Most of us living in small apartments face storage problems. Thankfully, there is a range of furniture available today that is designed with storage functionality in mind. And to top things off, we’ve found six lovely, affordable pieces.

Shoe Storage Chest

This dual purpose country-style wooden chest is perfect for the entrance of your house. The front panel of this doorway bench opens, revealing multiple shelves for keeping shoes.  Price $159.

Sliding-Top Coffee Table

Try a sliding-top coffee table in your living room. Slide the top aside to access the storage space underneath. From newspapers and magazines to pillows and blankets, this unique coffee table can hide anything. Price $399.

Jet Set Storage Bench

Traditional and comfortable, a cushion-top jet-set bench can be a wonderful addition to your home. Placed in living room or in bedroom, this ottoman has a hollow interior that can be utilized for storing heavy woolens and blankets. Price $240.

Corner Soft-Bed with Storage

Make the most of your small apartment by choosing corner sofa-bed from IKEA. Chic futuristic design ideally combines storage space, chaise and a pull-out bed in a sofa. Upholstered craftily to hide the storage space at one end where you can stack extra bed linens and fabrics.

Regata Twin-Size Sofa Sleeper

This Regata twin-size sofa can be easily transformed into a twin-size sleeper with a comfortable spring mattress. Lift the seat to access the hidden storage space underneath. Price $299.

Raisable Storage Bed

The Danish brand BoConcept has released an exclusively designed contemporary bedroom furniture for space-challenged city dwellers. This raisable-frame queen bed makes contains enormous storage capacity within. Available in a black-stained oak finish, this bed costs $1649.

Image: Womansday.com

Summer is almost here, and that means it’s time to get rid of winter clutter. With environmental awareness increasing worldwide, we’d like to share our views about organic storage for summer.

Organic Storage Ideas

For an organic touch in the bathroom, try cane laundry baskets, widely available in different sizes.

Source: Houseofcane

Storage Ideas for Summer

Cubic modules are an excellent combination of open and closed storage. Simple wooden cubes come in single, double and triple tier variations, with cane baskets useful for stashing frequently used items. Alternatively, a tall, linear timber-frame, furnished with cane drawer units, would suffice for smaller space.

A mirrored cabinet is a particularly smart storage idea for smaller rooms. When placed thoughtfully, a mirrored cabinet makes a small room look spacious. Available in a variety of sizes and designs, these easy-to-assemble cabinets contain adjustable shelves to optimize storage possibilities.

A double-sided mirror version (a mirror on the inside door as well) makes things on higher shelves easily visible. Smaller wall cabinets with embedded stem lights over the top are an excellent choice for a bathroom, while cabinets with lighting underneath can be useful in the kitchen.

Mirrored Cabinets

Source: West Elm

Spring Cleaning Tips for Everyone

As the weather is get warmer, families start to think about spring cleaning and it is often helpful to have checklists to tackle some of the larger jobs around the home. Spring is the best season to organize and store winter gear, and should be a time for everyone in the household to start planning their annual spring cleaning agenda. We offer some helpful Spring Cleaning Tips to get you started.

10 Best Spring Cleaning Tips for Living Areas

Take some time to review what goes into spring cleaning a living room. Check out our list of supplies along with the best tips and instructions on how to start a spring cleaning in your living areas. Having a checklist before you get started will keep you from missing anything while you are cleaning. Here are the top ten living area spring cleaning tips to add to your checklist:
1. Clear all items from shelves, table and dust shelves.

2. Wash down all the walls

3. Wash down window sills

4. Remove or renew all couch cushions and vacuum couch base.

5. Spray furniture with an odor reducer if you would like.

6. Sweep and mop floors, vacuum and shampoo carpets

7. Make a visual inspection of your roof inside the living area and note the general condition.  Sagging could be a sign of structural damage and should be checked by a professional.

8. Clean Rugs, Carpets, and Floors

9. Clean out fireplace (if you have one) to reduce soot smell in summer

10. Perform a Safety Check on fire alarms

5 To-Do’s for Your Basement Spring Cleaning Checklist

To fully enjoy those beautiful days in spring, get a jump start on cleaning and organizing your basement. The basement usually serves as a holding area for unfinished projects, old appliances and things that we barely use in a day to day basis. Start your basement spring cleaning by storing or throwing out things you will no longer need in the spring and summer. Here are the top 5 spring cleaning tips that you should consider for a successful basement cleaning:

1. Storage ideas: if you use your basement to store winter items, it is a good idea to free up as much floor space as possible by utilizing things like plastic storage boxes to store winter clothes, and other winter items.

2. Check all the basement pipes for condensation or dripping.

3. Check the Basement floor trap to make sure that it contains enough water and if not refill as necessary.

4. Separate items such as gardening tools, sports equipments, and lawn supplies.

5. Open your basement to get some ventilation down there (helps if there is moisture), and sweep and vacuum after airing out.

3 Simple Spring Cleaning Tips to Help the Kids

Kids Will Enjoy Spring Cleaning Too

The kids can also help in the spring cleaning action. To achieve your organizing goals you have to make it fun for the little ones to participate. Get the whole family in on the action to make the work flow more smoothly. Here a few simple spring cleaning tips to help the kids have a good time while getting the house clean:

1. Assign age appropriate task: delegate the big jobs to the big kids such as shampooing the carpet, organizing the garage, sort toys, books, games a return to bookshelves, and toy boxes. While the younger kids can help their mom with the minor stuff

2. Make it fun and Competitive: Divided everyone into teams and see who can finish their task the fastest such as put the clothes in the hamper and bring them to the laundry room

3. Reward all the kids for their hard work: Prepare some special meals after all cleaning is completed or bring the kids to buy their favorite toys, you will definitely get a better results if there is a payoff at the end of the day.

2 Necessary Items for a Kitchen Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring cleaning in the kitchen is probably the hardest task of all. Kitchen spring cleaning is necessary to rid your household of harmful bacteria that can lurk on kitchen surfaces. A clean kitchen helps fight bacteria and protect you and your family from food illness. It might take you more than one day to spring clean your kitchen, but here are two necessary spring cleaning tips to add to your checklist:

1. Clean Kitchen Cabinets: Remove all items and place on countertops. Take out anything that isn’t being used on a regular basis. Reorganize and wash down the insides and outsides of cabinets.

2. Clean out the fridge: Clear out all food items and wash shelves with warm soapy water. Remove crisper drawers and other removable storage sections and wash well.

Surely we hope you find these spring cleaning tips and checklist ideas useful for organizing your home this spring. Click here for more spring cleaning tips or to print a checklist.