Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I'm 19. I have a small room with no closet. My boyfriend does stay with me, but we need more storage space. All I have is a full size bed, a night stand with 1 drawer, a tall 3 drawer dresser which has all my clothes in it, a mini fridge for drinks and snacks, and a high shelf that we keep our collectable items on.
Thrift stores, garage sales, Craig's List, etc., have great furniture-cabinets, shelves and other storage ideas for very little. Shelves are what you probably need most. Also, there are fabric closets you can buy that simply set up in your room for hanging and folded clothes. Try IKEA, Walmart, Target, etc.
I've seen some folks use cinder blocks between boards to make floor to ceiling walls of space and use those plastic boxes to place stuff inside to sit on those shelves (and under the bed).
All good ideas. Also, can you buy or build a bed that is raised? You might find plans easy enough here. Good luck!!
www.google.com/
Walmart sells bed risers fairly cheap. You put one under each leg of the bed to rise it. Then, you have storage place under the bed. You can cut plywood to 36 by 36 squares, put caster wheels on each corner, and add a rope hanger.
Get bed risers and get under the bed storage drawers on wheels that slide out. If you have no sink vanity, attach fabric to the sink with double-sided tape. This will give you some space to store things.
I will be moving in to a home with a small master bedroom and have been trying to figure out a way to make the most of my small space. I don't remember what the measurements of the room are, but the previous owners had a queen size bed, a large dresser and a somewhat narrow armoire in the room. With these three pieces of furniture alone, the space looked extremely cluttered. The only source of natural light comes from the sliding doors that lead out to a small deck. If anyone has any ideas I'd greatly appreciate it.
By Lia from Chicago, IL
I would avoid lots of fluff: ruffles and lace and the like. I'd use straight lines and simple fabrics. I'd paint the walls a very light color (actually I'd choose off white) to enlarge the space.
I live in a beautiful penthouse, only 450 sq. ft.! I bought ELFA basket storage system from Container Store and placed them in a closet eliminating the need to use a normal bedroom dresser. My closet is half baskets and half hanging space. Baskets systems can rack up to almost five ft. high (14 small drawers or seven deep drawers) and as wide as you choose.
Use light colored paint on the walls, limiting a darker color for the wall the bed is on. Use a large mirror to reflect the light from the doors around the room. I would stay away from any tall furnishings, this will make the room look more cluttered. Use floating side tables for a more spatial feeling.
Lastly: simplify your wardrobe so you do not store items that you will not be wearing again. And use whites on the bed, pillows and sheets with a colored comforter rolled to the foot. Good luck:)
Be minimalistic. What can you really do without? Re-locate bulky things such as full length coats, or out of season clothing, or change of bedding to either one of those vacuum the air out of them bags or to another room/closet. Also, be brutal. Donate to those who are less fortunate. Another thing, think vertical. So many people only look at waist to eye level and at what can fit under a bed. Baskets, bins, and even tall furniture that is more slender will help keep your room from looking too cluttered. Also, although queen size beds are nice and roomy, a double can do just as well. Or have a futon, or another converter type furniture.
I am sure there are websites and magazines for small spaces. HGTV used to have a show dedicated to it. I am not sure what the name of it was, but I did catch parts of it from time to time.
I agree with previous posters. Light, streamlined, and mirrors.
Good luck.
Peace
KLS
Your furnishings should be the smallest that will do the job, making the room look bigger. We used to have a queen bed and the room looked tiny, the double opened it right up. Then we painted the room yellow and that made it look bigger too.
I had to move out of my apartment due to it being on the second floor. I have a knee injury so I couldn't climb those stairs anymore. My sis-in-law was so kind as to let us in her home.
One problem. The room is really small. We left most of our things in storage, but the things we do have, oh my, it is just that the room looks cluttered. I make cakes as a hobby and I also sew. So I have my craft stuff in our room. Food that doesn't go bad, like bread, cereal, etc. we keep in the room now. We use to leave it out in the kitchen, but our food would be gone before week's end and me without a job made it hard to buy food at a moments notice.
We also have a 6 drawer dresser and two ottomans, we have junk inside there as well. Our closet is a mess and one of the ottomans is blocking the other side of the closet. I tried organizing the room on my own, but it backfired. I just feel like there is more of a mess. There is no way I am able to stick nails into the walls, so we can hang stuff on the walls. We keep doors closed at all times for privacy. I am at my wits end. I don't know how else to keep this room organized and free of clutter. Help! I went from a full apt to a small tiny bedroom for two people :-(
By Nataly from Whittier, CA
Only advise I can give you is get rid of "stuff". In reality we don't need a whole lot to get buy. Two pair of jeans is all I need. I don't work and don't have the type of social life that requires anything other than casual wear. The more stuff we accumulate the more complicated and time consuming our lives become.
Also, I learned a good lesson when my Mother became unable to take care of her house. She had so much stuff. Every time I came from cleaning and dusting all those nick knacks I started getting rid of things I didn't need nor did I really enjoy. They were only making work. Keep only the things you love and give away the rest.
Get at least two covered rubbermaid-type boxes. Put as much cake decorating stuff as you can in one and sewing stuff in the other. These boxes can be stacked on top of each other. Buy some under-bed type storage boxes and use them - perhaps the bed could be put on risers to give additional space under the bed.
Talk to your sister-in-law and/or show her your room. Ask her if she has any advice for organizing or if she might be able to help organize. She might be able to offer you a little more of a storage space, like in an unused cabinet or in the basement, where your husband could retrieve things as you need them.
I lived small for years...expert! put a small shelf about a 14 inches from the ceiling all the way around the room. store less used items high. you can cover with garden trellis if you want to velco it up so you can pull of sections. make sure you get folding stools, laundry hampers and laundry baskets. also get a bed that lifts up so you can store under it. or if you don't mind climbing a little higher you can put several dressers under and store a ton of clothing....worked great for college. you can also make a tall shelf behind your bed and have a open compartment tho drive your bike in!! no one would ever suspect it's there.....I also used hanging kitchen baskets for my hair stuff and toiletries. hope the tips help.
Food in your room is bad! Please stop doing that. You are inviting mice and bugs. If you must have it there to keep others from eating it, put it in an airtight container such as a mini-fridge that isn't plugged in. (And stop buying high calorie, no-nutrition foods like donuts and cookies.)
You are going to have to downsize. I know you're crafty, but get rid of everything except what you'll need to do the next two SPECIFIC projects. Don't have stuff hanging around because it would be "useful" in a project. You don't have room in there to craft, anyway.
Go through all your hair stuff, makeup, lotions, etc and get it down to the few things you actually use. Like one lotion you like, the shampoo and conditioner you like best, three combs that do different things, your favorite hairbrush, like that. Makeup that you actually use daily. Throw away old broken or half-used makeups.
Store cleaning supplies where your SIL stores hers. Bring your laundry to the laundry room and wash as soon as one hamper is full.
Don't have any clothes in the closet that you don't wear or are out of season. Get rid of all knick knacks. You only need books you will read within one or two months. After that you can trade them in and get more.
You need two sets of bedsheets and one comforter. Don't keep any lamps, radios, irons or other things you can't use right now or that your SIL already has that you can use. Put them in storage.
If all your "extra" (not everyday) stuff doesn't fit in one storage unit, you'll need to go through the unit and declutter that as well. Get rid of anything that isn't extremely expensive or can be replaced at a retail store. For instance, you do not need a dish set at the moment. You can buy an inexpensive dish set at Walmart. Therefore, you don't need to store a dish set.
I live in a room very small; any organization ideas? I don't have much clothes and not much "junk" per say. Oh and I'm fourteen so keep it limited!
By Charlie B.
There are lots of way to store things, and hide the fact that there is storage. One of my favorites is to make a table out of a waste receptacle, put a wooden topper on it and cover with a tablecloth. This makes excellent storage.
You can use plastic storage bags for under the bed. I like lots of baskets, and laundry mesh bags to store things in.
Mirrors brighten a room, even little ones placed along the wall. Those milk crate type of plastic boxes last forever and you can stack them!
Here are some extra links I found on this subject from ehow.com
www.ehow.com/
www.ehow.com/
Blessings, Robyn
Very smart 14 year old. A lot of teenagers could care less about being organized and keeping their room clean. Get yourself one of those over-the-door shoe organizers. Clear is best so you can see everything. Put things under your bed and if you need height those things that raise the bed are inexpensive. Blankets, extra linens, etc can be laid out between the mattress and box springs when you're not using them as in the summer. decorative hooks are really good.
My daughter gave me this tip. I have a couple pretty canvas bags hanging on my wall that I store wallets, etc. but you can store anything in them. I bought one of mine at Goodwill for under $3.00. If space is an issue in your closet those slim hangers are a must. I bought a box of 50 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for about $20.00.
I raised my bed with the little feet you can buy at home improvement and organization stores and have plastic bins with lids for some clothes that I wear only about once a month and for some craft supplies. I like the plastic clear bins with lids as the keep dust and our pets from getting into my things.
In the past, I've used the boxes that office copy paper comes in to organize items. They are sturdy, have lids that fit well, and you probably know someone who works in an office who would be happy to bring you a couple of boxes home. Another thing to consider depending on what type of closet you have is how the shelves and bar are arranged.
Sometimes moving the bar a bit lower and adding an extra shelf, or spacing the shelves closer together, can help a lot. Of course, how easy and inexpensive this is to do will depend on how your closet was put together to begin with. One more thing, you can hang a rack on the inside of your door to hold shoes. Even if you don't want to put your shoes in the pockets, you could put hats, gloves, socks, etc in there, freeing up precious drawer and closet space for other items.
How do you build a built-in, full size bed for an adult?
By Joyce from MO
Google for directions, go to the library and see if you can find a book that tells how, or go to the diy.com site and see if they have anything.
Tim Carter might know or at least be able to tell you where to look for how to's:
www.askthebuilder.com/
Go to www.instructables.com & do a search. You'd be amazed at all the things you can learn to do on this website & they have some great bed instructions!
How can I organize my very small bedroom in a rental when I have no closet and a limited income? I have a twin bed, chest of drawers, 2 night tables, a plastic unit w/3 drawers for my underwear, a folding table for my TV, computer (can't afford internet access), sewing machine, and a lot of craft stuff.
By Robin from Norfolk, VA
Hi! I was in a similar situation several years ago. I had limited, irregularly shaped space, and bulky furniture. I wasn't sure how to fit everything, be able to move around, AND have all drawer/doors accessible.
I solved this by measuring the entire room--doors & windows included--and mapping the room out (scaled down) on a large piece of drafting paper. I then measured all furniture, adding 1/4" all around. Using the same scaled size, I drew 2 sets of the furniture pieces; one set as a "top down" (LxW) view, the other frontal (HxL) view. I then cut out each piece of "furniture" and placed them around the drawing of the room, using both views. (Yes, I know there are computer programs that do this, but those are very hard to come by when you don't even have a quarter to pay attention!)
My friend thought I was crazy when they saw all the furniture sitting outside my room. He said I was crazy if I thought I was going to be able to fit all that in...boy did he feel silly as he was rubbing my poor, tired feet, after cooking me dinner that night! It all fit beautifully, with ample room to move! The toughest part, though, was getting everything IN the room to move it around! I guess all that geometry actually comes in handy after all! :)
As for general organization goes, if you can find cardboard box lids that are close to the size of your drawers, use those to "layer" item. This helps so much for convenient accessibility! You can also cut extra notches in them, and add a divider made from the side of a box. I covered the cardboard with some cheap, but pretty, fabric. (I used an old bridesmaid dress. I just knew I was going to actually use that dress again someday! LOL!
Going VERTICLE is another great solution, if you are able to put nails/screws in the wall. I used some Pergo floor planks & "L" brackets to make staggered floating shelves. Putting cup hooks on the underside added even more space! (Just be absolutely certain you are actually IN a wall stud BEFORE putting anything even remotely heavy onto the shelf!!! I almost lost a toe when one of them came down on it!!! LOL!)
Good luck! ~Adrienne
If you shop garage sales look for a hanging shoe rack. It's all fabric with about a dozen pockets. Great for holding things besides shoes and it hangs off the back of a door.
I'm 18 and my sister and I share a bedroom (still!). The problem is between the two of us we have way too much stuff to fit in a room the size of ours. Even between the two of us we can't seem to come up with a solution that's both organized and cute. The solutions I've seen are great, but there isn't enough room for bins and boxes. Any suggestions?
By AC
This is what my daughter did one time. She hung a couple cute tot bags on hooks hung on the wall. She filled them with things because she didn't have enough space in her dresser drawers. But you could store most anything in them. I have a couple hanging in my closet on hooks right now. Also put things under you beds in those under bed storage things or even boxes. If the bed isn't high enough buy some of those $10 risers to raise the bed.
Extra things like blankets and out of season things can be stored between your mattress and box springs. Get a shoe organizer and put on the back of your closet door. Doesn't have to be just for shoes. I have one hanging in my garage right now that holds some tools, oil for my car, lawnmower oil, you get the picture.
Think vertical space. Use your walls, hang shelves, baskets, anything you can find that would store some belongings. Another great idea is to hang an over the door shoe holder over your door. Those pockets can hold an array of personal items.
I have a pretty small room. The walls are bright and colorful, but I have a bed, a desk, a wide dresser, and a tall dresser. My room's so crowded so I put one of my dressers in my closet. Please help organize my room!
By Michaela J.
Hi Michaela! When you can't go "out", go "UP"! It's a great way to take advantage of your space and give you a chance for more storage. How about cabinets painted a pretty color to match your bedroom stuff? You can even make the front of one a cork board, photo board, etc. Keep all your special stuff tacked to it with cool, funky push pins. Make another front a blackboard.You can use the tops as shelves and display stuff like pictures in frames or stash your goodies in cute hat boxes and stack them.
Add some open shelves also. Your room may be small but if you build up, you'll be surprised at how much room you gain. Have fun with it. Stop by thrift stores. You can find some pretty cool stuff.
Buy some risers for your bed, they will raise your bed so you can put boxes under it; they are cheaper than buying the roller drawers to go under and will allow more stuff to fit under the bed. You can also buy over the door shoe organizers to fit over your closet door, you can organize shoes, socks, scarves etc. in this. Also you can put double rods in your closet to hang tops and bottoms in your wardrobe.
Hang your purses on the sides of the closet or use your storage shelf. Belts can be hung on a hanger and earrings can be organized by using a mesh attached to a fancy frame and hung on the wall. Socks can be thrown into bins to put in the bottom of your closet or under the bed. Good luck.
I have a very small bedroom, I mean 9 feet by 8 feet with a lot of stuff. There's a double bed, night table with drawer, a 3-4 foot clothes rack, TV stand with 2 shelves, and an Ikea 9 cubby organizer with a 30 gallon fish tank on top. How can I organize my room so I have a little bit more space?
Thanks.
By Marleigh M
You can mount the tv on the wall and remove the stand. Also you could remove the side table and hang one on the wall. Amazon has a two drawer unit that you can hang on the wall for a nightstand. Look in closet organizers, Rubbermaid. Also can you get rid of the clothes rack and put your clothes in under the bed storage units? Good luck.
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I have a small bedroom and cannot seem to come up with a good plan for organizing it.
I have a very small master bedroom: 12 x 12 with a closet that measures 3 1/2 x 2.
I'm 14 and I have a very small bedroom that never seems to stay clean. I have a twin size bed, a small 3 shelved book shelf (that is full) and a dresser type thing.
