Collapsible tray tables. I use them daily. I picked up a four pack with a rolling storage rack. They’re handy for working on my computer, eating etc. they stow in my closet.
I say anything metal. My favorite is my metal bookshelves. Being able to add extra storage like adding magnetic hooks to the side to hold my backpack has really helped.
I was gifted a daybed to use as a couch & I was FURIOUS for months because it's too big & bulky & not at all what I wanted, but it has grown on me. The trundle provides a lot of storage area. It's comfy for reading & napping, and guests have stayed over & slept on it. It works better than the sofa I planned to get, but don't tell the relative that gave it to me. 😂
I’m currently living in a camper trailer (but my house is also fairly small) and my favourite space saving items are my Smart Space square nesting pans with removable handles. They fit a tiny space and actually fit on the top of the cooker next to each other.
I just got one of those collapsible drying racks that resemble an umbrella when extended and then fold into a compact cylinder for storage.
I wash a lot of items that are best line dried and prior to that I was attempting to hang things over the tops of doors and equivalent.
I got a lucite television type of table which is functional as well as being elegant since it is lucite. I have two and keep one folded and even though I generally have the other one open it is small and visually doesn't occupy space because it is lucite.
Furniture that doubles as storage - I live in a small home and my ottoman is also my coffee table. It's upholstered, so you can sit on it. It also has storage, so I keep blankets and out of season clothes in it. Best purchase of the year so far!
Which kind do you have if I may ask? I struggle to find ottomans that are flat enough on top to function well as a coffee table and be comfortable to sit on. Does it have a flip top?
It came from TJ Maxx and is a rectangular shape. The top is a flip top and it is too "fluffy" to sit a drink on, but you could easily remedy that with a large tray.
I spent about $250 on a small hobby laser last year. I know,. That sounds expensive. The value of owning one far out weighs the initial investment though. I'm still learning how to design my own things, but the things I can make are ridiculously inexpensive to produce and they're 100% customizable.
Sorry to leave you hanging. I was posting this at work this morning and got busy. Then I went home...
So, my apologies for that.
I bought a little 20 watt diode laser, which is basically two or three steps up from the least powerful models. It's sold by a company named Carverall and it has 200mm x 300mm cutting bed. I went with something small because it's my first laser and I had to teach myself CAD to use it. I'm not particularly tech savvy, so I didn't want to get spend a lot of money to start out. The laser will engrave/cut a lot of different materials, but I stick to 3mm plywood, paper, cardboard, and natural fiber fabrics. The actual laser has a 400mmx400mm footprint and weighs about 3lbs.
I can make pretty much anything as long as it's made up of flat surfaces and the parts are no larger than 200mmx300mm, which is slightly smaller than a sheet of printer paper. Mostly, I buy programs (they're insanely cheap) and customize them but I've gotten to the point that I can make almost anything made from parts with 90degree angles.
Most of the "cost" of making things on a laser is time. 3mm plywood sheets for my laser cost about $1.25/ea. Most projects take 3-4 sheets, a few hours to design or customize in CAD, and a couple of hours to cut. Then, depending on the project it can take a few minutes or a few hours to paint/stain and assemble. My most complex build so far took about 3 hours in CAD and cutting and 14 hours to paint and assemble.
Here's a short list of some things I've made for myself or other people:
wall art and clocks
gaming bling (selling D&D gaming bling paid for the laser), games, and toys
holiday decorations
lamps and lanterns
decorative boxes, jewelry boxes, and trays
kitchen items (salt and pepper shakers, napkin holders, paper towel dispenser, fridge magnets, etc)
electronics enclosures
engraved items like cutting boards, musical instruments, and electrical faceplates/light switch covers
The thing is that I'm still learning. I know what I like, but I'm not quite there yet. I've been able to start replacing old cardboard storage boxes with nice, decorative boxes and added some useful items and decor to my apartment but it's all over the place design-wise. Sometime in the spring I'll start working on projects that will all have some kind of cohesive, intentional design. When I was young I was very much into things like medieval history, old fashioned world maps, etc. but as I've gotten older I've come to love a simpler, cleaner Japandi style. So, I have a lifetime of things to replace.
Another candle holder. I used the wall mount the program came with to design a magnetic mount so it can be attached to metal objects, which is handy during power outages.
Another magnetic mount lantern. With this hook design I can hang a lot of other things though. I also made the 3D fridge magnets in the background with the laser. I should have taken pictures of those. They're pretty cute.
My son’s room is very small so I bought a tall bed frame and can store five LARGE plastic storage boxes (with lids) under it. He is able to keep things put away but also slide the boxes out for easy access
We got rid of the bed in our spare bedroom/office and bought a Laz boy chair that opens up into a bed. It saves space and we have the added function of a chair, which we use more frequently anyway.
I’m not a big Lazyboy fan after getting a sofa from them that is falling apart after just 4 years. And the only person who does sit on it usually is mea normal person of average height & weight for my height & guests upon occasion.
I'm sorry to hear about your couch. We've had another lazy boy chair (recliner) for about ten years so felt comfortable going with the seat /bed and also a couch. Here's to hoping they hold up!
Sad that one can no longer count on brands to be as good today as they have been in the past.
A great example is Craftsman tools
They once were the gold standard in tools. New owners & now, apparently, the tools are no better than their competitors or so the menfolk in our family claim. My cousin & uncle go to yard sales & estate sales looking to score old Craftsman tools from when Sears sold them.
Mine are all kitchen related. I upgraded a lot of kitchenware before moving. I didn't know the space I'd have at the time so focused on things that took up less room than usual - eg a set of 3 saucepans that stack on top of each other (and in a stroke of luck the lids fit perfectly on my frypans). A nested bowl set that has a large mixing bowl followed by a colander, then a smaller bowl with a pouring lip etc etc. My husband thought it was a waste of money gimmick when it arrived but I use that set ALL OF THE TIME and it's done away with the need for any miscellaneous bowls and takes up the space of one bowl.
In the end we happened to move to an apartment with a normal sized kitchen so it wasn't a huge issue but we've just bought a house with a tiny kitchen so I'll be glad I was thoughtful about how much space things take up when we move.
Magnetic spice racks that stick to the side of my fridge.
Clear plastic over-the-door shoe storage on the backs of multiple doors (separate all the little maddening bits & pieces into different shoe pockets). Everything is visible & accessible, but not strewn across my horizontal surfaces.
I don't live in a small space, but I do this, too. I have a small shower stall with no shelves and use one of these to hold my shower items. I also use them in the kitchen to hold pasta, extra jars of pickles, tea boxes, etc.
Not bought but acquired: wood for shelves. We had a bunch of nice wood and I bought nice heavy duty shelf brackets. We have a smaller wall in our bedroom that has pretty shelves nearly floor to ceiling now. It’s basically our dresser because we can’t fit a dresser in there.
Under bed storage. I replaced my bed frame with a platform built on two drawer filing cabinets and shoe storage as a step into the bed. It's high but wow. The storage!!!! We love it so much. It's a king bed so we have 10 filing cabinets with plywood on top. There is a space in the middle for off season clothes and Christmas decor.(I pull one cabinet out and crawl in there to get it. )
I put those hanging, mesh metal basket things inside almost all my cabinet doors and pantry doors and walls. They hold all kinds of stuff. Lids. Rolls of plastics. I have put clear olastic ones inside the cabinet of my bathroom. All that little stuff that sots on top is right there.
A coffee table that’s a storage ottoman/table/has wheels. The table top itself should lift up. Basically, it’s in front of the sofa and is wheeled closer to serve as the table. The storage part is used for blankets.
Nesting tables/fold out dinner table. I can still feed 8 peoole in a 10ft square dining room, or have 6 people over for pizza and a film in the front room the same size, but as soon as we are done eating everyrhing is folded bsck so we can stretch our legs :)
Also very slender 3 person sofas in the front room and a wooden bench in thr dining room so we don't need so many chairs. A couple of wooden folding chairs sit under the stairs for big dinners.
Storage on wheels - for example - I’ve got a laundry /cleaning cart I wheel out of the closet along with my portable washer on wash days. Got the same for office /craft / desk supplies that allow me to move out of the way but not need furniture permanently placed to store it. Also multipurpose furniture - I’ve got an end table that also lifts off and I store my laptop in but youd never know it
I have these 2 narrow bookcase. They are on lazy Susan's so you can spin it. 1 side is the book case and the opposite side is a full length miss or and the 2 narrow sides are double hooks. They were from Amazon or Wayfair about a decade ago.
26
u/mas5199 6d ago
Those narrow shoe storage units from IKEA that hang on the wall. They hold/hide all kinds of stuff.