Look down
Open up the space under a set of stairs and install shelves for books or display items, a workspace desktop, TV cabinet or closet organizing components. (Check with a qualified designer or architect for structural advice before removing any walls.) Awkward areas under the eaves are ideal for low dressers, cabinets or wall-mounted shelves. Alternatively, turn the area into a closet by running a rod from wall to wall and hanging a curtain.
Think big
Don't underestimate a small space. A good designer can help you turn impossibly narrow alcoves into functional areas, especially when it comes to small bathrooms and kitchens.
Give a shelf life
Look at all vertical surfaces to see where a shelf would fit: for instance, above a mirror, door or window; a foot or so below the ceiling around the perimeter of a room; or from floor to ceiling between zones in an open concept room.
Get hooked
In closets, on doors and on almost every wall are a few inches of vertical space crying out for a hook for towels, purses, scarves, backpacks, hats, utensils, tools, keys, cups and much more.
Become a closet case
Is your linen closet a luxury and a home office a necessity? If so, transfer bed linens to the rooms where they're used and towels to bathroom shelves. Then have a desktop built to size and installed in the now-empty closet. Add a few shelves above and a drawer unit on rollers below, pull up a chair from a nearby room and you're in business.
Read more in Organizing and Storage
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