Living in an apartment has its share of ups and downs. One great thing about it is the lack of maintenance you have to do yourself – if something goes wrong with the plumbing, you just make a phone call and don’t have to worry about the impact on your wallet!  But there is also a definite downside to apartment dwelling, and that is the issue of storage.

Some buildings in Toronto offer storage lockers to residents, but many apartments don’t have a separate storage area for your things.  This means that everything you own has to be kept right there in that apartment with you, where space is already at a premium!

The main thing to remember when trying to store things in an apartment is to go vertical. Apartments are often relatively small, and don’t have a huge amount of floorspace. You need to maximize the space you have from floor to ceiling. Tall shelving units are a great idea, they take up limited space on the floor, but allow you to store things on multiple levels. If you get baskets that fit nicely on the shelves, you can put smaller, less attractive items while still making the overall storage area really appealing and stylish.

You can also utilize the space above your kitchen cupboards with storage baskets. Buy ones that can just barely fit in the space, and fill them with your seasonal items or things you don’t need to access very often. This gives you quite a bit of extra storage space, and if you buy square or rectangle baskets that sit flush with the cupboards, they will not detract from the overall appearance of your apartment at all.  Just make sure you also invest in a good step-stool so you can still access your things!

Easily double your closet space with a double-hanging rod. These handy little rods hang from the existing closet rod, adding a second rod halfway down. You can still hang long dresses and skirts to the side of it, and have double the space for shorter items like shirts and jackets. If you’re short on drawer space, hang your pants over a hanger on the bottom rod.

To really maximize on that newly created closet space, consider replacing your hangers with slimline ones. These ultra-thin flocked hangers take up half the space of the thicker acrylic kind, and the velvety material the hangers are coated with keeps clothes from slipping off.  These used to be an expensive luxury item, but knockoffs are now available in most dollar stores throughout the Toronto area and work like a charm!

Take advantage of that vertical space in your bathroom with an over-the-toilet storage unit. Some of the heavy wooden ones can be quite expensive but the metal rod ones can be very affordable. Coupled with a few nice baskets, you can have all your knick-knacks tucked away out of sight and a bathroom that looks beautifully organized.

You can apply these tips to other areas of your apartment, always remembering to utilize the space above other things – cupboards, closets, and anywhere else that hidden space might be available. By implementing these few tricks, you will be well on your way to extra space and suitable storage, no matter how tiny your living space may be.