Great Tips for Organizing a Small City Apartment

Growing up in Michigan I easily took for granted something called storage space. Every home donning basements, attics, and lots of closet space, made organizing a home seemingly simple. One could, at the very least, hide all the clutter away. I am a firm believer that there is a junk drawer in every home. Well, Michigan homes generally offer more than one. This luxury came to a screeching halt when I moved to Florida. Simply putting it, Florida homes don't and really can't have basements. For some reason they do not find it too important to honor the idea of vast closet space either. Now as if this transition wasn't bad enough, my husband and I moved to Staten Island, NY. I now live in a tiny apartment which, by the way, cost about the same as living in a four bedroom house in either other state. The apartment consists of one room that I like to call the living room/dining room/kitchen and two bedrooms, one built by us. There are two closest that fit approximately four winter jackets each. The kitchen has one drawer, ONE. And you get one guess as to what that drawer is called, Yup, the junk drawer. Well listen, it was between that or the silverware drawer and which is more important?

I have been force to learn alternative ways of organizing and storing things around the house. I must say I have done pretty well too. I am going to share some of my space saving organizational tips. The all time best thing about my tips is that they are very inexpensive ideas. I happen to be very frugal and one of my gifts is to look around a house and find solutions to my every need, using whatever is already around the house.

It would only make sense to start with the most important room in the house, the kitchen. I enjoy a good sized kitchen with tons of counter space. But what I ended up with is an apartment in the city kitchen. My counter space is the size of a cookie sheet, and because there is no dishwasher this is where we dry our dishes. Of coarse this means I have no counter space. I have one drawer, as I said before, and just a few small cupboards. I have one for mugs and Tupperware lids, one for food, and one for everything else.

1. I had to come up with some kitchen solutions and as I explained the one drawer is the junk drawer, because every home needs at least one. Besides where else would I put my junk? So silverware storage was my first big, frustrating issue. My solution; antique mason jars. I lined them up behind my sink and put silverware and other utensils in them. I also placed one on my stove to hold spoons and spatulas as I cook. My grandmother was known for her preserves and delicious jams. This is one of my fondest memories of her. When she passed I asked only for some of her mason jars, which until now I never knew exactly what I would do with them. Now they serve a purpose and I am reminded sweetly of her every day. You don't need a grams that preserves. Mason jars are used for spaghetti sauce too. Although, I would never admit to anyone in Staten Island that I used jarred spaghetti sauce. Any gourmet restaurant in this area is Italian and all the moms make sauce and macaroni to be served around three o'clock every Sunday afternoon. If you happen to be a real Staten Island mom variations of this idea may include glasses, cups, or cans. The great thing about city living is that eclectic is very elegant. Tin soup cans could appear to be quite chic. They could be painted exotic vibrant colors or in cool pastels. They could also be covered in contact paper with designs and color complimenting the present décor.

2. Another storage saver for the kitchen is a portable butcher's cart. We found our in Lowes. It actually is very helpful for organizing kitchen clutter when space is lacking. It also fits nicely against a wall and then pulls out easily to act as extra counter space. Pots and pans, cook books, or even cereals and other boxed items can be stored on the racks below. I personally use mine as a coffee station with a mason jar storing sugar.

3. While on the topic of counter space, another way to get the most out of a small kitchen is to create temporary counter space. This is very important while cooking a meal that may consist of more than one course. There are actually a few ways to achieve this. One is to place a cutting board on an open drawer. This is the only place I have to use my cutting board and also doubles as a counter to set items aside until needed. We also have a microwave above the stove, left open it creates extra space. After flipping the pancakes, they can be placed on a plate up there; out of the way yet accessible. Finally, the oven door in an open position makes for a good counter too. Of coarse this isn't possible when the stove is in use.

4. In all rooms, utilizing corner space is beneficial. Using the space around the walls and in the corners can actually keep the rest of the room fairly open and appear roomier. Space saving technique number four has allowed my family to eat dinner at a table without actually needing a dining room area. Ikea, my new favorite store stocks many corner space options. They have a square table that folds into a triangle and fits into a corner. Doubled with nice folding chairs this is a great alternative for family dining city style.

5. Using various types of storage boxes is a great way to organize a small space. Remember that using different sizes and textures actually add an esthetic appeal. If the top of the refrigerator becomes the collect all for cereal boxes and breads, a decorative box is the cure. Extra space making is achieved by removing cereal from their boxes. Other uses for storage boxes are to store magazines, blankets, shoes, school bags, and any other item requiring accessibility. Boxes can be placed near the entrance, against walls while doubling as an accent piece, or neatly tucked under coffee and end tables. In a bathroom lacking space, boxes can be used to store extra toilet paper, oral hygiene products, or hair care products.

6. To achieve additional space in the living room, purchase furniture that includes storage. Couches are sold with space for blankets and pillows. Many ottomans open up and are used for storage and coffee tables. Ikea is a great store in which to find these items reasonably priced. Keep in mind that sometimes this type of furniture can be bulky and make a small place appear smaller. On the other hand, done tastefully, it can contribute to a very organized home.

7. The most difficult room to keep clutter free and organized is the bedroom of a child. If space is lacking, consider purchasing a bed built with drawers. If there is little floor space attempt to keep extra furniture off of it. Storage nets that hang from the ceiling can store light items such as socks and underwear. My newest and favorite space saver is to re-use resealing plastic bags that baby clothes and children's underclothes come in. When my youngest son was born we had so many of these bags. Some had plastic hooks on them and some had holes, where they hung in the store. Placing plastic hooks on the wall and hanging these bags filled with colored pencils, beads, plastic dinosaurs, and other like items keeps toys off the floor and organized. It looks cute too. Hooks lined up on the wall with baseball caps creates an organized look to the room. Hooks inside of cupboard doors hide items that still need to be accessible.

8. Tip #8 is useful in all rooms. Plastic shoe pockets that hang on the door can store shoes and many other items. Hanging on one or both sides of a child's door holds toys. Hanging on the bathroom door holds make up, blow dryers and curling irons, hair products, tooth paste, and any other item found in bathrooms. Placing one on the inside of closet doors provides extra space for items such as socks, mittens, or hats.

9. Finally everything is looking organized in that small city apartment but keeping up with the clutter can be difficult. Unlike homeowners with a plethora of storage, small city apartment livers can't hold on to things for too long. Everything easily becomes clutter. Magazines and children's artwork are common collect alls. A super and technologically savvy solution is to scan and save items. For those hard to part with articles or craft ideas found in magazines, scan the page and save it into an organized file on the computer. Organize them with like items. For example, make a file for recipes. These files can be purged as needed and re-organized to ones liking. This same concept works with children's art and school work. Prized possessions they are, but they no longer need to collect dust or utilize storage space. Scan them to the computer, filed by age, and make a slide show out of them for a screen saver.

Small space with little storage does not require living disorganized and in clutter. Even the smallest of apartments offer space. Utilizing the space properly can make the apartment appear larger. Once these systems are put into play a small apartment is easy to keep clean and clutter free. That's living large in small places.