Space saving tips in a flat please...

[PavlovtheRedNosedReindeer]

live in a flat, have cupboard space but not well designed, have high ceilings, one double, one single bedroom.

Apart from being ruithless and chucking out things we don't need, what space saving tips do you have? Things to use, etc. We are prepared to spend some, but not tons of money doing it.

(ie, in bathroom we have no storage apart from large sill, small kitchen).

Be as inventive/creative as you like, we are being open minded! (links are useful too)

Get yourself a catalogue from IKEA. These are usually chock full of good storage solutions and inspiring photos of various types of rooms.

I have been looking at Ikea actually! but its all a bit overwhelming to be honest! I just stare and stare, and compare and then give up with overload...hence I thought i would check out anything that others have actually tried and tested!

Could you make a platform bed and so free up the space underneath it in one of the rooms? Wouldn't work with very young dcs, but I know two families living in flats who have done this.

Vaccuum bags for summer/winter clothes, spare duvets, pillows and blankets etc

High shelves for books

Underbed storage boxes

I have a flat too, with high ceilings I cannot make much use of - except have bought a 'sheila maid' ceiling airer thing, which is the biggest size available - 8ft long.

It's in the dining room. It's brilliant - you lower it down, fill up with damp washing from machine, hoist it up again and it dries within 24hrs using the wasted heat on the ceiling.

The platform bed is a good idea - proper, full scale one, that you can walk underneath - Ikea do a couple I think/ Sadly we have a good double already and I don't think we could really use a platform one as the dc's share with me and would fall out!

I'm not sure what else to suggest.
We've got a cellar which everything goes in when not in use - apart from it's very damp so not clothes etc.
The boys have bunks which only get used for playing on but save a little space.
I got two very tall old school dressers which are about 7-8ft tall and hold a multitude of stuff

also one wall of full height fitted wardrobes (ceiling about 11-12ft) which holds all the stored clothes etc. and duvets and things.

1. Room by room lay out your stuff in categories and simultaneously make a list, eg for hall - winter hats/scarves/gloves; spare bags, suitcases and shopping bags; wellies and walking shoes; coats; sunhats, sunglasses and and suncream; post to open; keys; phone books; pushchair and accessories; board for reminders and messages to each other, etc etc. Have a black bin bag ready and cull anything you're not likely to use again for ages.

1. Open IKEA catalogue for appropriate room (in this case hall) and think 'what could I get to store each category of stuff in'? Make list and cost up.

1. Go to IKEA first thing when it is not so busy, and only buy what you have put on your list. Put the yellow bag down, repeat, step away from the yellow bag, so you don't go nuts and buy more rubbish. Focus. Only do one room at a time.

1. Go home, assemble new units, and immediately put all the stuff away properly. Put the stuff you use most often at the front, and the stuff you use less often at the back. Label drawers and shelves if necessary.

1. Remember you can screw fittings inside existing fitted cupboards to maximise space.

1. Make cup of tea to celebrate.

Bathroom - shelves, cupboard (how do you not have a medicine cabinet with a mirror on it? I thought it was the law!). You can buy a shelf system that wraps round the sink pedastal. Ikea do a little padded stool you can keep things inside. You can buy special towel shelves but these are only useful if you are expert at folding them like they do in a spa!

My mum made the side of her bath into a sliding door so stores loads under her bath.

We had a corner seating unit in our flat and all the seats lifted up with storage inside.

Corner shelf units?

Bathroom -

Can you fit a cheap storage unit in your bathroom - one of those seagrass chest of drawer-thingies, or summat? We have a couple of very narrow ones from Next that would fit into even a tiny bathroom. We keep one either end of the bath and just stuff all toiletries and other sods and ends in the drawers to keep out of sight.

We also have a couple of those towel shelves quite high up on one wall where we store clean towels.

Bedroom

Vaccum bags as suggested above - we use for spare bedding / towels etc

Underbed drawers / chests - we store shoes and out of season clothing in these

A good in-wardrobe storage system, like the Elfa ones - actually, you can probably get cheaper versions of Elfa storage at Ikea.

We have a large wicker chest in practically every room in th house, too (messy cow alert! ). One in the living room to chuck kid's toys in at the end of each day, one in the hall for shoes, umbrellas, random outdoorsy type things, one in our bedroom for blankets and spare bedding, one in DS's room as a toy box, one in the upstairs hall as a random laundry basket-type thing (for used towels etc) - it means we have boxes of un-sorted crap everywhere, but at least you can;t see the shite!

Oh, and I second 'storage' furniture - stools / coffee tables etc that double up as storage.

Have a look at this website

BoffinMum - oh how fab, I love the sounds of that, organised, perfect! I just read it to DH and he looked horrified, in that, yes we have to do it but I am afraid kind of way! We have pen and paper now, and tomorrow, the hallway is first on our list! Funnily enough it was our first plan anyway, as we do have quite a bit of storage space, but it is just wasted and stuffed to the hilt with crap we cannot get to. Tomorrow, when DH is at work, I am starting on it!!!

MrsHattie - I also like your style! We don't have enough space for baskets in each room, but certainly in a couple!!!

We are looking at the seagrass baskets, i am just put off by the fact they will get wet and potentially go mouldy. Has yours gone mouldy? Do they look ok? I want the storage that is visible to look nice, the stuff in the cupboards, not bothered about.

We have a loft, which is great for long term storage, and needs organising too as it happens! But I want to be able to sort out space we have now for the things we use regularly. I get myself so muddled with it all, it just gets stuff in a cupboard, which then all falls out on me!!!

Utilise the space on the back of doors, fit peg rails and hang coats, laundry bags, even an ironing board!

Ooooh MrsMattie I LOVE that website! (searches for credit card!)

I have been looking for something like this for ages as the drawer under our sink is chaos, but HOW MUCH!!!

i am lurking for ideas too, hopefull we will be building a house btu it wont be bery big so will need loads of tips to

Pavlov, so pleased my cunning plan helped!

I think the secret is to approach it all like eating an aeroplane - one piece (room) at a time.

Best of luck.

That website is just fantastic. I am making a list from it, things I like, then will look on Ikea site for similar, if not will buy from there.

Alongside this, I am going to follow BoffinMum's plan and do one room, combine this with the things I have found on that site and it will be sorted in no time.

This year, my resolution is to organise my flat!

In the Hall. If you have lots of books. One idea is to shelve along the hallway but only about 2-3 feet high. If the hallway is long you can fit loads of books and because the shelves are so low you do not get the effect of making the hall feel to narrow.

In the kitchen how tall do your cupboards go. In our old flat (a converted early edwardian house - with lots of high ceilings) we had a good two foot of space above the cupboards. This was good space for large items that were not used that frequently e.g. jam saucepan etc.

In bedrooms, what do you use for wardrobes are they full height or built in? In our old flat we put up a long deep shelf along one wall, with a hanging rail below, and hung curtains in front. So we had masses of wardrobe space and a lovely deep shelf for suicases, hat boxes, wedding dress box etc. (OK we had no attic or cellar).

In the bathroom. OK this was a total redesign. the bath was along the long wall. But when we measured the short wall we discovered that we could fit a bath across the room. So we fitted a lovely wide double ended bath, the double ended baths are about 5cm shorter than standard baths so just fitted. We tiled floor to ceiling in mainly white but blocks of accent colours (yellow & orange) so all that white and a better placed bath made the room feel twice the size, the blocks of colour ensured it didn't look too institutionalised (however that is spelt) and we also found that we actually had space to put in a couple of cupboards which wasn't possible before.

Living room, we just put in more cupboards. Although I am quite a big fan of shelving with baskets - you can fit a lot more in that way.

Generally can you fit any really high shelves anywhere. With the high ceilings there is a lot of space. You could also use glass shelves and store the best, hardly ever used, wine glasses etc.

Good Luck.

Also what is under the beds. Can you fit storage boxes underneath, preferably those with wheels. Measure the space then buy boxes to fit. Current;y we have spare duvet & pillows, bike leathers, dh's old skiing gear, about 8 kit bags - packed inside each other, some books, the childrens craft kits - so I know when they get them out and can supervise, also messy play stuff such as painting - same reason as before, presents to be recycled or hidden.

Also how old is/are the DC. Cabin beds can be used for younger children. Argos did one cabin bed that has a bookshelf and chest of drawers that fit underneath with a swing out desk (for when ds is a bit older). DS still has a small space left for a den. But the mattress that comes with it is dreadful so please buy a decent mattress seperately.

Shelving and tall things to make the most of the height of the rooms.

Ok, this is going to sound barmey. BUT, I heard that it is bad feng shui to have anything under the bed, not allowing even flow of air etc. Of course the fact that my flat is hugely cluttered is so un-feng shui, but with some space saving stuff this should help be more calm a place to live in!

We do have some larger space saving projects up our sleeves, but this is going to take a little time (and money) so this stuff I am doing now is to start it off.

That website MrsMattie recommended, its fab and I have just spent too much money already! Some fab stuff!

I wish we had a loft or cellar in our flat!

The 'sheila maid' looks good. One of the flats upstairs must have one in the kitchen. Bet DP will complain that it's a fire hazard though, like he does with the normal airers!