Apartment Storage

I was thinking today about how much I will miss my apartment when we move to our new house. Although we've outgrown the space, we've made some very fond memories here. I'll start off by saying my apartment small. Lovely, but small. It's 1000 square foot overall. Between the cat, the dog, the baby, and Cody and I, we are simply running out of space.

It's funny to think that we actually have too much stuff. When my husband and I first moved in together after finishing high school, we had a bed and three boxes. Literally...that was it. Our lives combined fit into three boxes. Over the years we've collected some luxuries, like furniture and silverware. For the wedding, we received so many lovely home-related gifts. I am proud to say we have come a long way since then, and this place is looking pretty spiffy. We even have extra stuff...stuff we don't have much room for. It's delightful. Since our apartment is so small, I thought that I'd share with you some of the ideas I use for storage.

Storage bins

I love these. They're a perfect way to keep things organized and cute. I have these everywhere in my apartment. My linen closet is filled with them. I use them to hold anything from makeup products to my styling tools. They come in any shape, size, or color you could want, but these three are my favorites. These are in my coat closet by the entrance. One contains laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc..and the other two are full of candles. (Eek!) These are especially good for holding your little ones' books or toys. They're cheap too, and you can find them pretty much everywhere!

Ottomans

Ottomans provide a ton of extra storage for extra blankets, sheets, and other linens. I don't really find these visually appealing. It's hard to find a place where they don't look awkward in a room. We do have a brown leather one that we use as a coffee table, however, that I like a lot. It's large and sits right in front of our sectional couch. It's not the most beautiful coffee table you've ever seen. It does provide tons of room for storing our extra throws, however.

                                   

                                                                        Shelves

I love shelves. Seriously, I have like a million knick-knacks and useless things that are perfect for shelves. Not only are shelves practical, they add a sense of depth to a room. I have floating shelves in my bedroom. Those are adorable. Thinking about it we have at least one shelf in every room in our home. The pictures from above are from our kitchen and bathroom.

I would also suggest buying furniture that can be multi-functional or provide storage. I have a friend who lives in a teeny tiny apartment. She has a very simple desk that can be used as a dinner table if she has a guest or two over. She simply has to pull out a couple ottomans she stores under her bed, and we all have seating. Another item I love are the beds with shelves in the headboard or drawers underneath the bed. Those are idea for small spaces.

I'm not a master interior designer by any means, but these are just a few, simple ideas that I thought may help someone moving into a small space or looking to organize their small living area. Hope you liked it!