Desperate for storage or tips to make more room in a tiny space?

Question

I have 5 kids in one room........yep 5 in one room! We are trying to change our basement into 2 rooms but for now I need to figure out how to have all their stuff in there and not be all over the floor. I have bought the under the bed storage containers and the closet is stuffed. Any advice you can give would be helpful.

Answer 1

Go Vertical: Consider tall furniture rather than wide to preserve precious floor space.

Use Your Walls: Add a shelf or rack to display a favorite collection or for hanging hats, ties and scarves.


Stash It in Style: Today's occasional tables offer plenty of storage with drawers, shelves and cubbies plus glass-topped display space for collectibles.

Stack 'em: Stackable and folding chairs are excellent ways to keep a supply of seating for a dinner party, holiday gatherings or drop-in guests.

Sweet Dreams: Sleep better knowing that you've taken advantage of the valuable space under the bed—in style. Use decorative boxes and storage bins to stow out-of-season clothing, wrapping paper, sporting goods or anything else.

Retractable Doors: When shopping for an armoire or entertainment center, look for ones with retractable doors to provide more space when the doors are open.

Try the Kids' Department: Youth furniture is designed to fit into smaller rooms but also accommodates adults just fine. Have a small guest bedroom or a little alcove office? A child's dresser or desk might be the perfect fit.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin': Many pieces of furniture have wheels—whether it is a sofa, a coffee table, a storage shelf, kitchen table or an ottoman. Enjoy extra mobility and function with a wheeled piece of furniture that is fashionable and practical.

Don't Leaf It Out: If a full-size dining room table is just too big for the dining area, ask your retailer about one with removable leaves.

Accent It: A mirror is always a nice accent to any room, but especially a small one. Mirrors add light and depth when space is limited. And the right accessories will highlight one's personal style and enhance the intimacy of a small space.

If you're looking for a cozy, intimate space, you're in luck. By using soft, snuggly upholstered pieces, dark, warm tones, and dramatic lighting, your tiny corner can become a wonderful private space.


Clear Out the Clutter

There's nothing that makes a small space feel cramped more than having too much stuff.


Small Space Design
Work out ways to get collections out of view, organized behind doors, table skirts, or on shelves. With things neatly arranged and out of sight, the space that is in view will feel orderly and open.

Open the Way

With furniture and accessories blocking the view into a room and out to open spaces, a room will look cramped. By moving furniture out and away from walkways, you'll open up the space and make it feel larger. You can also choose short pieces of furniture like an ottoman, an armless, open chair, or a low table, and place large, tall pieces along a wall rather than out in the open space. If you can see the floor, the room will look larger.


Chooser Soft, Light Hues

Whereas dark, warm colors make a space feel cozy and intimate, light, cool colors make a space feel open and airy. For optimum effect, select soft tones of blues and greens.


Use a Monochromatic Color Scheme

Choose colors that are in the same color family and use tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics, textured wall finishes, delicate tonal drapery fabrics. Cool colors and delicate warm colors on most surfaces give the room a more open look.


Coordinate Wall and Furniture Colors

Contrasting colors tend to break up a space. Pieces of furniture are less interrupting and tend to blend with the space if they're colored to match the wall color.


Let in the Light

Any room will look larger if it's well-lit, either by natural light or artificial lighting. Get rid of heavy draperies and open up the windows to let the light of the outdoors into the space. Add more lamps or install track lighting or recessed lighting.

Answer 2

I've seen heavy cardboard three draw dressers for temporary use. What you can do is set up a few of these dressers and give one to each kid and let them organize their clothes. Write their name in magic marker on the front of the dresser.

Also have a very large plastic laundry holder and make sure every day they place their dirty laundry in there so it won't be all over the floor. Because there are five kids in one room, it must be wall to wall beds or bunk beds, so there is very little room to organize. Also, for jackets, coats, caps, put up a long rack with lots of hooks where they can place their coats, sweatshirts, caps. Also put up some shelves for books, and other items. How about a shoe bag behind the door of the room for some shoes? Also buy some see through plastic storage bins for the closet. Also get rid of some stuff they don't need.

Answer 3

The space bags are a great solution. You can purchase from any large retailer like Walmart. It vacuums the air out of the items so you can store a ton in tiny space.

Look up! put a shelf around the room so you can place stuffed animals, collectibles etc and decorate at the same time

Answer 4

i'd additionally advise: a million) changing the queen mattress for twin mattress 2) removing the swing (you truly do no longer want it) 3) removing between the dressers 4) utilising your mattress as a changing table 5) paying for a fabric door organizer that hangs over the decrease back of the door that could carry all your toddler's smaller products like tees, socks, flannel blankets, diapers and etc. 6) purchase a type of nook nets ~ the variety used to hold plush animals ~ and use that to shop buntings, blankets, and different easy-weight issues you like. 7) placed money into some cardboard storage packing containers that could slide below the mattress for garments storage for the toddler. those are very low priced and you may particularly slide 4 12 x 36 packing containers below the mattress for oodles of storage.

Answer 5

In each corner of the room, place triangle shelves going from almost to the floor to the ceiling... These hold lots of stuff without taking up any floor space. Storage bins, the rubbermaid kind can be stacked easily and hold lots of stuff... and nowadays, they come in super colors to match room decor. Since they are so nice, you don't have to store them out of the way. Each child could get one. They sell them at WalMart.

Allow each child to choose 5-6-10 favorite items that they want to keep out. Store the rest in bins and once a month, change the toys. That way, they won't be all over the floor and the toys will seem new again every month.

For small items, use transparent shoes racks with pockets and hang them near their beds. That will pick up lots of small items and they'll be able to see them thru the pockets.

Offer a small prize once a month for the child that keeps their area the cleanest and neatest... they'll soon be competing on who can keep their space the nicest.

Store out of season clothes and items out of the way, in bins, once again. If you get creative with the colors of the bins, and choose all the same size but different colors, these can even be an art decor statement...

Consider a captain's bed, with drawers in the wood cabinetry beneath the mattress, for additional storage.

Sort toys by category (action figures, doll clothes, and so on) and place them in plastic stackable storage bins on the closet floor. This will give those little hands easy access. Because children usually don't have much need for hanging clothes, use an old dresser, a bookcase, or stacked plastic crates in the closet for additional storage.

Think vertically and hang anything you can throughout the room. Hang lower shelves to stow frequently used books, toys, stuffed animals, and games. Install higher shelves for your child's display items and pictures. Put an inexpensive closet organizer over the door to store coloring books, crayons, stuffed animals, and other small items.

Look for furniture that serves more than one purpose, such as a coffee table with built-in drawers, a side table that also functions as a display case for collectibles, or chests and tables with enclosed cabinets.

Buy benches and ottomans with hinged tops for out-of-sight and easily accessible storage.

Find an armoire or entertainment center designed to fit smaller rooms and create enough extra space to store everything from old photo albums to linens or electronic equipment. Or look for one that fits into a corner. Multiple drawers and shelves maximize their holding capacity.
Use a sleeper sofa and chair as perfect multi-use furniture in bedrooms or other living areas of your home.

Under-the-bed storage boxes fit in tight, narrow spots; some even have wheels for easier access. Just slide the boxes under a bed frame to store out-of-season clothes, gift wrap, kids games or just about anything else.

Increase the space in a child's room by using a bed platform with built-in drawers.

Kids will help keep things out of the way and off the floor if a row of wooden pegs line one wall of their room. Make sure the pegs are within the child's reach.

Store toys and books in low shelves and secure bins that won't fall over. Old chests and trunks also make creative tables with toy-storage capability.

Use a wall hanging with storage pockets as a great space saver for keeping coloring books, pencils, rulers and other small items together in one place. Buttoned pockets help keep sharp scissors or glue out of reach of a toddler who shares a room with an older child.

Canvas and wooden clothes hampers make excellent, easy-access containers for toys. Use a large hamper for stuffed toys and a smaller one for books and puzzles.

Store seldom used clothing or other materials inside your luggage and travel bags rather than just storing them empty.

Hope this helps you out...

Answer 6

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Answer 7

hooks on the back of the door. call the tv show Extreme Makeover. Maybe you'll get a new house!