Being a student may mean living in small spaces, usually in either a dorm room or an apartment. However, living in a compact space doesn’t have to mean feeling crowded; there are plenty of ways to maximise your space and live more comfortably. Here are some easy tips for making a smaller dorm or apartment feel more spacious.
Kitchen
Herbs and spices can often take up more room in your pantry than you think. By using magnetic spice tins that sit on your fridge, you can create more space in your pantry and fill unoccupied spots on your fridge. You can buy magnetic tins, or you can make your own using old jam jars or other containers. All you need to do is apply a strong magnet to the back of your container, stick it to your fridge, and voila!
If you still don’t have enough room in your pantry, try using old magazine racks to hold your baking supplies and plastic bags. Wire magazine racks can sit on your pantry door without taking up much-needed room inside just make sure they can be easily removed without damaging your walls for when you move out.
Kitchen cupboards are great as storage units, but they can be improved by using over-door baskets or containers. These can be bought from your local discount or department store and easily hang over cupboards doors, holding everything from cleaning products to condiments.
Bathroom
To free up space in your drawers and make your bathroom feel a little less cluttered, you can hang up items like towels, loofahs, dressing gowns and hair dryers using hooks. Place Command™ Wet & Dry Hooks on your bathroom wall and hang your items neatly (each one can hold up to 1.3kg, so make sure you stick within the weight limit).
To organise makeup or nail polish, you can place spice racks inside your bathroom drawers. If you still have some clutter that won’t quite fit inside your drawers, you could consider placing a few things around your basin. And to ensure your basin area doesn’t look messy, why not make a mason jar bathroom storage set? These accessories will keep your cotton buds, cotton wool, hair ties and other bathroom bits neatly contained and looking great.
You can create more room in your shower by utilising your shower rod. Clips from old shower curtains easily slip onto the shower rod next to your current curtain and are great for hanging a lightweight caddy containing your shampoo or conditioner tubes, and other toiletries. This can help declutter your shower and free up space in your bathroom cupboards.
Living Room
If you’re moving into a new apartment, storage furniture will save you a serious amount of space. Ottomans that include storage are great for holding magazines or books, and they make for great seats. Coffee tables with drawers can hold both your coffee and your TV remotes, coasters, books, and more.
Loose cords take up space in your living room and can become a bit messy. Small Command™ Cord Organisers can be used to tidy up phone chargers and other cords. Attach them along benches, drawers, or other furniture and thread the cord through; this allows you to keep using your cords but ensures they’re untangled and out of sight.
Bedroom
Drawer separators are an easy way to save space in your drawers or closet. By using drawer separators, you can keep your clothes organised, preventing your drawers from overflowing with piles of messy clothes. You can buy drawer separators, or you can easily make your own out of shoeboxes or cardboard.
Jewellery boxes and other containers can take up space on your shelves. Placing decorative Command™ Hooks on your wall and hanging your jewellery saves much-needed shelf space. Plus, it nicely displays your jewellery and other accessories instead of getting them tangled up in a box.
