Page 26 THE VILLADOM TIMES III & IV • September 25, 2013 How to increase storage in tight spaces Cozy, quaint homes attract many buyers and renters. Be it a cottage-style house or a studio apartment, smaller living spaces often involve getting creative with storage. People live in a smaller homes for a variety of reasons. Some choose to live in a smaller home so they can be right in the thick of things in a city or urban center. Others scale back on living space to save money. However, storage space in small quarters is often at a premium, and thinking cre- atively is a necessity to keep the home tidy and items out of view. Rainy or chilly days are the perfect times to tackle indoor organization projects. When the outdoors isn’t beckoning, it’s easier to devote attention to addressing storage issues inside the home. To begin, take inventory, going through possessions and determining what can stay and what can go. Part with anything that has not been used in quite some time. The next step is to sort items and get organized. Then find a place for everything. For example, someone who has a dozen bath towels but only one sauce pot will need to find more room for linens than kitchen cookware. It may be necessary to borrow space from one area of the home to give to another area. The following are some additional tips to increase space in an otherwise cramped home. Add shelves. Increase cabinet and closet space by adding shelves. This may double or even triple the amount of usable space, especially if the shelving is customized to fit storage containers being used to hold everything from shoes to craft items. Opt for dual-purpose furniture. Benches with lids that lift up and sofas that convert into guest beds are just a few of the many ways to keep a small home neat and increase storage space. An ottoman is a great place to store extra blankets and linens, while a trunk or crate with a sturdy top can be used in lieu of a traditional coffee table to hold books or board games. Think vertically. When floor space is at a premium, look up. Frequently-used pots and pans can be hung from a decorative rack in the kitchen. Use magnets on jars to store a spice rack on the wall. Racks above cabinets or on doors can be used to store everything from shoes to jewelry to toiletries. Shelving in children’s rooms can store lesser- used toys away from the floor. Empty walls are valuable real estate in a small home, and tall bookshelves can house a number of different things. Take advantage of oddly-shaped crevices. If there is space under a staircase or a spot by a dormer or in an attic eave, use the space to store items. It might be necessary to add a door and small closet into the staircase, but such spaces make practical storage areas and add character to a home. Use see-through storage containers. Many people find that plastic storage bins are neater and more stackable than boxes. See-through bins make it easy to quickly find items so no one needs to search around the house for lost items -- and create a bigger mess along the way. Clear storage containers also work in the refrigerator. It’s easier to spot leftovers, and uniform stacking containers free up more room for bulkier items. Make use of space beneath the bed. There likely is ample room to store more things than just dust bunnies under the bed. A bed frame with built-in drawers is the perfect place to keep bed linens and out-of-season clothes. Beds can be raised on blocks to create more space underneath for stor- ing rolling plastic containers and even seldom-used suit- cases. Opt for an armoire. Armoires are not just for bedrooms. Armoires can be used in dining spaces or dens to store items out of sight. An armoire can be used when retrofit- ted with a pull-out shelf as a laptop desk, storing all office items behind closed doors when not needed. Improve storage in the bathroom. Try to choose a vanity that has under-the-sink storage so there will be a place to store some toiletries. Look for cabinets and etageres that can be placed above the toilet tank as a storage space for bath- room items. In the shower, hang a second tension-loaded shower curtain rod on the inside of the shower enclosure that can be used to hold bags of kids’ bath toys and other toiletries, keeping them off the tub ledges. Creative thinking will help anyone maximize storage space, even in a small home.