Clever Space Saving Tips For Your Closet

1) Get rid of anything you have not worn in a year. Plan to store out-of-season clothing in another closet, garage, or in a container on a high shelf. A rolling garment rack is also a good idea for getting opposite season clothes out of the current rotation.

2) Measure the closet. Remember to assess square feet, utilizing interior wall space, the backs of doors and floor space. Make drawings of where everything could go. Try a few different ideas and enlist help from your spouse, friends or family. Sometimes they will come up with arrangement ideas that you haven't thought of. Bring the drawings and measurements with you if you shop for storage containers. Adjust your drawings if you are inspired by bins or baskets while you are there.

3) Get creative with making space. If you have a lot of shoes, you may need lots of storage for them. But, that doesn't mean that they will actually take up a lot of space. You can install cubby shelves up the interior front side of the side walls. This way, the shoes will be lined up the front corners of the closet in front of your shelves or hanging clothes. You can easily store shoes sixteen pairs high, two wide, on both sides of the closet. That's sixty four pairs of shoes stored neatly in order without taking up hardly any space!

4) If you need more room up front for cubby shelves, you may be able to move your hanging bar back closer to the back wall. Many closets have about six inches available behind the hanging clothes. Moving the bar to the back makes a deeper closet. Some closets are deep enough to do this and install even more shelves on the front walls, adjacent to the door. If you have room to walk in and turn forward, you could store a multitude of items here.

5) You may also be able to move your bar or top shelf up higher. Many closets have a top shelf, which is very useful. But, we often use about one to two feet of vertical space on this shelf, leaving another foot or two above our storage items before we're near the ceiling. Moving the shelf up higher can leave you room for another, more shallow shelf just below it for storing smaller items. You can place linens or large shallow containers for storage on this extra shelf. Or, move everything up a foot and make room on the floor for deeper storage containers, drawers or shoe organizers.

When you find easy ways to make space, you will be surprised how organized a small closet can be. When you are done, hang your clothes on matching hangers. Beautiful wooden cedar hangers or space saving metal hangers can give your closet even more of a professionally organized feel.


By Ellen Hamm

About the author: Ellen Hamm is on the staff of Everything Hangers, a leading online resource for metal hangers and cedar hangers. Find the highest quality metal hanger or cedar hanger at http://www.everythinghangers.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ellen_Hamm

Image from: http://www.closetsbydesign.com/images/side/reachInClosets.jpg

Get your things up and out of the way with creative storage ideas

If your home-storage method is throwing anything you don't immediately need into a closet, it's time for a change. Organized storage enables you to fit everything in and find things later. Plus, you'll have more peace of mind when your belongings are packed away in their own specified place. From second homes to studios, here's an expert look at how to create your own organized storage system at home.

Look with new eyes
Find hidden storage where you never thought it existed. Utilize space over doors and underneath beds. "Most people overlook this valuable space saving real estate," says Olescia Hanson, spokesperson for The Container Store. Take a walk though your house, look above the doors and sneak a peak under each bed to see where you can maximize making extra room. Christina MacDonald of DRS & Associates recommends mounting when possible. "Opt for a plasma screen television that you can hang on the wall as opposed to a regular television to free up key storage space," she says.

Click here to continue reading the article...

Comment:

This is really an eye-opener! Create ways for storage and avoid clutter.

Have You Considered These Space-Saving Bed Designs To Maximize Your Interior Decorating Space?

Vertical and functional space planning are two of the most overlooked areas in most households interior design layout. In this article we'll discuss how to double the functional space in the bedrooms of your house.

Think Vertical
Effective space planning and interior design requires that you plan in three dimensions - so start thinking about the space above your head and higher up on the walls. There are great functional bedding and storage solutions you can use to easily double your floor space in a bedroom and its functional storage space.

Futons for the guest rooms
Why waste the functionality and floor space of a designated guest room when it can normally operate as your den or library? When guests are expected, simply fold down the futon and make it into your guest bedroom.

Loft beds for older children
Loft beds are excellent functional solutions for older children that also want to use their bedroom as a social hangout or study room. A loft bed allows you to place a sofa or study desk underneath the bed. This also creates a great atmosphere under the bed that is private and quiet.

Bunk beds for the youngsters
When there is more than one child in a bedroom bunk beds are a logical solution for using more of the vertical space available in a room, and also creates more space on the floor for playtime.

Murphy beds for studios and 1 bedroom apartments
Murphy beds are a great bed design to incorporate when space is on limited supply. Installing a Murphy bed will instantly open up the room floor space. In small apartments, installing a Murphy bed can have the effect of feeling like you've just added another entire room! Murphy beds are also a great option for adding to dens or studies to create a guest room.

High platform beds for more storage
Platform beds are becoming very common now as bed designers switch from using bulky box springs to sleeker and more durable platform supports for bed designs. The old space of a box spring easily creates another vertical foot of potential storage space under your bed. For a regular king size bed, this will create an additional 42 square feet of storage space under the bed.

Air beds for emergency guest rooms
If your spare rooms in the house are dedicated to other functions that you really don't want to give up, then consider getting an airbed to use when having house guests stay over. Air beds are portable, inflate quickly, and have good support and functionality. You can also get air beds that quick inflate themselves from a small duffel bag.

Trundle beds
Trundle beds are great to have in kids rooms to pull out for sleepovers and can operate as a second temporary bed if the need arises. When not in use it simply slides back under the bed. If you have a trundle bed then you can free up more space in your storage room by getting rid of any fold out cots or beds.

Day beds
Day beds are a functional bedding alternative that also creates a sitting area during the day. Great for apartments, girls rooms, or dens and guest rooms.

Captain's beds
To maximize storage space in your child's room consider a captain bed. With so many drawers under the higher bed frame you can do away with separate dresser drawers to free up more floor space.

If you start to think vertical in you interior space planning you can be on your way to doubling your useable interior floor space in your home. For more bed resources and design tips you can visit http://www.loft-beds-bunk-beds.com/loft-beds.htm

by S.A. Smith


About The Author
S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, editor, and contributor to the Loft Beds Bunk Beds resource site, and can be reached at http://www.loft-beds-bunk-beds.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S.A._Smith

image from: http://www.woodshanti.com/images/Bole-bedL.jpg

Great Space - Saving Ideas for the Small Bedroom

In an urban home where space is at a premium, storage space is a premium so here are some space-saving ideas for the small bedroom.

The bed, being the key piece of furniture is more effective as a high-level bed with plenty of boxes, drawers or cupboards underneath. The cupboards do not have to have doors, which need space to swing open. Instead, think cubby holes for storing books, clothes and shoes.

If you’re living in a studio flat, you can still make use of the minimal space. For example, ‘store’ the sleeping area on top of a tiny kitchen and bathroom, leaving the main room as a living area. In any arrangement where the bedroom is raised up, or in a gallery, have open-tread, ladder-type access to the upper level, rather than a solid staircase which will create visual barrier.

The bed which folds up against the wall is another space-saving alternative. Build storage shelves on the wall above the folded-up bed and hang a blind or curtain which, when extended, will hide the entire wall.

Bunk beds which fold away are useful in a child’s room. But you lose the advantage of the copious storage space which can be built in underneath a high-level bed that is a permanent structure.

Clothes storage becomes a greater issue in a confined space. Part of the solution is to be disciplined and ruthless about how many pieces you should have. Seasonal storage, where you store away winter clothes in summer and summer for winter, will help the situation if you have an attic or other place to stash away a couple of old suitcases.

If you’re a naturally tidy person, consider banishing your wardrobe door which opens out. This is because it shrinks the room visually. Alternatively, remove doors which swing open conventionally and use sliding panels, folding doors or a curtain that hangs flat when closed. Maximum use of up-storage is vital and custom furniture built into the available space, is more efficient than free-standing. If your wardrobe finishes short of the ceiling consider extending it upwards to create less-used storage spaces.

Lester Fong

http://www.unique-home-decor-ideas.com/

Image from: http://mattresszine.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/small-space-beds-thumb.jpg

Interior Decorating Space Saving Tips

Space Saving Tips for small spaces. Make changes to your small spaces with simple hints in the online makeovers.

1. Use larger mirrors for small spaces. It gives the illusion that the room is larger.

2. Use light weight chairs around a solid wood table. Chairs that you can see through like coated metal chairs work well in a small space.

3. Use pretty fabric (or use curtains) to conceal clutter. Here is a great tip to conceal a lot of clutter. You can buy bookshelves to line up against one wall. This helps to conceal all your belongings, with the curtain (or fabric) either staple or tack it to the top of the bookshelf. This will conceal everything, all you see is the fabric and it looks great. Use shelving wherever possible to get clutter up and out of the way.

4. Hang your curtains as high up to the ceiling as possible. It gives the room height, thus making the space look larger.

5. Go with large scale furniture, keep it simple with just a few essential useful pieces.

6. Make a filing system out of square decorative wicker baskets to keep paper and mail. It makes it look nicer and it doesn't take up a lot of room.

7. Don't put a lot of accessories all over the tables or counters. Instead hang curio shelves and put accessories on them. It keeps the tables and counters free of clutter and it gives people something to look at.

8. You can buy ottomans that have storage or even some coffee tables that have storage and keep all your non-essentials out of plain sight.

9. If you want to make a space look larger never paint your walls with dark colors, stay with lighter colors. It makes the room appear larger and not feeling like your in a dark box.

10. Use a variety of lighting, uplighting, sconces, lamps, floor lamps etc. . .

Our online makeovers are easy. Everyone can do them to make that small space more organized and help make that small space look larger. Use online makeovers and just have fun. Simplicity is Key.

By Sue Inman

Sign up for our newsletter, and I will be sending you tips and hints for your home. Remember Knowledge is Power. You can do it!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_Inman

Image from: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/seating-sofas-armchairs/ottoman-sleeper-021669