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ritalapoint

House with no storage

ritalapoint
8 years ago
Hi,
I just moved in a new house, and I have no storage what so ever.
Especially in bathrooms, I get ready in my ensuite bath...
Any ideas! I installed free standing shelving unit on top of the toilet
The photo you see is a wall in the kitchen eating area, need storage and a place to eat ...

Comments (65)

  • ritalapoint
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    I love that idea!
  • ritalapoint
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    Cheap chic where can I find a low rack such as this one?
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  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    The one pictured is available for sale right here on Houzz for $180.


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  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    Another great place to shop for credenza to hold tv, etc. is a used business furniture store.

  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    Here is a photo showing a high wall ledge. Good storage but remember to dust once in awhile! And nothing heavy that would hurt your head if you live in earthquake land.

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  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    I use clear, stackable storage tubs like these to store holiday decorations out in the garage. No candles that might melt! Plus, I am "downsizing" the amount of those I keep.


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  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    Storage ottomans are hard to beat. Lots of different sizes, shapes, looks. Target carries a few. Makes good extra seating for guests.


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  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    The higher you can raise the beds, the more storage space under! I keep my once in awhile dressy shoes stored there.

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  • PRO
    Designpoint
    8 years ago

    Bath Storage, If you do not have medicine cabinets, build them in between studs. Add a floating shelf above mirrors, toilet, etc. You can buy them at IKEA store or from them online. Can also use them in other rooms.


  • whytef
    8 years ago

    For the kitchen, you could consider installing a banquette made of upper kitchen cabinets -- storage and a place to sit that's space-conscious.

  • erinsean
    8 years ago

    I was going to mention for the bathroom, building a cupboard in between the studs....a door on it will make it look like a little closet. It will hold cosmetics, TP, tooth brush/paste and all sorts of toiletries. Towels may not fit but they can be under the sink or in a closet in another room.

  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    If you have really small kids, switching where you store the towels with under sink items a good idea. There can be very dangerous things kept under our sinks.

  • leelee
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Try to stay away from furniture with shelves and instead look for chests/buffets/cabinets with doors and drawers. Since you're space is small avoid things that cause a cluttered look.

    Take the opportunity to really clean out and pare down on "stuff"



  • felixgrantham
    8 years ago

    You can also store stuff under draped tables.

    Max. shelf space in closets by buying or finding boxes that fit - you can fill shelves to the ceiling that way! Kitchen cabinet organizers are great too - wire racks for saran wrap on doors, wire shelves to house cups above plates, wire shelves in your kitchen or closet than hang down from regular shelves.

  • suezbell
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Someone suggested you throw away stuff stored in containers you don't use for a year -- consider donating those items instead. Also, IF you use containers, then number your containers and create a separate list for the contents of each storage container so you can add and delete items on the lists as you move stuff about in the storage containers rather than changing a label; besides, only you and your family need to know what's stored in that stack of containers in the corner of the garage or room.

    Instead of containers, consider looking for vertical storage unit with doors in hardware stores or the tool section of big box stores. It's easier to remove stuff from shelves than lift a bunch of large heavy storage containers to get to the one on the bottom. If you invest in a sturdy kind, then, even if you need them kept in the house for a time because they contain household items, eventually you may move them into a basement or garage or shop for storage of non-household items as you keep/toss stuff and/or invest in actual furniture pieces.

    For the spot shown, I'd consider extending the "bar/countertop" in the interior "window" between dining and living almost all the way out to the door trim and either create a bar for bar stools there or a closed cabinet beneath the countertop for storage -- whichever you need most.

    Go vertical*. When space is limited you can get more storage with tall cabinets. Consider bookcases and/or corner cabinets with solid doors at least on the bottom half for hidden storage -- check the size, including height, of stuff you expect to store there (small appliances, etc.) and make sure you size the height between shelves accordingly. You could just leave one shelf at countertop high open and put solid doors on both top and bottom of the cabinets or glass on the top ones if you're storing mementos and/or collectables. With an eight foot ceiling, you could have seven and a half foot cabinets. {*For safety sake, when going vertical, affix the cabinet to the wall to prevent it from being easily pulled over of a child tries to climb on it.

    You can get sturdy, solid bed lifter blocks to lift up your beds in order to store stuff in shallow containers with wheels underneath the beds. Such storage containers are designed for that purpose and if you shop around you can find the size that will maximize your storage. You might want to add a bed skirt afterward.

    If you have enough space above the windows in any of the rooms, you could build a box with doors the width of the windows and put seldom used stuff above the windows -- or even all across the wall over the windows -- and extend the sides and front of the box down enough at the windows to create a space under the box to create a cornice to hide the top of your blinds or drapes.

    If you use a footstool or coffee table, choose those with storage. In a children's room, a hammock net bag can hold stuffed animals and other toys in a high corner out of the way.

    Backs of doors can be made into storage for shoes and accessories.

    Edit to add: is there space above a wall mounted shower head to store bottles of stuff in white plastic coated wire shelves -- stuff usually put in the bath cabinets that moisture will not damage?


  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    The days of the skirted table are pretty much over, but heard of using a very large round plastic trash can, and plywood round topper to create the table. I have heard of storing that large fluffy comfortable during the summer there. Christmas decor also.

  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    But hey, form follows function and this can bring in lots of hidden storage. With the right cloth, not bad.


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  • Jean Benelli
    8 years ago

    I did what a previous post said. I also moved into a house with no storage. Not even a linen closet. I bought two unfinished upper kitchen cabinets and installed them in a hall for storage. I put a toe kick on the bottom cabinet and a top. Hung the upper cabinet on the wall 21 inches above the bottom cabinet. Painted them the same paint as my kitchen cabinets. They look original to the house.

    My hall bathroom had no storage. One bare wall in the bathroom backed up to the bedroom closet. I cut a hole in that wall and placed a bookshelf in the hole. I had a door installed over the shelving but you can trim up the opening around the bookshelf and it will look like a built in storage shelf. It only took 27 inches out of a 9 foot closet.

    Use a wood storage chest for a coffee table and I second the idea of a small chest used for end tables. You can also use storage cubes as a coffee table. Use chests at the foot of everyone's bed to store linens and towels.

    And like more than one person said, I second donating all you have not used in year. I just did that very thing and boy does it feel good.

  • lamaisonbleu
    8 years ago

    I have no closets downstairs in my 1922 Dutch Colonial. I added a Hall Tree to the Entry. Built-ins to the dining room, painted white. A French Armoire (not too large). A broom closet in between the studs. Book shelves over the windows, high. Magazines in a Basket. Etc. etc. Be creative. You'll find a way.

  • kitandkaboodle
    8 years ago

    If you don't have one, add a medicine cabinet to the bathroom -- either in place of the mirror or on the wall near the vanity. The builder didn't put them in our bathrooms so a few years ago my teenage son and I installed one on the wall next to the vanity. I've been amazed at how much storage this small medicine cabinet provides -- plenty of space for deodorant, medicines, lotion, etc... and all easier to reach then digging through the vanity or having stuff on top of the vanity. An added plus is this medicine cabinet has a mirrored door on the outside and inside. (http://www.lowes.com/pd_1007-20602-CB-CLC2026FS___?productId=1267151&pl=1&Ntt=kohler+medicine+cabinet).

  • Kaaren Baumgartner
    8 years ago

    Off season items or whatever in suitcases you have. Decorative jars for small items.

  • Vicki Magee
    8 years ago

    Make every inch count by using only very tall closed door furniture that act as closets. Armoires, chifforobes and the like. They hold an enormous amount. If a piece of furniture doesn't have doors then it isn't as effective because you have to worry about how it looks and you just need storage. I get furniture as tall as possible . Some dressers are 40 inches tall and very wide with deep drawers. I wish you the best. This can be such a problem.

  • nomad7
    8 years ago

    Oh, I hate the bathrooms with no storage! At the very least, you need a place to keep a towel and an extra roll of toilet paper. You can buy elegant-looking racks you can screw into the wall (for towels, perhaps) at home improvement stores like Menards (or Lowe's or Home Depot, or whatever you have in your area). We got one of those and mounted it on the wall of the old-house-without-storage we're in now. They can be open (for towels) or have a closeable cabinet (for medicine/toiletries). We also bought several bookshelves and fit them into various spaces in the kitchen. Canned goods in one, boxed goods in another... While I'd prefer a cabinet with a door, it can still look neat and not overwhelming if you set it up right. When we lived in Germany and the house literally came with just walls, we bought a small contraption for toilet paper from Ikea that let you stack rolls, speared through the middle on a central pole. The top had a bar you could dispense your active roll from. I don't know what's available where you are, but you could check there. The other thing people do in the Land of No Closets is simply buy wardrobes/armoires. They can look very nice. Good luck!! Yes, yes, I know, get rid of everything--but you DO need a place for your toothbrush so it doesn't fall in the toilet...

  • Olena Tkach
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    For your bath. As for me, the best desigion is an under-sink counter paired with a mirror medicine cabinet and some shelving, as here:

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    If you are not ready to buy something pricy right now, you may temporary put a little wire rack under the sink and hide it behind a curtain:

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    Here was a story about sink curtains, you amy find nice ideas there: [https://www.houzz.com/magazine/vintage-style-when-why-and-how-to-use-a-sink-skirt-stsetivw-vs~49455340[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/vintage-style-when-why-and-how-to-use-a-sink-skirt-stsetivw-vs~49455340)

    As for kitchen dinning place with extra storage, you may like either a kind of 'dining island'

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    or an extra storage in your breakfast nook sitting:
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    I had a kitchen corner banquett with a hinged top that allowed me to store a lot of kitchen staff inside the sitting place once, and I really liked it. Unfortunally, now my kitchen is too small, so there's no breakfast nook now

  • pcmom1
    8 years ago

    A great place to find good storage pieces with DEEP drawers is a furniture consignment store. You will want to shop for older pieces. For some reason the newer stuff has very shallow drawers that do not hold much.

    And good idea about those suitcases. Most of us have some extra large ones we no longer travel with. I have a couple in the garage that store ski clothes. They could also hold beach towels in the winter.

    And, this post inspired me to take a few minutes and sort thru the linen closet. We had a few extra blankets and sheet sets that weren't needed. I drove down and donated them yesterday.

  • pcmom1
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    This large armoire could easily have been some ugly mid-60's piece. Paint it with chalk paint, and voila!

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    Could be holding food, toilet paper, games....

  • marsia
    8 years ago

    If you have an Ikea by you, go there. Our house has no storage and we save up and get walls of it from Ikea. It is the cheapest and nicest storage I have found. I like Besta cabinets with doors. You could even get the cabinets and put doors on later if you need to save up for them.

  • ritalapoint
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    Thank you all for your creative ideas. I did find an old credenza with deep shelves for the kitchen. I love it!
    As for the bathroom, if I add anything, it looks cluttered. I added baskets for my make up and things...but I think I may have to replace pedestal with vanity.
  • lilpug123
    8 years ago

    A wall-mounted or ceiling mounted pot rack would take care of those pots piled in the corner of the floor and you can store the lids in a holder that screws onto the inside of a kitchen cabinet door.

  • tlcamp73
    8 years ago



    Maximize what storage you have, I added shelves in my laundry closet all the way to the ceiling. I've used baskets for small items, and store items that would normally hog your counter top. My laundry area is under the stairs and not in the kitchen, no big deal, I don't use these items daily, only my coffee maker scores space on the counter.

  • livesmall
    8 years ago

    I have a vintage wardrobe in my Dining Room that I use as a coat closet. It also stores the extension leaf for the Dining Room Table, as well as other seldom used items.

  • Lila
    8 years ago

    I did the between stud storage in my tiny bathroom. To cover the shelves I installed piano hinges on artwork and used that to cover the cavities.

  • sandradclark
    8 years ago

    I think this thread has proven that we houzzers or decorators have had a tendency to buy too many or accumulate too many things & have become very creative in ways to hide or store those accumulations.

  • schreiberp
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Please read Marie Kondo's book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. You will find answers. (I borrowed it from the library. Short and sweet.)

  • bygeorgi
    8 years ago

    People need to stop telling her about her clutter...speaking from experience, sounds like she just has NO storage... . I have only one bedroom closet for 3 people , NO linen closet , NO bathroom storage , no where to put anything in my house. Sooo...... in the bathroom I have a skinny 8" deep cabinet that holds toiletries , a hutch just outside the bathroom for towels, in the living room a stack of trunk and vintage luggage to hide things. Also I have under the bed storage. Oh and just outside my kitchen back door a vintage metal cabinet for things that can stand the out doors, take advantage of outdoor storage spots too.

  • cococolville
    8 years ago

    Yes, bygeorgi, I agree: when you only have 3 small drawers in the kitchen and 3 very small closets in a whole 2-story, 4 bed 2 bath house, (like I do) you've got to do something! You can get rid of lots, which I have over the past 6 years, but where do you put things you need, especially in a particularly dusty house? Here's a little of what I've done. Tackle one room at a time, make a list of what needs to be stored with measurements, and make use of some of the great ideas people have provided here. I've have an apothecary type cabinet (with labeled drawers) in the kitchen for things like scissors, plastic knives and forks, corkscrews, little garnishing tools, matches - all kinds of things. I've got tons of baskets all over, most with lids because of the dust, and I try not to stack things too high or deep so I'll be sure to return things to their places without too much trouble. One more thing I like to do is to get coordinating colors of those cardboard photo storage boxes for different rooms, label and stack them neatly on shelves for items like cords, art supplies, hair accessories, etc. It's an inexpensive, uniform look and if I ever do get more drawers, I can always reuse these for - I don't know, photos, maybe! Good luck!

  • Lila
    8 years ago

    I have very little clutter but you still need things like toothbrushes, etc in your bathroom and my hidden cubbies hold stuff like that.

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    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago


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  • kathleen MK
    8 years ago
    when we lived in our tiny starter home for 15 years, we added creative storage with those over the door and around the room high shelves. we put the angle brackets on the top of the shelf so it looked sleeker from below. I used wall paper to cover girl scout cookie cartons for cheap colorful containers. we found pegs and hooks were easier than towel bars for kids and over the door racks and shoe bags can store all sorts of stuff. Also consider how to arrange multi use furniture. Instead of a sofa table or entry table look for small cabinets with doors to hide things or shelves with baskets. make sure end tables and ottomans have storage space. hooks behind doors and tote bags can store things. The hard thing is training family to put things away, and purging the things you really don't need. I have used a pretty sheet to curtain a wire storage unit filled with large tubs of things I really should sort for purging. good luck in creating more storage.
  • duneya
    8 years ago

    I also have no storage. Have managed to make do with 2 wire shelves in a closet and kitchen and then two bookcases in the living room. A large trunk or bench with storage inside will hold a lot of bedding and can go at the end of the bed. I guess the most important thing is I keep asking myself: 'If I move in 6 months, do I want to take this with me?' House isn't cluttered, but I find that what I consider necessary keeps changing

  • lindsrenee
    8 years ago

    Replace regular height closet doors with floor to ceiling doors. You can get two more shelves above your hanging rod. If affordable, use Euro shelving that can be lowered (or keep a foot stool in the closet). If you have a sloped ceiling in an upstairs room, check the knee-wall. This will not be a load-bearing wall, so you can safely replace it with built in drawers or just doors. (you will have to finish the walls inside of course). Replace any folding doors with regular doors--great place for shoe organizers, towel rods, food or spice storage,etc. depending on what room you are in.

  • User
    8 years ago

    Look for hidden spaces to create storage space...perhaps under a staircase? Store off season clothes, toys...in garage in labeled totes and pull them as needed. Keep only the essentials in your home. Speaking of home, make sure everything you own (and your kids' own) has a home. Organization is key to keeping a home looking neat, no matter what the storage situation is! Good luck.

  • emagin
    8 years ago

    A narrow rolling cart or decorative rack with shelves can be used to store towels, folded or rolled, on the shelves or in decorative baskets. Open baskets, or baskets or boxes with lids can hold various items, too. If there is more room, you could add a small cabinet, a dresser, tall open shelves with baskets, an armoir, or kitchen type hutch for added storage

    Add a hook behind the bathroom door. Another high hook at the foot of the tub, above the tile or molded tub enclosure, can hold a rack for shampoo and other bath items. A niche or niches can be created between studs in the tub or shower for handy storage.

  • Donna Gamble
    8 years ago

    We moved into a 750 square foot cottage with two tiny armoires which didn't work for us since we are both 6 feet tall. We bought two IKEA closets, DOMBAS for $129 each, shelves on one side and hanging rack on the other, plenty of storage.

  • PRO
    RRS Design + Build, LLC
    8 years ago
    You could get a piece of remnant stone countertop to create a small eating bar where the 123 boxes are pictured. We also love the Container Store and their Elfa shelving. Elfa has several styles to chose from and is very versatile for making maximum use of any vertical spaces or existing closets.
  • PRO
    Contempo Space
    6 years ago
    We make fabulous storage furniture that are all free standing. If you still have a storage problem, check out our website https://www.contempospace.com
  • sharayak
    6 years ago
    My house has no storage at all. The bathroom, for the whole house had just little cups on the wall for holding toothbrushes when we moved in. That's all. We just caved (we would rather a more minimalistic approach to bedroom furnishing) and got this huge IKEA unit for the master bedroom this week. So far it is storing towels, bathing suits, off season clothes, cleaning supplies and extra bathroom stuff. Not ideal, but reduces stress for me, I was always trying to find a place for atuff.
  • sharayak
    6 years ago
    Forgot to post the picture.