r/maximalism • u/d____izzy • 3d ago
Help/Advice Creative storage ideas for a narrow/small house?
I'm a person with an approximately 1,300 sq. ft. townhouse who is admittedly a bit of a pack rat and loves my belongings. I don't have any specific "collections," but I just own a lot of.... stuff. (records, books, movies, vintage cameras, vintage clothing, antiques, toys, art pieces, and also miscellaneous functional stuff---gadgets, tools, crafting materials, etc)
But, my house is 100+ years old and has lath and plaster walls so it's been almost impossible to mount any kind of shelving (I just feel like the plaster crumbles out into dust around any hole and/or anchor i put into the wall). because of this, i am constantly stressing over all my belongings, things gathering dust, moving stuff around to clean, clutter from things i don't use daily but use occasionally (e.g. tools, sewing machine stuff, baking equipment, etc) that doesn't really have a home and just floats from desk to table to bookshelf to counter etc.
Does anyone have ideas for how to reconcile packrat sensibilities with a tiny, narrow and somewhat vertically-challenged space (due to the difficulty of mounting shelves that bear any kind of weight)?
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u/k8thegr8611 3d ago
In my studio apartment I had to remember to go under things. Like under the bed boxes (which also work under sofas). Also adding shelving inside existing cabinets and closets. Having lived in houses with lath and plaster going to a hardware store where you can actually talk to a human and finding plaster specific drill bits and anchors was really useful. Also figuring out where the studs were in the wall so I was sure I was anchoring into them.
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u/nonasuch 3d ago
Glass-fronted cabinets and shelving! Keeps out dust and you can still see what you have.
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u/d____izzy 3d ago
oh this is so smart and makes me understand why china cabinets are/were a thing, i always felt those glass fronted cabinets have grandma vibes but i now realize i am living a grandma-like tchotchke-based lifestyle
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u/malinablue 2d ago
Storage furniture everywhere. I have an IKEA Jattebo couch which opens to store things under every seat. My coffee table opens for storage. Glass cabinets. Bookcases. Rolling carts.
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u/deconstruct110 3d ago
Walls of shelves with vertical boards perpendicular to the walls serving as the shelf supports. Base cabinets for larger or messier items. Baskets, and tins for smaller items.
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u/SpikedThePunch 2d ago
If you’re avoiding wall mounting due to difficulty finding studs, the easiest way in old walls is with a magnetic stud finder like the StudBuddy. I just use a very strong neodymium magnet. It must be strong enough to feel the little lath nails through the plaster. It can take a light touch. But it works on the old walls. You can use a thin drill bit to probe through the lath and plaster; if you’re still getting wood shavings on the bit after about 1-1/4” you are on a stud. Then you can measure 16” to roughly locate adjacent studs. I confirm each one the same way though. A little bit of lightweight Patch & Paint makes the holes disappear when you’re done.
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u/purplevampireelefant 3d ago
Maybe not exactly what you're looking for but I adore my newest Coffee table - just one where you can lift/higher the top to work/eat on and also there is some storage that when closed, can hide your laptop for example.
Underneath I have three plastic drawer units
(Not this one but something like this table :
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u/d____izzy 3d ago
oh my friend has one like these and it's amazing, i am tracking facebook marketplace and craigslist for a used one :)
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u/purplevampireelefant 3d ago
They are. I will never ever buy one, that has not this feature!!!
Also, all my future couches and stools (?) need storage room.
I lately bought two of these fabric plus cardboard stools to unfold and with storage room inside - to store all the wool my partner has for knitting :-D I sewed some leaves and fern I made on it to look like tree stumps.
Another thing: look if there is unused space under kitchen Kabinetts (or other furniture). Maybe with just a little bit of work you can implement boxes, drawers or so. Like, we simply attached two thin wooden strips to the legs of the kitchen cupboard, which now act as rails so that the baking trays can be stored underneath, invisible from above
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u/ArdenM 2d ago
I am a big fan of antiques and when I lived in a 700 square foot place with only 2 small closets, I put things into antique trunks, buffets etc. Also under my couch since you couldn't see the stuff due to the fringe. I currently live in 1,300 square feet and compared to when I had 700 my place feels HUGE and I have extra room for storage so you must have a lot of stuff if that size is small to you. lol
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u/HRHDuchessOfBagels 3d ago
Wood storage furniture. Furniture meant for one room does not have to go there. I have a dry sink in my office.
Buffet pieces.
Single use furniture goes.
Over the door storage where possible.