You’ve just moved into a new studio or one-bedroom apartment and already you’re faced with problems. How are you going to fit the contents of all those cartons into your seriously limited space? In other words, where are you going to stash your stuff?
When the limited number of existing bureau drawers, kitchen cabinets, closets and shelves are already stuffed and at least 10 cartons remain unpacked, you’ve got problems. Fortunately, they’re not insoluble.
Look over, under and around. For starters, bare walls do nothing for you. Think about covering them with wall-mounted shelving, grids, Pegboard or corkboard.
The tops of kitchen cabinets are great for stashing seldom-used items, such as Christmas decorations, spare vases or party accessories. Small kitchen appliances can be mounted under the cabinets. Narrow spaces between the refrigerator and cabinets or the cabinets and a wall can hold folding chairs or a card table.
Don’t let that space under the bed go to waste either. You can buy boxes that slide under beds to hold all your extra bed linens and maybe your sweaters as well.
Closet overhaul
Closets, especially in older apartments or homes, are usually dinky little things with one hanging rod running across the width and one overhead shelf. You don’t have to settle for that, though. Closet-organizing systems are available to break up the space into more compact, usable modules, doubling or tripling your closet storage area. If the closets simply can’t deal with it, you can also buy garment-hanging racks with casters that will hold your out-of-season clothing in an out-of-the-way corner.
There are shelves that can be mounted to the inside doors of your closets and, in the bathroom, storage units can be installed over the toilet. If your space is relatively open, as in most lofts and some studios, you can use free-standing storage units to divide it into activity areas.
If you’re buying furniture, shop for pieces with built-in storage. Many headboards have shelves to hold your clock-radio, reading materials and a lamp. A lot of cocktail and occasional tables have drawers for coasters, magazines, remote controls or whatever. Upholstered storage boxes come in the form of hassocks or footstools. You can buy tall, skinny shelving units to fit into your narrow spaces and angled shelving to fit into corners. The choice of free-standing storage systems is almost limitless in sizes, materials, finishes and price. Units can cost anywhere from less than a hundred bucks to well over a thousand.
Don’t overlook little accessories, which do a lot in minimal space for very little effort or expenditure. Screw-in hooks come in a variety of sizes and can be installed on the bottom side of cabinet shelves for cups, on baseboards to hold extension cords out of the way or in storage closets to hold such things as dust cloths, whisk brooms, extra extension cords and laundry bags. Attach a couple to the front door frame to hold your house keys and the dog’s leash.
Hooks and clamps
Magnetic hooks and clamps can hold small items, like potato peelers and measuring spoons, to the side of the refrigerator or small office supplies to metal file cabinets or desks. You can buy cord-organizing cables that funnel all that complex wiring involved in computer and audio visual equipment into one large tube, eliminating the usual spaghetti tangle.
If you’re furnishing your space on the cheap, the first, and simplest, solution to consider is probably Pegboard. Pegboards are 2-by-4-foot sections of wallboard that are perforated to hold an assortment of hooks, loops and brackets in a variety of sizes. With them you can custom design hanging storage for almost any purpose. They’re perfect for all your tools, because you can see them and locate what you need quickly.
Pegboards, which can be painted to match your decor, are available at hardware stores and home improvement centers for about $2 a panel. When installing them, be sure to use spacers, which you must buy when you buy the panels, because Pegboard won’t work if the panels are mounted flush with the wall.
When installed in the space between the bottom of the kitchen cabinets and the countertops, Pegboard’s outstanding for unjumbling drawers and hanging small kitchen utensils in the areas where you most often use them. In the bathroom, you can put up a panel or two with brackets for extra shelving, or with angled hangers and hooks for your hair dryer, bath brushes and other accessories. In the bedroom, Pegboard installed with hooks can hold your jewelry, scarves and belts.
Wall-mounted grids
Wall-mounted grids work pretty much the same way as Pegboard, except that they’re more expensive and the hanging hardware is more elaborate. There are a number of different grid systems available and they come in a variety of sizes, but you usually can’t trim them to fit, as you can with Pegboard.
If you’re not sure exactly what you want or need, you can get a lot of ideas for using grids and other wall-mounted and free-standing storage modules by visiting practically any mall or shopping area. Houseware, furniture and hardware stores, as well as home improvement centers, have dozens of innovative solutions to specific storage problems. Because storage is a primary problem for almost all urban dwellers, the selection of remedies is almost endless.
“We tell people to be sure and measure first, so we know exactly what will fit their space,” says Isabel Callazo, who heads the home furnishings department at Great Ace Hardware in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
Among Great Ace items she describes are a free-standing modular system, consisting of frames in a choice of three sizes, two widths and two depths, which hold wire drawers in various sizes and shapes. These can be stacked and connected for sturdy, multipurpose storage.
A variation of the free-standing units is a system of wall-mounted standards to which brackets are attached to accommodate shelves of various widths and depths. Shoe racks and hang bars are available for these.
Units similar to those described by Callazo are on display and available throughout Chicago and the suburbs. A bit of selective shopping and you should find designs that will give you ample space to stash all your stuff with imagination and flair.
Step 1: Ask the landlord
A word of warning is in order for those who are planning to install wall-mounted storage units in rented apartments.
Theoretically, anything that is permanently installed is considered a part of the owner’s property and you may have to leave it behind when you move. At the very least, you will be expected to patch up any holes remaining in the walls or woodwork after you’ve removed it; otherwise you may forfeit part or all of your deposit.
Be sure to check your lease, which probably will tell you that you must have your landlord’s OK to make such installations. Even if it doesn’t, it would be a good idea to check with him or her first. Some surfaces can be permanently damaged by wall-mounted installations.
You’ll also need to know what technique works best on the wall surface where you are planning to install the unit. If you use the wrong installation hardware, the whole thing may come tumbling down on your head, bringing a portion of the wall with it.
For example: Screws in plaster or drywall will usually work loose eventually, sometimes very quickly. You’ll have to locate the studs and install the screws into those, or use a molly bolt. Your hardware dealer can explain all of this for you. If your walls are paneled with laminated, or wood-grained synthetic sheets, screws and nails may split them.
If you can’t tell for sure, ask your landlord. Don’t try to install anything onto a tiled wall (unless it attaches with an adhesive). If it must be done, let a professional do it. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re almost sure to ruin the tile.
Brick and concrete surfaces require special drill bits and special hardware. Don’t try to use a bit or screws made for wood on one of these surfaces. It won’t work, it won’t hold and you’ll ruin the bit. Again, let your hardware dealer show you what you’ll need.
If you’re going to install corkboard, be sure to get the self-stick tiles; if you use traditional adhesive, you’ll never be able to remove it.
