If there’s anything more elusive in a small home, it’s storage. We’ve done quite a number of storage articles (check this one out) but it seems there’s just never enough of them in our limited homes. Whether you’re living in an HDB flat or a condominium, these additional tips and tricks should help you maximise your storage potential in the four most important spaces of the home: living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
LIVING ROOM
Conceal your storage within your feature wall
Sure, TV feature walls doubling as storage spaces aren’t new. But getting it not to look like a bulky storage piece takes some skills. The key is to build tall and wide, covering both ends of the walls if possible. Make sure there are no cabinet pulls or handles and keep the design classic and minimal for a streamlined look.
Design: Akihaus
Build around your windows
The space surrounding your windows makes a good spot to eke out some extra storage. You could go for a bay window storage bench (which can work as a cosy reading nook) as well as open shelves along the sides and the top of your window frames. Open shelving is less visually bulky than closed cupboards, which is better for a small living room.
Design: AD. I. WRKS
Build a narrow cabinet behind your couch
Floating your couch away from the wall might seem like a bad idea especially if space is already limited in your small home. But it’s an option to consider if it means you can build additional storage in that small gap. Wedge in a narrow ledge like this one, which doesn’t take up too much space and can also function as a display cabinet. Make sure you have enough space clearance to open the cabinet doors without shifting your sofa though.
Design: Elpis Interior Design
KITCHEN
Use the underside of your kitchen cabinets
When the insides of your kitchen cabinets are full, utilise the bottoms instead. Here, the designer added grooves to slid wine glasses into. Genius, but if you don’t drink, you can always add bars and hooks to your cabinet undersides for hanging mugs or cooking utensils.
Design: DSOD Interior
Design: AD. I. WRKS
Resting your top cabinet on the countertop
Here’s a design you don’t see very often in Singapore homes, but it’s a good way to incorporate more storage in your kitchen even though you will probably have to sacrifice some countertop space. Instead of letting your top cabinets float, you can build a section of it all the way down to the top of your counters. In this kitchen, letting the middle cabinet sit on the counter provides a clear delineation between the cooking zone and the washing area.
Design: The Roomakers
Go for a built-in wine cooler
Wine chillers are not only clunky, but they also take up unnecessary room in your kitchen. Consider doing up an integrated under counter wine cooler to make the most of your storage space. Having it open from the side of the peninsula counter makes it a lot more convenient to reach for that glass of after-meal drink.
Design: Studio Roundtop
BEDROOM
Surround your bed with storage
When it comes to bedroom storage, the area surrounding your bed often gets overlooked. But the space presents plenty of opportunities for storage. Use a mixture of open and closed cabinets, where you can store anything from books to bed linen. Below, custom cabinetry surrounds a bed designed by Third Avenue Studio, all the way across the ceiling, while full-height cabinets and shelves line both sides of a bed in a bedroom done up by Elpis Interior Design.
Design: Third Avenue Studio
Design: Elpis Interior Design
Maximise your wardrobe space
Instead of investing in another piece of storage in your bedroom, check to see if you’ve maximised the space in your closet. Here are a few tips:
- Consider open shelves over closed drawers: Open shelves let you see what you have at a glance so that your clothes don’t get forgotten at the bottom of the drawer. Use closed drawers for items that don’t stack well like socks.
- For men’s shirts and pants, you can create two clothes rods instead of just having a single rod to make the most of your closet space. A single rod should be used for full-length dresses or longer garments.
- Stow your bags away in cubby holes or hook up your handbags so they don’t clutter up the floor space in your closet.
Design: AD. I. WRKS
Get bedside tables with storage
Most of us with small bedrooms tend to shy away from bulky bedside storage, but if storage is a necessity, get bedside tables with drawers or open cubbies where you can stow away your night-time essentials. When shopping, choose tall and lean instead of wide.
Design: Ehka Studio
BATHROOM
Include storage above your toilet
That odd space above your toilet? Storage potential! Install a storage unit to hold your linens, bathroom amenities or extra toilet rolls. If you want a look that feels a bit more blended in with the rest of your bathroom, go for a wall niche like the one Chapter B designed.
Design: Weiken.com
Design: Chapter B
Install shower niches
Rather than opt for an extra rack to store all your shampoo bottles, go for a recessed shower niche that is less obstructive. You can choose to have it how tall or wide you want—the taller and wider mean more storage space. Segregate it—using shelves—into different compartments for better organisation.
Design: The Local INN.terior
Get an integrated toilet roll holder
Instead of having a separate toilet roll holder, which can take up valuable wall space, consider integrating it to the side of your vanity sink. It also helps to conceal the toilet roll from view.
Design: Richfield Integrated
What are some ways you can sneak more storage in your home? Let us know in the comments!
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