Small-Space Hacks New Yorkers Swear By

If you have decided to move to New York, you will quickly face the housing prices it is so infamous for. This means that, like the vast majority of New Yorkers, you will probably be renting an apartment. And if there is a single word used to describe apartments in New York City, it would be ‘small’! It is a sad truth of the matter that most people in the city live in relatively cramped quarters. This has led them to develop plenty of strategies and tricks to fit the entirety of their lives into limited quarters. Actually, the small-space hacks New Yorkers swear by can be summed up with the words ‘making full use of what you have’! So, we have put together a guide of tips and tricks New Yorkers use to ensure they have enough space for everything they need so that you can follow their example.

Make full use of your walls

The first way to make use of as much space as possible is to take full advantage of your walls! Most people simply put a few shelves on a wall and call it quits. However, in a cramped apartment where you need to use all the available resources, this is not enough. Floor to ceiling bookshelves are a thing! And they are not just useful; they can be incredibly stylish, too. This means that you would get plenty of space to put things away, and you would get to make your apartment look better. If this is not a life hack that makes life so much easier, we do not know what is.

Storage containers are your friends

If you have been admiring New Yorkers for their space-saving skills for a while and if you want to become one yourself after moving here, you should know that many NYC neighborhoods offer limited space. For this reason, you need to master the use of storage containers, as they let you organize and maximize the number of things you can put on shelving of any kind. This is especially true if you opt for plastic ones! They cannot easily be damaged, can store a lot, will not bend out of shape, and will not get moldy. Of course, you will need to learn how to properly pack everything away without wasting space. And you will need to keep in mind to always pack the things you use very often last. That way, you can easily get at it. You will even be able to decrease the amount of visible clutter in your home.

You can hang additional storage bags from your doors

Now, this is admittedly not something you really want to do with your front door or the room you entertain your guests in. However, the bathroom and bedroom should be more than fair game! And even the front door is not that bad an option if you keep things classy. There are products, such as our Love2Organize, which can be hung on doors to make more storage space. They are a practical solution to clutter and can be extremely useful for keeping important items on hand, particularly if you have a small bathroom and do not have the luxury of putting a stand or shelving into it for toiletries.

The storage bag does not need to be ugly or bulky, as our Love2Organize shows!

Purchasing multi-purpose furniture is one of the small-space hacks New Yorkers swear by

If you still do not have enough space (and let’s be honest, who does?), then you should look into getting different furniture. Namely, there are plenty of furniture pieces that serve two functions simultaneously, with the second one being storage. Beds are the most common example of this, with the space that would usually have been empty under it converted into drawers. However, nearly any piece of furniture can be built the same way. Sofas, armchairs, even tables can have compartments built into them. This would allow you to save immense amounts of storage since anything you do not use regularly could be safely put away in the furniture. Just do not forget to store in vacuum bags or similar, due to dust accumulation. You can even take things a step further and purchase multi-functional tools! Tools like our Safe7 can replace several traditional versions, thus saving space.

You will also be able to easily bring our Safe7 with you everywhere you go!

Do not over-decorate

This is admittedly not so much a tip for best using your space so much as it is one for not wasting it. A lot of people want more space. And yet waste more and more of it on decorations they can do without. Keeping your apartment well-organized and without clutter does not make it ‘Spartan’ or ‘impersonal’. You can still express yourself and pretty up your space through the furniture you purchase. Many moving companies found at the bestmovers.nyc database can confirm that many people underestimate the amount of clutter useless decorations cause, especially when the time comes to relocate. They have often seen people wallow in frustration when they just don’t know how to handle the mess! So, make your furniture as colorful and interesting as you want. But do not make it impossible for yourself to fit all your belongings at home.

Make use of nooks and crannies

Finally, do not be shy about using whatever space you have available. The space between furniture or under it is fair game. It might not bring much improvement, but you can still stick paper bags and similar between your sink and your counter if you store them properly, along with your dustpan and similar compact items. This, of course, means you should also keep an eye out for items that are easy to store. Multi-purpose yet easy-to-handle products such as our Love2Pet 2 in 1 Pet Travel Feeder are both functional and can be placed out of the way easily.

Since it is meant for travel, our feeder will be useful outside of your apartment, too!

Conclusion

Now that you know about the small-space hacks New Yorkers swear by, we hope you will be a bit better prepared to tackle your future life in New York! Just remember: make use of as much space as possible! Of course, with the caveat and warning that you should not use that as an excuse to start hoarding. Healthy amounts of decluttering should complement your efforts to maximize your storage space beautifully.