HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Keep things neat and tidy with savvy storage solutions

NEW York apartments aren’t famous for their closets. In lieu of generous storage, where do you put all your stuff ? Mostly, it’s a matter of ingenuity and making the most of what you have. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of tips and trends that will help streamline storage in even the tiniest of homes.

SQUEEZE IN SHELVING

You’d be amazed where shelves can sit. A spice shelf fits nicely above a kitchen door frame while a floating shelf can perch above the bathroom door as the perfect place for towels. Instead of a gallery wall above the couch, try a stack of floating shelves and intersperse your art with books. Above a TV, desk or radiator are other noteworthy locations, or put your windowsills to work.

In short, any empty wall space is a space ripe for shelving. And doing an entire wall in bookshelves is not only efficient, but can double as a statement piece as well.

STACK YOUR STORAGE

Vertical space is your friend. Unused areas above kitchen cabinets are a perfect place to add baskets or even a floating shelf. Furniture can be stacked as well; consider vintage trunks or hatboxes, both of which are easily found on Etsy.

Be creative — stacked books can create perfect couch-side tables or colorful stands for vases, while brightly colored cardboard boxes look neat stacked under a couch.

GO HIGH

Bikes, shoes, bookcases, lighting, tennis racquets — all these and more can move from your surfaces onto your walls to free up space; plus, wall mounting draws the eyes upward and makes for a more dynamic vertical space. IKEA’s Trones

shoe storage (above, $299 at IKEA.com) is a win, as is a sleek wall-mounted storage unit with a lamp socket by OneFortyThree (from $300 at Shop.OneFortyThree.com. CB2 even has a whimsical wall-mounted cabinet that doubles as a cocktail bar ($299 at CB2.com). And some simple, beautiful wall hooks can hang almost anything.

MAKE A BOLD STATEMENT

There’s no reason that your major storage units, like dressers and armoires, shouldn’t be art in their own right, and are great opportunities to inject humor and personality into a home. Choose one that’s stylish and functional. Anthropologie’s Land & Sky Armoire (left, $2,998 at Anthropologie. com) featuring carved cranes, is stunning, as is its Lacquered Regency series.

SPRING FOR CONVERTIBLES

Sometimes, your furniture can store itself — and we don’t mean your average sleeper sofas. Dining tables can fold into walls while coffee tables can unfold into dining tables courtesy of Boulon Blanc, (below, priced from $980 at BoulonBlanc.

com). No longer a cheesy embarrassment, elegant Murphy beds can be found for every nook and cranny. One Swedish design firm even built a bed into a closet. For those blessed with multiple stories, stairs are the ultimate hack. Use the space below to create shelving that displays your books or best china. You can even transform the stairs themselves into drawers.

OPEN UP

In our Marie Kondo-ed era of sparse and beautiful belongings, why hide your things at all? Exposed storage can be an elegant solution to a lack of space. Instead of stuffing your closet with clothes, try a freestanding rack (Urban Outfitters sells a few nice ones).

Baskets, like the Senagalese-style ones sold by Feliz in Fort Greene, are attractive places to hold extra bedding and stacks of magazines. Beautiful jewelry racks and boxes like Pottery Barn’s antique gold ones or cufflink trays are also great opportunities to display your goods. A simple, considered display will make your décor look more intentional.

BREAK IT UP

Storage can also be used to break small homes into more manageable—and private—spaces. The iconic example is IKEAS’s Kallax series (right, $199 at IKEA. com), which is incredibly versatile. The square units can be placed in the middle of a room to divide it or stacked against a

GO DOWN UNDER

The most obvious place to hide things is under the bed — but a smart couch or daybed can work, too. Choose items with shelving incorporated into the design. IKEA’s Brimnes headboard ($130 at IKEA.com) is backed with helpful shelving, as is Objet Mécanique’s Le Lit De Julie. ($2,850 at ObjetsMecaniques.bigcartel.com). An Urban Outfitters bed on hairpin legs ($1,169 at UrbanOutfitters. com) offers underbed storage that feels fresh. For a more streamlined solution, try Crate & Barrel’s Blair storage bed (below, from $2,399 at CrateAndBarrel.com), with drawers so sleek they’re almost imperceptible. Another great option is a coffee table with hidden storage, like West Elm’s Industrial Storage Coffee Table (left, $599 at WestElm.com). wall to create floor-to-ceiling shelves (no assembly required!). Stack and stagger the units to create stair-like surfaces and fill them with plants, or use the shelves to create an entryway where there was none. If you prefer a monochromatic look, fill each shelf with a box or basket for an uncluttered wall.