Our housing cooperatives are pretty spacious, however, we understand the need to maximize space when household items start piling up! When you have a small space to work with, staying tidy and organized can be a challenge. However, with a little prep work and a game plan, you can turn your Ash Street Cooperative home into a streamlined oasis that is not only functional but also a pleasure to look at!
If you're not a member of the friendliest housing cooperative in the Park Forest, Illinois area, give us a call to see what's available. 708-747-9600
Dual purpose furnishings
Larger spaces provide the luxury of decorative and oversized furniture. Smaller spaces require modest furniture that doubles as storage.
Swap your coffee table for an ottoman with storage. You can find these at any price point or can always try your hand at making your own. Use the extra storage you gain for anything that seems to accumulate in your living room whether it’s blankets, toys, shoes, board games, etc. This ottoman can also serve as extra seating when you have guests over.
Try swapping out other tables in your home for more functional pieces as well. Make sure all console tables, nightstands, vanities, and end tables also function as storage. Look for secondhand pieces on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. You can easily transform an old dresser with some sandpaper, paint, and elbow grease.
Utilize the back of doors
Try hanging a shoe organizer on the back of closet doors. These have come a long way and you would be surprised at the options available out there. Get shoes off the floor and organize neatly. Or use them to store toys, hats, craft supplies, neckties, snacks, and whatever else you can think of.
Think Vertical
Utilize your vertical spaces instead of trying to cram in another piece of furniture. Hang shelves on an empty wall and use canisters, baskets, and lidded boxes on your new shelves to store odds and ends.
Plants overtaking your room? Carefully install ceiling plant hooks and get them off your tables and into the vertical space.
Buy brackets designed to hold your broom, mop, and ironing board along the wall of the basement stairs. Out of the way, neat and organized, and highly accessible from the kitchen. A win/win all the way around!
Consider investing in a nice, tall bookshelf to store everything from books to trinkets to pretty binders with important papers in them. Make sure to leave some empty space on the shelves to create the look and feel of space and prevent it from looking cluttered.
Don’t forget about under the bed
Under the bed is the perfect place to shove things you don't regularly use to create more space around the house. You can find long, skinny totes in any big box store that are designed to fit underneath your bed. Store out of season clothes and shoes, gift wrap, holiday décor, or even extra toilet paper rolls in there and then simply slide under the bed out of sight.
Purge!
Regardless of which tip or trick you try, the same advice always rings true when it comes to organizing and maximizing the space in a small area - pare down the items you already own. The less you own, the less you have to organize, the less clutter, the more open your home will feel. The happy feelings you gain from feeling less cluttered will far outweigh the pain it takes to let things go.
Though you might have to think outside the box, you too can have a beautiful and organized home even when you don’t have a lot of square footage. Take these tips and brainstorm how to make them work for you! Are you ready to become a member at Ash Street Cooperative? Great! We'd love to share our storage tips with you! Call 708-767-9600 to discuss co-op availability.