15 Clever Small Space Tips From Design Bloggers

Jamie Dorobek of C.R.A.F.T got creative when dealing with very limited kitchen storage. "The door organizer was a lifesaver in our tiny kitchen with only one drawer," she says. "I had to come up with a solution to make the most of our vertical storage! The door stored everything from knives and take-out menus to spatulas and kitchen towels." A bright splash of sunny color and a thoughtful layout makes this shutter-door storage idea a smart addition to even a much larger space. Simply customize to meet your needs.

"We have a variety of media remotes in different sizes," says Jennifer Jones of I Heart Organizing. "So I set out to find something that could hold those as well as my current reading material and a notepad to jot down notes and ideas." Since acrylic organizers are Jennifer's go-to for many projects, she found a desk organizer that fit everything perfectly. "I added the legs to dress things up a bit since the organizer was going to be front and center in our living room," Jennifer explains.

"In my small studio apartment, my morning routine was easily within view and reach: shoes on open shelves, compact closet with all my clothes, full-height mirror on my closet door. I could plan and assemble my outfit all while drying my hair in the bathroom," says Nicole Alvarez of Intentionally Small. But without an organized way to store and display her accessories, Nicole would waste time digging through and untangling her jewelry stash.

"There was a sliver of space between the bathroom and closet doors where I thought I could hang necklaces so they wouldn't tangle. They would be conveniently located right next to my clothes and mirror to help me make a quick decision," Nicole says. "As a renter, I try to minimize holes in the walls, so I decided to make a custom-sized cork board where I could pin small nails as hooks for my necklaces and bracelets." From there, she just kept pinning, adding bracelets, brooches and rings. She found she could even use the earrings themselves as pins. "It became a perfect way to keep my jewelry organized and readily available — and a functional way to decorate!"