Organize + Energize: 8 Ways to Maximize Space in Your Home

Organize + Energize: 8 Ways to Maximize Space in Your Home

Do you have a home with limited storage, cabinet, or closet space? Are you utilizing that space the best way you can? Some people think they need to add an addition onto their home or feel that they should move to a bigger space. Wait, slow down, re-evaluate your space and re-organize. 

Here are 8 ways to maximize space.

Get organized. If you’re not organized and you’re short on space, it’s time to get organized! Start with one room. If you’ve been following my articles, you know the first thing I am going to say. Yes, take everything out of the space you want to organize. You can't get a clear vision of the space if there is clutter in the way. 

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Use your puzzle skills. Organizing is like a puzzle. If you have a challenging space, you have to utilize every inch of space, and use it well.  In order to maximize space, items should fit like pieces in a puzzle. 

Look at unused space.  Look at empty wall space, under cabinets, under the bed, basement, tops of closets, etc., as a way to store items. You really have to get creative. We have a very tiny kitchen and I don't like to clutter counter tops. I didn't want to store my microwave on the counter. We had empty wall space and behind it was a closet. I had my husband cut out a square in the wall and now the microwave sits nicely in that area. I'm not saying you have to cut through walls, but you really have to have a vision outside of the box. 

Contain items and keep like items together. When items are contained, it allows for better use of space. Don’t just throw items in your linen closet. Keep them categorized, organized in contained bins. It will allow for better use of space.

Move items to other rooms. Does that item really need to live there? Do you really need everything that is stored in the area you’re organizing? Can you shift items to other areas in the home? 

Get creative with products. There are so many great and unique organizing products out there today. Figure out which type of containers you need before you head to the store. Choose ones that will best allow you to maximize the space you have. 

Bring in a professional.  Bringing in a professional who is not in your home every day will have a different vision than what you look at every day. I’ve worked in many different spaces, large and small and will always find a way to maximize your space.

Too much space? People who have small spaces tend to envy people with large spaces. I find that people who have lots of space are not utilizing it correctly. People feel because the space is there they have to fill it. Areas get utilized as drop zones and items get thrown into cabinets with no organization. Organize your large spaces and you will have even more space than you think you have. 

Before you build that addition on your home or decide to move to a bigger one to fit all of your stuff, re-evaluate what you have, get organized and maximize your space. Also ask yourself, “How much do I really need?” 

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, is an organizing & efficiency expert and owner of Organizing in RI. Kristin teaches her clients that living an organized lifestyle will save them time and money, decrease their stress levels and help them become more efficient and productive. Her articles have been published in local and national magazines. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to begin. She is also available for organizing workshops.