Home is, truly, where the heart is. It’s a sanctuary from the outside world — an orb that we can make beautiful, feel safe in, rest in, work in, and enjoy life in. For many of us, home is a small space — a loft in the city, a nook in the country, a cube in the desert. But this needn’t mean that our spaces be crowded or displeasing to the eye. The key? Putting to use a few small-space organization hacks and small-space storage hacks.

Read up to make the very most of your space, and to make it as beautiful and conducive to productivity and enjoyment as possible. We’ve broken it down room by room (or area by area, if you live in a studio), though many of these small-space hacks can be utilized in several rooms. 

Bedroom

Storage Baskets: Storage should, of course, be functional and practical — but it should also be beautiful. One of the best ways to employ this methodology? Yes, storage baskets. They’re casual, multi-textural, timeless, and pleasing to look at. They can also hold a lot — be it those stacks of Art Forum that you’re going to get to reading cover to cover someday, throw blankets, piles of mail or whatever you else you’d like to have accessible but also hidden from plain view. The best part? They’re beautiful to look at. 

Floating Shelves: Attach a few simple, minimalist slabs of wood to your wall and voila! Shelving for books, beautiful objects and anything else that needs a home. Floating shelves take up zero floor space and don’t add bulk to a room. 

Bed Risers: Many people in Sweden and Japan, where living spaces are often small, utilize bed risers. The concept is simple — you can store clothing, shoes and more in drawers underneath your bed. Place some gorgeous bedding and a fluffy, cloud-like duvet on top of the mattress, and the eye won’t even notice that the bed is working double time. 

Vertical Mirrors: Mirrors — and especially vertical mirrors — literally double the appearance of a space. It’s a bit of a stage trick, but it works. Your space won’t actually be bigger, but it will look and feel bigger, providing a sense of spaciousness. They’re also, of course, functional.

Storage Cubes: Think of storage cubes as being the tiffin of the home. The cubes can be moved around, stacked, filled, added and deleted to your liking. 

Super-Slim Nightstand: Tiny bedroom? Lots of books, essential oils, charging cords, etc? Meet the super-slim nightstand. Find one with shelves, so that you can use the table-top surface for flowers, a framed photo or any other essentials, and still have your nightly reading and ritual supplies right by your bed.

Kitchen and Dining

Canisters: Boxes can take up a lot of counter, drawer and cupboard space. The solution? Store your essentials, including spices, teas and snacks, in style and throw the box away.

Bar Cart: If you like to entertain but are pressed for space, or if you enjoy a solo drink after work, consider investing in a bar cart. Not only are they incredibly practical, but they also add a beautiful design element to your home. Display your collections of silver tequilas and colorful liqueurs, wheel them away when not in use, and show off your favorite coasters.

Kitchen Drawer Storage: Use them for more than holding your utensils. Store your herbs and spices in drawers to conserve valuable counter space!

Magnets: Install a magnetic rack in the kitchen, and use it to stick spices and other necessities right to the wall.

Hanging Bowls: Jerry Seinfeld may have kept his fruit in a bowl on the counter, but you’ll have a lot more kitchen space if you hang your gorgeous fruits and vegetables in a hanging wire basket.

Pantry and Laundry

Hanging Hamper: We love the look of a woven hamper, but hampers can be quite clunky — especially when they’re filled with your favorite shirts and coziest pajamas (it’s nesting season, and we’re not complaining). The solution? Hang your hamper! Find a beautiful, simple hook, and claim some floor space back.

Wall Hooks: An inexpensive and simple solution. Hang your broom, cleaning linens and more from hooks to free even more space and to keep them organized and easy to access.

Living Room

Storage Tables: Find a table with a lid that lifts off, or a table that has shelves under the tabletop surface. This way you can store books, magazines and other essentials, and use the surface for your favorite coffee table books and decorative objects.

Ottoman: A similar concept to that of the storage coffee table — lots of ottomans on the market have tops that lift off, so that you can simultaneously store objects and sit comfortably. Put your feet up! The place is organized. 

Room Dividers: Another small-space hack borrowed from Japan? Room dividers. Find some beautiful Japanese screens — they can be folded, arranged and moved around as much as you need, and can create a feeling of multiple rooms within one room.

Office

Turn your home office into a space you’ll actually want to work in. You can apply many of the tips above, including hanging shelves, baskets and magnetic strips, to greatly improve your productivity and the visual appeal of your home work space.

Disappearing Desks: Find a desk that can be folded away, or invest in a desk that’s slim but gorgeous. If you’re a writer or mostly work from a computer, you likely don’t need too much desk space to work your wonders.

Stacking Trays: Implement a stacking system for your desk to store papers and books so that they’re both easily accessible and appealing to look at.

Bathroom

Floating shelves, as well as small shelves, that can be mounted to the wall are great ways to maximize space. This way you can see and easily access all of your beautiful beauty products and essentials without having to rummage through tangles wires under your sink.

Spice Rack: If you’re a product fiend, you may need more than just shelves. Consider a spice rack for your daily essentials, and hang it next to your mirror. Your bathroom will be more spacious and your morning routine will take a few seconds less — which can make a great deal of difference in the morning. More time for meditation and matcha!

Drawers: Rather than using precious space for towels, consider rolling and folding your towels into unused drawers.

Closet

Hanging Wall Storage: If you have more pairs of shoes than your closet can hold, hang them in a visually appealing hanging shoe rack. Pin your favorite handbags to the wall. Wear the same jacket most days? Put it on a hook in the closet and save some hanging space for the rest of your beauties.

Shoe Shelves: Swimming in a sea of shoes? A simple, compact set of shoe shelves will free up an immense amount of space on your apartment and closet floors. Take things up a notch but arranging them by style. 

Garment Rack: Garment racks are an inexpensive, minimalistic and mobile option. Plus, they can add personality to your room when you put your favorites on display. Hang your outerwear pieces to free up some closet space or take this as a fun design opportunity.

Extra Closet Bars: Double the hanging space in your closet by installing a set of double bars. The top can be reserved for tops while the bottom can hold pants and any other longer pieces.