create a closet with shelves for use in storing items, or you can make an open-space closet. With an under-the-stairs closet that has no shelves in it, you can store your items on top of a wheeled dolly or cart for easy access. Whatever you choose to do with this space, make sure that it is easy for you to use.

Hidden Storage Space: Walls, Walls, and Walls

The walls of a home are typically covered with photographs and paintings Why not use your walls to store smaller items? You can purchase or make shallow shelves on the walls of the utility room, mudroom, garage, and even the bedroom to store items that you use frequently.

It is possible that you can find some hidden storage space within the walls themselves. You would need to knock out a portion of the wall, in between the studs You can renovate the space into a small shelf suitable to hold important items. Depending on how handy you are, this new storage area could become a conversation piece with neighbors and friends when they come to visit.

Quite often, windows and doors have narrow areas of wall surrounding them. If you purchase extremely narrow shelves, you can make use of this space to hold items that are currently stored elsewhere in the room.

Finding Hidden Space in Your Home!

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