Easy Small Space Swaps (General Roundup)

You’re likely pressed for usable inches in your tiny home or apartment. Consider these alternatives to your everyday household items to help reclaim stretches of open space on your countertops, shelves, in your closet, and more. There are over 200 more suggestions in my book, Small Space Style: Because You Don’t Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully.

Doors
Traditional doors can be headaches in tight quarters. Accordion doors are economical, construction-free alternatives to pocket doors.Or, if you have wall space to spare, a sliding barn door might work for you as well. (See my full post on this topic here.)

Utensil Caddy
If you only have a sliver of a kitchen, skip as many unnecessary countertop items as possible so you always have some room at-the-ready to prep your food. Perhaps use a hanging herb rack to suspend your cooking utensils, rather than keeping them in a valuable drawer or in a standard caddy. 

Above images via Pinterest

Hangers
Don’t let hardware and accessories consume your much-needed clothing storage space. Slim, no-slip hangers and vertical hanging loops can free up room for that puffy winter coat. (The image below shows our only closet here at the Cottage. The silver-topped hangers are all part of a skinny, slip-free set, and it’s evident how much space they save compared to those few scattered, bulky plastic hangers.)

Dish rack
Skip the countertop dish rack and opt for a roll-up version or a drying mat instead.

Child’s Chalkboard Easel 
We have one. But we didn’t need to buy it. If your family is sharing a small space, perhaps try a folding, travel-travel-sized chalkboard instead, or a wall-mounted roll.

Left image from our Cottage. Middle image via Crate and Barrel. Right image via George & Willy.

Paper Towel Holder
Skip the paper towels if possible— they’re needlessly wasteful and costly over time. A set of reusable cloth wipes will save space and money, and reduce your footprint on this planet. (Personally I love the cloths from Grovia.) And if you don’t buy paper towels, you won’t need a bulky, awkward paper towel holder. A small wire basket can hold more than enough cloth wipes between use/washes, and can also be repurposed to help organize a myriad of other kitchen items as well if your needs change.

Water Filter 
As shown above, we have a handmade, sculptural water filter from Walter Filter that we love. But if you don’t have room on your counters or even in your fridge for a pitcher-style filter, try a faucet version right on your sink if your faucet is compatible. .

Market Baskets
I have a collection of market baskets on our stoop, and I love them. But if we didn’t have that space, I’d probably reply on simple canvas bags for produce, and a log carrier for oversized items like branches, florals and even baguettes. Log carriers can roll up easily.

Toy Bins
Toy bins are bulky. Try breaking up toys by category or size, and store them in containers that look and feel right for your space. This way you can spread these items around your home into vacant spots, rather than trying to keep them all corralled into one lumpy space. Everything from magazine racks to suitcases to apple baskets can work.