Do you have ideas on how to save space in an apartment?
Question:My husband and I are moving to a much more expensive city. Unfortunately, that will mean living in a studio apartment (right now, we have a large 1 br). We are trying to get rid of a lot of things, so that will help, but if you have other ideas as far as storage or how to make a space seem larger, I'd really appreciate them!
Also, this might be a dumb question, but is there a product that you can use to lift up a bedframe? (not books or bricks or anything like that, please) I'd like to store things under the bed, but right now, it sits too low.
Answers:
on hgtv i've seen window seats with storage, ottomans with storage, in catalogs i've seen dining chairs with storage, coffe tables with storage
they have stackable bed lifts they have them at bed bath and beyond and in target. try getting one of those shelving units athat you can put up to form a wall. you can put pretty crates in there and put things in them. Ikea has some. you can also use it as a bookshelf.
There are a couple products to lift up beds. You can find them at places such as Bed Bath And Beyond, Linens 'n Things. Also, have you thought of buying a storage bed? The bed has drawers underneath. Or, considering a sofabed or Murphy bed ( not all of them fit into a wall. Some are recessed into entertainment centers ). These are called Flying beds. Check flyingbeds.com they are the original source for these. Also for murphy beds murphybedcompany.com The bed is the one piece of furniture that will take up the most room. If you can hide it... That's extra space right there.
As for general storage. Make sure EVERY piece of furniture can do double duty if possible. Don't buy a table that doesn't have a drawer, etc. Or a small table that has castors so it can double as a serving cart. Make use of your walls! In a small space storage has to go UP, you have no floor space. Put up shallow but decorative cabinets to hold bath supplies. Shallow racks behind closet doors to hold shoes etc. Small shallow racks behind kitchen cabinet doors to hold spices, mixes in packets. Try the shops I mentioned, also Ikea, and the Container Store, and Hold Everything
The main thing is to clear clutter. Nothing makes a small space look smaller than lots of stuff. Free up your kitchen counter and your bathroom counters as much as possible. But also keep stuff on walls as hidden as possible to avoid clutter also. Furniture too. Use as few pieces as possible to decorate with. And nothing is worse than trying to vacuum through an obstacle course!
For your bed you can under bed drawers that lift your bed up but also give you drawers for clothing or blankets and such. Also, make the furniture you keep do double duty. If you have a choice between two tables, keep the one with the extra shelf or drawer. Ottoman's are great for hiding things in but they also hold lots and are beautiful. The secret is space efficiency.
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