5 Double Duty Organization Ideas {Making Small Houses Work ...

Carve out an entry and storage with a small cabinet! via BHG

I love small houses. Part of the appeal for me is the challenge to make the house cute, organized and functional all at the same time! I love a good house challenge! My favorite thing is to find a way to make everything in the house earn its keep while looking cute or stylish at the same time, and that often means things need to do double duty. I happened upon some great ideas while scrolling through the Better Homes & Gardens site today, so let?s take a look!

So many small houses don?t have separate foyers, and really that is OK if you can figure out how to create one simply with a piece of furniture. If you walk right into your living room from your front door as many people do, a small chest or dresser as you come in the door not only gives the entry a little definition, but it offers attractive storage for those excess shoes, hats and book bags!

Built-ins with boxes, baskets and bins! via BHG

In a small house, built ins can make a world of difference in how the home feels. Free standing furniture can appear cluttered and doesn?t always make the best use of the space you have. So tucking in a built in or a banquette, wherever possible, helps maximize space while offering attractive storage too. Glass doors on a built in keeps the visual space more open while offering organizational options at the same time.

If you are fortunate enough to have a small breakfast nook or dining room, built in banquettes can offer tucked away storage for those extra dishes, entertaining platters, seasonal items and small kitchen appliances, as well as offer the maximum seating for sit down meals! That is a WIN WIN!

Small space organization BHG

Tiny awkward cabinets like this can end up being a jumbled mess. Instead of being frustrated or limited by its?diminutive size, find attractive and?appropriately sized containers to organize items inside, making it CUTE as well as useful! And when a cabinet is actually CUTE inside, you are much more likely to keep it looking that way. Am I right?

Hanging back of the door clear shoe storage racks also make the most of a small unused wall or cabinet door by rallying small items that would easily get lost or hard to find in a larger space.

Don?t let what little space you might have go to waste! Put it to good use and make it look pretty in the process.

double duty organization via?bhg

Big walls for hooks and memo boards such as whole wall ?family command centers? can be so handy and attractive! But small houses do not always have large walls available to create an extensive system like that. But, you can still make the most of the space you have! ?If you can carve out a small area to organize a ?landing? space for each child?s school supplies, remember to think ?double duty.? A metal bucket for each child could have a magnet or clip for personalizing daily reminders! I like that idea!

back of the door organizing via BHG

So, we don?t all have dedicated craft rooms. Bummer, how will we survive? Obviously craft rooms are nice, but in a small house space is at a premium. But living in a small house doesn?t mean we can?t have cute dedicated spaces for crafts and wrapping! Think beyond the ?whole room? to how you could use portions the space you have. You probably will have to pare down and not keep as much or as many craft supplies as someone who has entire rooms dedicated to crafting or projects, but you should be able to find a little nook or cranny for the basics of what you love to do!

I have my eye on a couple of doors in my own house that I?m determined to use to store craft supplies and wrapping paper. I may not have an entire room for craft supplies, but that is no excuse for not getting organized! When you can find what you are looking for in just a few moments, you are much more likely to USE your craft supplies, so that is a big plus too!

Creating an attractive, dedicated space for everything you use in your home, no matter how small of a space you have, helps get a small house organized in style. I like that!

What organizational projects are you working on?

If you need more tips for organization and homemaking, check out my homemaking gallery?for more tips and ideas!

Source: http://theinspiredroom.net/2013/01/12/small-house-organization-ideas/

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