Organize Your Home & Create More Space

Unless you move, your home isn't going to get any bigger than it is today … unless you take on a major remodeling project. That's not something you can do overnight, so we've got some low cost alternatives to help organize your home and create more living space.

Organizing our homes is more important today as we're spending more time at home. Many people found themselves working at home along with home schooling for their kids when the pandemic struck. These activities required creativity to find the needed space and often storage to support these activities.

While many people are headed back to the office and schools are open, homeowners realize they need more space to accommodate changes in their lives now … or in the future. So let's explore where you can find these in your house.

Entryways & Hallways Offer Storage & Space

Many new homes have what's called a drop zone, a place to put down packages as you enter your house. The benefit is you can keep school backpacks, sports equipment and more near the door and eliminate clutter elsewhere in the house. The drop zone above offers lots of storage (shelves and a large drawer) plus a seat for changing shoes. You can use cabinets, furniture or built-ins to maximize storage and get exactly what you want.

What have people done to use hallway space better?

• Added narrow shelves and/or tables to hallways that are wider than 3 feet.
• Turned small spaces into a reading nook by adding a chair or desk area with a small/collapsible desk.
• Opened up unused space hiding under your stairs for extra storage or an activity area for one person.
• Added recessed cabinets in walls for more storage, or hidden storage for things like keys. You'll find lots of great ideas at ConcealedCabinets.com.

Create More Space in Cabinets & Closets

Think about your closets and cabinets. Do they look like those you find in most new homes? If you said yes, you've got lots of opportunities to squeeze more storage out of these spaces. You can find lots of organizing gadgets for kitchen cabinets but don't stop there. There are many inexpensive ways to organize your home to create more storage.

• Organizing drawers will let you store more stuff and gosh, when you can't find room for something new it might mean it's time to let go of something you haven't used for years. Here's a fun article that walks you through designing a kitchen junk drawer … really!
• Add a towel rack to the back of doors, from your entry closet to linen closets and more.
• Hang your favorite pots and pans from a rod (adjustable shower curtain rods work well) below upper cabinets, on the end of cabinets or in your pantry.
• Tuck wheeled baskets for toys, laundry, wrapping supplies in a closet or under a desk. Then you can easily pull them out when needed and hide when done.
• Make use of upper cabinet doors from your medicine cabinet to kitchen cabinets. Use clips of clear plastic sleeves to collect recipes, school papers, etc.
• Use baskets to group items in your kitchen pantry or clothes closets. They're easy to pull out to find what you want … and easy to put back, helping to keep things organized.
• Use shower hooks to hang purses and backpacks in closets.

Use Multi-Purpose Furniture to Organize Your Home

Americans like their stuff! We collect and keep things for years after their useful life, filling attics, garages and even rented storage sheds. A better approach is to invest in multi-purpose furniture that makes it easy to store and use things easily, like the rotating craft tower above.

• For activities you engage in frequently, finding the perfect furniture will make your hobbies (rotating craft tower above) or work more enjoyable.
• Slide drawers (wheels optional) or under bed storage bins … under your bed for out of the way, yet easily accessible storage.
• Storage ottomans are everywhere. Where they once came with sofas, they're now designed to be used as benches, coffee tables and more. They're great for storing toys, blankets, guest room towels or whatever you want to hide. Many can be used for extra seating at the dining room table.

Wishing you much success creating more space and less clutter in your home!