Storage Ideas For Small Spaces

We’re coming up on 8 years of living in our 1,000 square foot loft apartment in Vancouver and I often get asked how the two of us manage to live in a fully open plan space. We have no rooms with doors (besides the bathroom) and limited storage space and no storage locker. The answer? It’s all about your perspective on life.

Personally I don’t think 1,000 square feet is small, but apparently, 1,000 and under is considered small space living, especially if you do not have a storage locker and you live with another person.

The best part about living smaller is that it forces us to evaluate what we really want in our life and what we’re willing to borrow, rent or just avoid owning. I’m okay with not owning lots of sports gear and camping supplies, a large wardrobe of clothing or 2 cars if it means I can live right in the city. I’ll gladly sacrifice square footage in exchange for living within walking distance to the waterfront, cafes and grocery shops. I also like being able to hop on the train or bus to see clients or friends in just a few minutes. Both Andrew and I have never wanted to own a home with a 2 car garage and a backyard, the amount of maintenance on all of that is terrifying to both of us, plus if we wanted to have all of that, we’d have to move outside of the city to afford it and that’s not the life we want to live.

All of that said, we still have “stuff” and we need somewhere to display it, store it and keep it organized.
Here’s how we do it.

THE KEY TO LIVING SMALL WITH MINIMAL STORAGE

• Multipurpose furniture
• Consistent colour palette
• Quality timeless furniture pieces
• Own less, shop less, donate often

MULTIPURPOSE FURNITURE AND A CONSISTENT COLOUR PALETTE

This minimalist white oak shelf from Article is ideal storage, it’s called the Lignum and fits perfectly in this nook by our large windows. I chose white oak to keep the wood grains similar in our entire apartment. We used mostly light woods to keep the space feeling open and bright. I was looking for a shelf that could hold all our smaller plants and take advantage of the light in this corner as well as the height. Using up vertical storage is key in a smaller space, we’re very lucky to have 18ft ceilings here.

I really love changing up our decor, so I made sure this shelf would fit in more than one place in our apartment before we got it, that way if I get bored with it in this location, I can easily change it up in a few months or years making this piece the ideal multipurpose item because it’s also easy to move around.

I’ve styled the shelf 2 other ways to show you how multipurpose and practical this piece is for your small space.

Here’s a desk setup, I am 5’6″ and found it comfortable to sit here with a small chair. This one happens to be a dining chair, also by Article. This is not great for a full-time desk, but good for a few minutes at the computer to pay some bills and when you’re done you can stash away your laptop and papers right into the drawer below! Just keep in mind you can’t tuck your legs underneath because of the shelf, but this is a great solution if you want a storage shelf that can turn into a temporary desk when you need it.

Small kitchen? You can extend your storage space into your living room with this shelf. Use the Lignum shelf for your microwave, coffee machine or toaster. Just make sure to place the appliance on a heat-proof, water-proof tray to protect the beautiful wood veneer.

The Instagram photo below is our white oak Seno sideboard, it’s also from Article and sits in the middle of our home. The wood matches our new shelf perfectly and this cohesive colour palette also helps create a sense of calm in our open space. We use it to store records, dishes, Andrew’s scotch collection and other smaller items that we don’t want to have on display. Just because this is a sideboard doesn’t mean it needs to be used that way. Use it for clothing, linens or shoe storage. Get creative! The great thing about the Seno sideboard is it also comes in a smaller size if you’re really tight on space.

 

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A post shared by Nicole Phillips (@visualheart) on Dec 3, 2018 at 10:15am PST

OWN LESS, SHOP LESS, DONATE OFTEN

In the past few years we really embraced minimalism, we still have stuff, but each of those items are now things that we really love and use all the time.

The key to keeping your space minimal is avoiding countertop clutter. Keep small items off tables, desks, or shelves. Use closed storage containers to gather your items, tuck them away in a cupboard and if they no longer serve a purpose, just donate it. Someone else will get better use out of those items you forgot you owned.

I will also remind you that we don’t have children, so I can understand avoiding clutter with kids is a bigger challenge. But I think the same rules apply with kids, own less stuff, donate often, shop less often and keep life more simple.

I am always questioning new items that come into our home, if something new comes in, something old goes out. It’s a constant process to keep on top of.

QUALITY TIMELESS FURNITURE PIECES

You might think the prices of the furniture I’m mentioning from Article are kind of expensive, but you honestly get what you pay for. I’m at the stage of my life where I have figured out my personal style and I’m done experimenting, I’d rather invest in quality pieces with a timeless style that will last for years rather than items made from particle board that fall apart and end up in the landfill. I’ve been through too much “junk” furniture in the past, it was time to invest in some forever pieces that will last as long as some of the vintage furniture pieces we own.

The Lignum shelf is made from solid and veneered American white oak, you can feel it with the weight of the piece. Same goes for the Seno sideboard, it’s solid wood and wood veneer, totally built to last. Both pieces have clean lines and the wood is a classic colour that will work with many different styles, not just Mid-Century. I also really love the Ecole white oak dining chairs you can see one in the desk photos above. We’ve had the chairs for over a year now and they are holding up beautifully with regular use. I like that the chairs are solid wood and all the joins are well connected, there are no gaps and no wobbly feeling when you sit down. I used to think “they don’t make furniture like they used to” with some of the previous purchases I’ve made from other brands, but I changed my mind when I discovered these pieces from Article.

Disclosure: the Lignum shelf and Seno Sideboard were provided by Article, all thoughts and opinions are my own.