My entire living space is 11 feet by 11 feet. With careful planning, I've managed to include a queen size bed and an 8' long table! My room functions as a bedroom, office and studio and believe it or not I have plenty of floorspace to dance around or play with my cats ;)
I've lived in this snug little room for 19 years of my life, and along the way I've come up with a lot of storage solutions that make the most of my tiny abode! Here are my top 5 favorites!
1. Empty purses are perfect for storage! I keep all of my bags on a coat rack behind my door, but rather than leave them empty, I fill them up with craft supplies! My mini photo scanner is in the purple handbag, my wood burning kit is in the green shoulder bag and I keep sketchbooks in the gingham satchel! It seems like every bag is the absolute perfect size for holding something that didn't fit anywhere else in my room :)
2. Clothing as decor! I've mentioned this before, but using clothing as decoration is ideal if you're low on closet space like I am! I have my dresses hanging on my wall next to my bed, and I keep all of my lacy tops hanging from my curtain rod. They look gorgeous in the daytime when the sunbeams shine through them!
3. Bed risers!! One of the best things I ever purchased, EVER. Thanks to these little miracle workers, my entire record collection fits under my bed. I also keep my sewing machine under there, too, along with lots of under-the-bed boxes stacked up as high as they can possibly go. Push the things you hardly ever use all the way to the back, and keep the stuff you use on a regular basis at the front. It's easy to just throw things under the bed willy nilly, but with the bed risers you get so much extra space that it just makes sense to organize it and utilize every inch! I got mine at IKEA but I think they're sold at pretty much every home supply store.
4. Measure every nook and cranny in your room! Before you shop for furniture, measure every extra bit of space that you have. I have 9" of wall space between my bed and my closet -- that seems way too small to serve any purpose, right? Wrong! IKEA had an 8" wide bookcase that was perfect for storing my books and dvds! Measuring also came in handy when I purchased my laptop stand, Ludvig (I wrote more about this in my room tour here!)
5. Walls aren't just for hanging artwork! As much as you can get off the floor onto the walls, do it! I have my record player (it's a vertical turntable, available here) & my television mounted on the wall. I also have a big storage unit from Michaels that I use for displaying knick knacks and housing craft supplies. You'd be surprised how much table room and floorspace you have to spare once you start using your walls!
