Storage solutions for small spaces are always a challenge. Not just in hiding away all the essential detritus of daily life, but finding somewhere to fit those storage solutions themselves into. It is possible to buy loose baskets (often in quite attractive designs) in which you can place all of your clutter. These baskets can then be slotted onto shelves beneath coffee tables, on the spare shelves of the TV stand and into all sorts of nooks and crannies. You can also use them in your kitchen above your kitchen units - they should be just big enough to take a series of those small plastic boxes which are sold with their own individual lids. It's space that is often forgotten about and when it comes to storage solutions for small spaces, every little bit of spare space is worth its weight in gold.

Some people like alcoves with serried layers of shelving. You can also place glass shelves up the alcoves to place attractive ornaments on and look elsewhere for storage solutions for small spaces. One particularly useful idea is to use strong storage tables over which you could place cushions and use for additional seating. A friend of mine lives in a tiny, original miner's cottage - and describing it as bijou would be a misnomer: it's minute.

Novel Ways with Boxes

However, she organized her small space by investing in a series of rush baskets, each with their own lid and each in a different size. She has very cleverly made an accent feature of these rush baskets by piling them up. She has placed a spider plant in pot, with fronds hanging down over the sides of the baskets. What visitors aren't aware of is that within each of these boxes all of her everyday clutter has been hidden. That's a good example of thinking outside the box.

We could all plump for the traditional glass cabinet to keep dust off our CDs, DVDs and ornaments, but this kind of furniture really does take up space that you may not have. Have you noted, however, that behind your TV, on the typical TV stand, there is always space? There is often quite a bit of space on the stand itself and for a cheap way of storing CDs etc., purchase a selection of those plastic containers with lids that are used for kitchen storage. Make sure you buy the right size to fit whatever it is you want to store and store those items away, sealed with the lids on to keep off the dust and place them in the wasted space behind the TV.

Eliminate Non-Essentials

It's often painful, especially for hoarders, but you really don't need all that stuff that has been on top of your wardrobe collecting dust or stored in the cupboard under-the-stairs. You know the stuff that all falls out on you when you open the door to find your wet weather wellies! It is so easy for people to say 'Get rid of what you haven't worn for a year' but, how can you get rid of that outfit you wore to your son's wedding, or those shoes that you wore to your grandson's christening?

Like it or not, we are creatures of passion and nostalgia and we often hang onto items we never use for that reason. That is never bad. It just needs a solution. One way of taking care of this is to locate one of those professional storage units that are now springing up everywhere and paying a full year's fee, Then transport all of your non-essential items down to that lock-up. Now, you have the best of both worlds: a clutter-free house and you've managed to hang onto things that you are particularly nostalgic about.