An organized home is a happy home, no matter the size. Before you splurge on redecorating, try reorganizing first!
Does coming home to an organized space makes you feel all kinds of happy?
We get it. It’s harder to relax and get things done if you’re continually looking at a mess. That’s why figuring out ways to keep your apartment put together can make all the difference.
As we approach 2020, you’re likely thinking of ways you can continue to improve your living space.
Sure, there are plenty of ways to revamp your apartment. But, reorganizing while you’re redecorating (or instead of) will make you even happier.
Incorporate some of these seven organization tips now. You’ll no doubt set yourself up for apartment success.
1. Designate Zones
If you have a living room and kitchen combined in one room, think about creating separate zones.
When dividing up space, it’s all about making use of the middle of the room.
That seems strange, but it works!
- Here are a few elements you can use to divide up the room:
- Bookshelves (perfect for storage and division)
- Putting a sofa in the middle of the room (or have it jut out from a wall)
- Rugs that create a feeling of separation
- Suspending decorations from the ceiling (such as a beaded curtain)
Adding in separation between larger spaces in your apartment can help improve everything.
Sometimes when one room has too much going on, it’s hard to figure out when something starts and when it ends.
To define the dining room versus the living room, having a bookshelf or hanging a curtain can do the trick.
2. Purge Frequently
After living in an apartment for a while, you’ve started to collect items you don’t need. You might have too many shoes, blankets, or even furniture.
Before things get out of control, work on decluttering everything.
Here’s an excellent method you can try that’ll help you decide what to get rid of:
Find items that are alike and line them up on the floor. Next, decide how many you need and either donate or sell the rest.
3. Use Corner Shelves
If you’re having a hard time maximizing your space, try using the corners in your apartment.
In particular, corner shelves are fantastic because they’re easy to “tuck” away. And, if you want to stay organized and make use of the space, corner shelves are the perfect way to do that.
There are many different corner shelf designs available so you can find one that blends in well.
Here are a few to consider:
- Corner bookshelf
- Floating wall shelves
- Glass corner shelf
- Display rack
On any of these corner shelf designs, you can put books, collector’s items, and other pieces of decor, such as a small plant.
Before you put nails in your wall, though, ask the leasing team if they allow it.
4. Hang Shoe Organizers
Use hanging shoe organizers for more than storing shoes!
They’re perfect for holding items you’d like to stash away in designated compartments.
Having a shoe organizer behind every door might look silly. But, it’s better than having a bunch of junk pile up on your floor.
Aside from shoes, an over the door organizer can hold anything. Try storing leggings and cleaning products in there!
You could even store rolled up clean towels. It sure will be nice to have easy access right before guests arrive.
5. Get a Laundry Hamper With a Lid
You’re not alone if you like to put laundry off. Before you know it, your laundry basket is overflowing in your closet or bedroom.
That’s not a very good way to keep your apartment organized, let alone clean.
Luckily there’s a straightforward solution to keep the laundry contained: a laundry basket lid! With a lid, you’re forced to acknowledge how much space is there until you run out. Once you’re out of space, that means it’s time to do laundry asap!
A lid also looks nice, depending on the laundry basket you have.
Try getting a bamboo hamper with a lid that will hold at least a week’s worth of laundry. Inside the hamper, you can put a pullout laundry bag. When the basket is full, it’ll be easy to pull it out and carry it to the laundromat!
A nice hamper will look so attractive you’ll forget there’s laundry in there. (Except, you don’t want that to happen or your room can start smelling.)
Once you run out of space, you either have to do laundry or add another laundry basket, which we wouldn’t recommend.
6. Invest in Organizer Boxes
There are so many different types of boxes to organize items in your apartment these days. Do you need a place to store electronics, random papers, or cleaning supplies?
If so, bins and baskets can do the trick.
Get a few and make life easier!
A container that you can use to organize your batteries, for example, can go far. It’s much better than having a bunch of random batteries in your drawers!
Figure out which organizers will work depending on which belongings you need to sort. You should get a variety of different sizes, so you have options depending on the size of your belongings.
There might be random jewelry, electronics, or medicine you’re not sure where to put. Stock up on some boxes with different sections so you can separate things and find them.
Clear containers are a good option. They’re perfect if you want to know what’s inside without taking the box out of the closet.
But if you’re going to have clear containers on display, remember to organize what’s inside.
7. Put a Chef’s Cart in the Kitchen
Do you have tight quarters in the kitchen? If you find you’re running out of counter space, there’s a solution.
Add a chef’s cart on wheels in your kitchen.
Some carts have shelves, whereas others already have organizers that come with them. If you get one with shelves, you can add a few baskets.
Put kitchen food and appliances that you don’t have room for in the cart. It could be anything from cereal to condiments that don’t need refrigeration.
Have fun storing whatever you’d like in a chef’s cart. It’s perfect because you can wheel it around while cooking and find what you need right away.
If you come home after a busy day at work only to recognize your apartment is in serious need of organizing, it’s okay. The fact that you’re realizing this is a sign to get things in order!
After getting the place in order, during 2020 and beyond, continue to enhance your interiors. You can create an apartment you love.
And, even if things are still a little disorganized at that point, don’t worry about it. Tidying things up is always a work in progress, and these seven tips should help you get the process going.
You can slay these tips and others that’ll help you get the apartment you desire!
Client bio
Jenny Bullock graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University and currently works with Broadstone Briar Forest to make life better for their residents every day.