Living in a tiny space means being creative about the space in which you live.
Sometimes this comes easier than others and we all understand that. So here is a list of ideas to help you get the most out of the fabulous space that you live in.
Fabulous Tiny Home Organization Ideas
1. Use Both Sides of Your Shelves
Hildablue has a great idea here in getting the maximum use out of your shelves. In the kitchen, you could do magnetic spices underneath, in an area where you will have little knickknacks, simply screw in either mason jars or leftover jars of say, pickles or spaghetti sauce.
Making them all match is a good idea, so while it may take a while, it will be well worth it. Head over to the website to get the details and free printable labels for different items you might use the jars for.
2. Think about Your Lighting
My husband came up with this idea to go with the Edison style bulbs that he cannot get enough of.
I like the idea for a tiny place because it allows you to not have floor lamps out where people can trip over them.
To make this style light holder, head over to Sugar & Cloth.
3. Laundry Drying Rack
If you are short on space to have a drying rack, you could place this on your wall and drop it down when needed. Close it back up when not in use, and it still looks cute, plus you could keep sweaters or whatever when the hooks are not being used to hold the drying rack up.
The full details can be found over at Knock Off Decor.
4. Laundry Soap
Here’s another great idea for the storage area. If you have a friend who has a bigger house or wants to go in half with you on a big laundry soap purchase (either store-bought or homemade) you could divide it in half, saving money for the both of you and have an easy solution for where/what to store it in.
5. Think Vertically
Making use of every inch they have, this girl team decided to use the peg boards to hold their culinary tool and then got creative with their pantry door, using it to create a chalkboard. This enables them to take notes of what all needs to be done when they live on different schedules.
6. Nightstand Idea
For many tiny homes, the bed sits almost against each of the walls. Go ahead and create a shelf for yourself, this way you feel like you have more room.
The tutorial over Homed It will help.
7. On a Roll
Creating a space for everything and everything in its space is the sure fire way to have a tidy house.
Finding a space for the trash bags is no different. Simply Organized came up with this creative way to keep all the trash bags in a way that keeps them out of sight, out of mind.
8. Spring Forth Bed Storage
So many times all we are using is what’s on the corners of our bed. This spring bed helps those with limited space be able to use every inch of the space under their bed.
Simply create a storage shelf around the bed and then add items that need storage underneath. Simple and efficient. Thanks Homed It!
9. More Mason Jar Ideas
I love this idea because it’s crafty and makes the mason jars easy to take down, wash, dry, and put back in whatever it is you needed. They can hold just about anything.
The idea came from Country Living.
10. Washer and Dryer Combo
Picture from Tiny House Talk.
Did you know you could buy a washing machine that also dries your laundry with the same machine?
Even better, you don’t have to have a washer/dryer hook up to use many of these machines.
So save yourself space and time going to the laundromat by purchasing one of these helpful tools.
11. Think Beyond
Many times we get stuck on what a bed has to be and, at most, we put them up high so we can utilize the space down below.
My two girls decided they wanted a three-bed bunk bed and we made it happen. Even crazier- the beds were attached to the wall and supported by the railing. The drawers were not a part of the support.
Think beyond what is typical and three children can easily share a bedroom in a tiny house.
12. Every Little Space
Here Tiny House Town gives you a great idea of where to put the little things.
A big thing about this picture is the idea that every little space should be well allocated in order to get the most out of a tiny home and keep it organized.
13. Even the Steps are Shelves
A while back we stayed in a tiny cabin with my mother who was absolutely in love with them. We talked about her owning one and this is what I told her she needed.
Turning the stairs into shelves means you have a place to put even the oddest of things- from toilet paper to socks, and knickknacks.
This idea is shown over at Tiny House Town. Be sure to check out the rest of the house as well. So cute!
14. Use Two Tier Slide Outs
Kitchen items can easily be a big part of the space clutter. Using two-tier shelving is a great way to save space. Being able to pull out the shelves makes it even easier to get to.
If you do this in multiple locations, you are sure to get all your kitchen essentials in, well, the kitchen.
This idea comes from a bus conversion to home over at Apartment Therapy.
15. Open Closet
Having your clothes hanging on a wall, with other storage solutions nearby is a great idea.
If this bothers you though, simply add a curtain and slide it when you don’t want anyone seeing what’s hanging around.
This idea comes from Tiny House Town and a couple from Nashville.
16. While We’re Talking About Closets
Having hangers such as this is a wise idea, as it allows you to hang more clothes. You could have your pair of jeans for every day of the week already laid out for you.
Find the hangers over at Luxberra.
17. Pantry Location
Putting your pantry in the tightest of locations, such as next to the fridge is a great idea. Being able to pull it out and grab what you need without losing space is important when every inch matters.
This one can be bought for about twenty-five dollars or you can build your own. The instructions are over at Buzzfeed Partners.
18. A Bed Above
I think this picture does a great job of showing you just how you can make a space for someone to sleep and still make it useable down below.
You don’t have to build a separate space though, instead, you could get a bed that is very high up and put a couch down below.
19. Think About Where to Put Things
Although you have to translate the site, the author does a great job of showing you how they turned this table area into a place that holds their laundry.
Many smaller homes have the washing machine in the kitchen and being able to completely cover it up and give you more counter space becomes a must in a tiny home.
Be sure to check out Cote Mansion for the full details.
20. Make Everything Useful
Architecture and Design has a list of thirty-three things that will save you space in a small home. Many of the things on there we have already covered, such as the sliding pantry but other things on there we have not, such as this cutting board that can be used over your kitchen sink. Hey, hey, it also has a strainer.
Living in small quarters means you really have to think about the things you have, where they go, and what purpose they serve. Out with the old, in with the new.
21. Refrigerator Space
More than likely you have a small refrigerator at your tiny house, so like everything else you are going to want to maximize your space.
Decorating your Small Space site gives ideas for getting the most out of your fridge by doing simple things such as adding fridge liners to keep things from falling.
22. Storage Inside and Out
Don’t forget to add storage to the inside of your cabinet just like you do in your refrigerator, though I don’t recommend using mason jars for this idea.
Thanks to Apartment Therapy for the post!
23. Outlet Therapy
One easy way to save space is to get rid of the charger boxes by turning all of your outlets into ones that have USB chargers already on them.
Chris Perez over at our favorite (for this post) Apartment Therapy shows you how to do it and I promise, it’s super easy and well worth it.
24. Linen Closet Organization
KC over at The Real Thing with the Coake Family came up with this cute way to organize your linen closet. I love the magazine rack holders being used for washcloths. The folded towels nearby, it all makes sense. She gives more great tips over on her site, so I hope you read it and figure out how to make your closet spaces work well for you.
25. Convertable Furniture
Maybe your tiny home is a studio apartment. In that case, having convertible furniture will help you to be able to turn your dining room into a work room and then a bedroom with a few simple steps.
Even better that you still have storage needed to make all these areas functional while letting the other aspects hideaway in order to help you better focus your time where needed.
For all the details, check out Keri Sanders’ article on HGTV.
26. Behind Closed Doors
In case you cannot tell, it is important to use space behind a door, and mirrors, and just about anything else that has two sides.
Here they use it for wrapping paper and other gift items. So many things people with larger homes take for granted, people with smaller homes have to find space for. This would be a good organization tip for most homes though, as a lot of time wrapping paper gets messed up when left out.
The full article can be viewed at The Inspired Room.
27. Shoes
We talked about what to do with clothes but shoes are another story. If you have a space similar to the open closet above, it might be a good idea to turn a coat rack upside down and adhere it to the wall in order to save space.
I thought this one, made of PVC pipes, is super cute if you have the space for it and like the artsy feel of a home that way.
For more ideas and details, check out My List of Lists.
28. Small Space Command Center
We had one of these in between the kitchen and dining room at the house we previously lived in. I liked having the calendar available for everyone to see because then there was no frustration over misunderstood events coming up.
I also like that this picture has stuff down below for the kids. It would be a great place to help them be able to keep track of things they are learning such as daily routines.
Concluding Tiny Home Organization Ideas
No matter if you are just starting out and live in a tiny apartment or if you are retired and have your dream tiny house in a community with other people who live the same lifestyle as you, making sure to have enough space for the other things you desire is important. I hope that some of the ideas I gave you will help you in the future to come up with creative and comfortable solutions.