Your Design Questions Part 3: Small Spaces

What is the best way to add more storage in a small apartment?

The short answer is to go up. The wall space is where you will gain all the storage either in closed pantry type shelving or open bookcase shelving. For example: if you have a room that is ten feet by ten feet and has a ten foot ceiling you have one hundred sq ft of floor space and four hundred square feet of wall space. If I were to build a cabinet along one wall and it was twelve inches deep I would consume ten square feet of floor and give you 200 square feet of storage. Remember you don’t walk on the walls but you do walk on the floor. Keep the floor clear and build straight up to the ceiling. The higher storage can be for occasional things you don't use often. Also, if you have closed storage, be sure that you leave enough space for the door to swing when you need to access the storage.

Photo Source