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Every small apartment has at least one thing in common: not enough storage. My first New York studio had a single closet, approximately three feet wide, to hold clothes, shoes, coats, sporting equipment, and everything else. No cabinet under the bathroom sink. A galley kitchen that barely fit my pots and pans, let alone pantry staples.
It took creativity and patience, but eventually everything found its place. Tidiness matters more in tight quarters than anywhere else — a small mess in a 200-square-foot apartment feels like a tornado came through.
Every apartment has needed different solutions. I once fit a four-shelf tower into a bathroom windowsill to hold toilet paper, skincare, and extra towels. I installed pegboard on a kitchen wall, painted it peacock blue, and hung my copper pots from it, freeing up an entire cabinet for food. My upright dresser has doubled as a TV stand. A collection of vintage hooks corralled my hats and bags while adding some character to the bedroom.
Every space is different. These are the items that have served me best for specific challenges.
The Too-Small Bathroom
Bathroom storage is non-negotiable. Between toothpaste, skincare, medicine, and the toilet paper surplus every New Yorker maintains, there is a lot to stow away.
Yamazaki Home 26” Rolling Cart: This tall, slim shelf is made of sturdy steel and, at less than 5 inches deep, slides into almost any narrow space. In my last apartment it held oils, vinegars, flour, and other pantry staples. In our current home it handles overflow for my daughter’s bathroom supplies. Wherever it lands, it looks sleek and simple.
Yamizaki Home Rolling Storage Cart: If discreet storage is more your style, this cart has one open and one closed side and room to store even your most unsightly bathroom items. And at only 5 inches deep, it can slip into the tightest of spaces.
Rejuvenation Riley 24" Train Rack with Double Towel Bars: Put that wasted wall space above your toilet to good use with a classic train rack. It can hold all your extra towels and even a potted plant. Different styles give you more storage choices, like this one with towel bars for your in-use towels.
Wayfair Bathroom Narrow Tall Storage Cabinet: With shelves, cabinets, and a drawer, and taking up less that 8 square-inches of floorspace, this cabinet provide ample storage options with a small footprint. This one is a lovely mint color, but you can find white and natural options too. Just don’t forget to anchor this one to the wall, something this narrow and tall is likely to topple if you don’t!
The Too-Large Collection
Collectors need creative display solutions that position their prized possessions for admiration while keeping everything orderly. Whether books, records, action figures, or something else, a little creativity can turn a collection into a room’s focal point.
Floating Mini Ledge: These adhesive floating shelves each hold one mini-figure, action figure, or other small collectible. They disappear into the wall and allow you to create any collection layout you like, so you can customize it to any wall space.
Now You See It Clear Acrylic Floating Display Ledge: Clear acrylic shelves can be a godsend in a small space, taking up no visual weight, but providing a home for items as dissimilar as beer glasses, art supplies, or framed artwork. I stacked four shelves like this up the wall in my daughter’s room to house her stuffed animals — they looked like they were floating in neat rows.
French Contemporary Double-Door Open Sideboard & Hutch: I love a combination cabinet or drawers beneath an open bookshelf. The open shelving gives you plenty of space for a library or glassware collection, which the closed storage below lets you hide away unsightly items. We have two similar pieces in our office, with books and art on the open shelves, stationery, tech cables, and art supplies tucked out of sight below.
The Not-Enough-Closets Issue
Every apartment I’ve had in New York has needed at least one more closet. Where else can you stash beach towels, extra sheets, seasonal decor, the stack of mail you haven’t had time to go through … you get it. Enter, the sideboard. These workhorses serve as a linen closet, a glassware and liquor cabinet, and a TV stand and extra wine storage in my home. They keep things hidden or proudly displayed, and you can find options in many sizes.
The Stunner: Anthropologie’s Boro Star Sideboard serves as our linen closet and draws compliments from all who visit. It’s sold out, but Anthropologie offers gorgeous alternatives, like the Betti Burl Wood Console and the colorful Wright Lacquer Sideboard, that can hide anything away.
The Workhorse: Room & Board’s Berkeley Storage Cabinet can be configured wide or tall, with cabinets, drawers or shelves, giving you plenty of ways to make it work in your space. The closed storage is perfect for board games, sheets, extra tech cables, and more.
The Media Home: When it comes to a TV stand and media console, I prefer something that isn’t completely closed, which keeps component remotes functional and breaks up the flatness of a TV wall. This Pierce Media Console from West Elm is excellent, with sliding storage below to hide whatever. This Seb TV Stand from Castlery has open shelving in the middle for components or books, with two closed cabinets on the sides (perfect for stashing overflow from our wine collection).