Apartments are becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand. If you’re new to high-rise living, you might find a lack of storage space frustrating. Downsizing the amount of stuff you own will help but are not the only solution. Instead, get creative with these storage solutions.
Most coffee tables or nightstands don’t have a lot of storage. If you’re moving into an apartment, think about swapping your regular coffee table for one with built-in drawers. Likewise, nightstands can take up a lot of space without being that functional. Think about replacing your bedside tables with a small set of shelves. You can fit a lot more on them. Plus, they’ll add interest to your bedroom.
Slat beds are great for apartments. They’re easier to move than a mattress and bed base. Plus, they allow for plenty of under-bed storage. Most apartments come with small wardrobes and lack the space to store an entire year’s worth of clothes. Use plastic tubs or vacuum pack bags to store any clothes that aren’t seasonally appropriate right now.
In a small space, you need every piece of furniture to do double duty. Cube-style bookshelves can be a great way to store your things while breaking up your area. If you move into a studio apartment, a bookshelf can give your bedroom more privacy. You can use them to create a visual section between the dining and living areas in a bigger apartment.
Small items can be difficult to store at the best of times. Buy small baskets for the bottom of your bookcase. You can use these to store random items that don’t often have a home, like wires, remotes, lightbulbs and batteries.
Creating vertical storage options in a small room, like a bathroom, will save you a lot of space. Not all apartments come with under-sink storage or vanities with shelving. A small trolley with shelves will give you somewhere to store your toiletries without taking up too much space. If your bathroom has space under the sink, buy a couple of large opaque tubs with lids. Here, you can store towels, hairdryers and other hair tools that take up a lot of space. They will also look tidier than clear plastic tubs.
One of the downsides to living in an apartment is that you often lack a proper entranceway. Coats, bags and jackets end up in piles all over your home. Create a small entranceway with a shoe rack for people to store their footwear. Use Command hooks to hang jackets and bags when they aren’t in use. This will also free up the room in your wardrobe.
Did we mention how handy Command hooks can be? Use Command hooks in the bathroom for hanging towels. Damp towels can make your apartment smell musty if you don’t have a towel rail. Hang your towels on the back of your bathroom door. You can also use hooks in the kitchen for your tea towels and oven mitts. This will help keep these items from falling off the oven rail and onto the floor.
Wall caddies are a great way to keep your products accessible but out of the way. These are great for storing small items like herbs and spices, kitchen items like sponges and scrubbing brushes, or bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Install them near your sink, on the side of your pantry, or in the shower.
Small bedrooms are a pitfall of apartment life. If your bedroom doesn’t have a big wardrobe, store shoes and clothing on a vertical organiser or an over-the-door shoe rack. This will keep your shoes off the floor and keep your wardrobe generally looking tidier.
If you have a free-standing cabinet or tall bookcase, don’t forget about the space on top. Place a couple of baskets on top. Sure, you can just place the items on top, but the baskets will allow you to store more items in this space and keep the area from looking cluttered.
Plants are great for adding decoration and interest to an apartment, but they also take up a lot of space. Instead of sitting your plants on a table, why not hang them? Hang your plants from the ceiling or from the side of a sturdy item, like a wooden cabinet.
If you’ve bought a new storage item and need it delivered, Wise Move can help. Our dedicated movers will pick up and deliver any piece of furniture you need at a price point that other movers just can’t match.
Wise Move is New Zealand’s leading moving service, helping thousands of customers with home moves, furniture removals, car and motorcycle transport, and more. Since 2017, we’ve been delivering reliable, affordable, and well-reviewed moving services in just a few simple steps. Our focus has always been on making moving as simple and effortless as possible for our customers.
