LIFE HACK: MAXIMISE YOUR STORAGE SPACE
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The best kind of blog post for me are those life hack tips and tricks posts! I'm forever Googling new ways to store my make-up, arrange my drawers and tidy my wardrobe so I'm just going to share a few ideas I use for sprucing up your bedroom space.
1. Wardrobe
As much as I love my clothes, they don't tend to corporate well when not on my body and as my collection continues to grow, my wardrobe space does not. Hmph. First of all I group my clothes into categories: long sleeves, T-shirts, vests/strappy tops, crop tops, dresses/playsuits and long bottoms. My dresses, playsuits and bottoms are the longest items so I've made sure that nothing too tall is in the space underneath them which could crease and just not look very tidy.
To help with the awkward jeans and trousers, I've invested in some trouser hangers which allow multipule bottoms to be drapped over in half on top of each other. This frees up space underneath for shoes/other bits and pieces and takes up less rail space if several items are on one hanger. An alternative would be to use a clippy trouser hanger, hang as normal but clip the bottoms of the trousers up as well, so they are folded in half from the knees. As for the rest of the clothes, wire hangers are best for space saving but I can't quite justifying paying for something most shops give out for free.
If you have different sections or shelves like me, it's good to hang crop tops and shorts/skirts over shoes so clothes don't touch potentially grubby shoes.
So the rest of my wardrobe is sectioned so all the long sleeves are together etc, with the longest items above the shortest stuff stored underneath.
If possible, some items can be folded and placed in drawers or on shelving at eye level. Such as crease proof trousers and jeans, jumpers and scarves. Or, even better, try to put all of or some of your winter clothes in the loft during summer and vice versa. I do this, I would have clothes spilling out of my ears if not! You could even ask nicely if you could pinch some of your parent's wardrobe space for things like coats and outside wear. Maybe make a cheeky offer to share your clothes with your mum/sister (if you're a similar size) in exchange for some of their wardrobe space?!
2. Boxes
I love boxes. So much so that I am slightly obsessed and have boxes around my room that don't actually have anything in them, they just look pretty... That's not savvy space saving, so do as I say, not as I do. The offending boxes are gift boxes from The Card Factory that start from a few pence and range in size. I do intend to fill them with something, like make-up but they're also good for storing paper work, jewellery, intimates and other bits and bobs. They come in all different styles and colours so you're bound to find one that looks pretty in your room.
TK Maxx also sell some really nice boxes, I've been buying the larger ones to go at the top of my wardrobe. These are simply to replace the slightly ugly blue and pink creates I've had since I was a child, they look nicer and help to make my wardrobe look neater. I keep bits I don't tend to use often at the top of my wardrobe like swimwear and memorable/sentimental junk I can't bear to part with.
If like me, you have empty space under your bed it may be useful to purchase some long, shallow containers to store stuff in rather than shoving everything under the bed in drips and drabs. You can categorise your containers to sort your belongings, for example I have handbags in one, Wii products in another and University papers and books in the third. The containers are really good as I just slide them out from under the bed, get what I want, lid back on and back under they go. You're more likely not to notice them rather than having the odd book peeping out from underneath, making your whole room look tidier.
Shoe boxes can be a handy organiser. This one from my Uggs is the perfect size for storing all my Disney CEP memorabilia. I've kept everything from receipts, tickets to napkins and scraps of paper, so this way its all in one place. It's not a particularly pretty box, so since I don't require access to said used napkins every single day, I put the box at the back of the shelf and place some other bits in front that I'm more likely to need like my speaker.
3. Drawer dividers
These are super handy. You can get actual drawer dividers like I have pictured or buy something like a clear, fairly shallow box so you can use the lid and base of the box as two separate compartments in your drawer. I like to use these for separating every day make-up and hair products.
4. Underwear
I've seen people using drawer dividers to separate underwear but I don't think this is the most space saving idea. If you fold your bras up in half and stack them sideways in the drawer so when you look in you can pick out the exact one you want. There are lots of amusing tutorials that show you how to fold knickers in the most perfect way but I'mma thinking; folding bras is one thing but ain't nobody got time for folding bloody pants - life's too short for that! I just stack them laid out flat on top of each other, with the ones I wear least (like my M&S specials) at the bottom.
5. Baskets
I'm not a fan of having baskets on display, but they are excellent for easy access to items inside because you don't have to faff around with lids and that. I keep one just under my bed, full of hair crap like hair-dryers, hair-dryer accessories, brushes etc. I've also got some mini ones on top of a box in my wardrobe which pull out kind of like drawers. They're handy for keeping random bits in like gadget things and I've also got one full of fake tan products.
I also bought these canvas basket things from B&Q for £3 each. They don't have a lid, they just pull out from a box shelf like mine. I'm wanting more of these as they make the wardrobe look neat and tidy by hiding all the crap inside so you don't see it when you open the doors. These have replaced some see-through crates I had here so it has made a huge difference to the overall neat-ness look of my wardrobe.
Arguably a box, but I'm such a fan of re-using pretty packaging from beauty products these babies needed their own section. In most cases with these gift set things, a % of what you pay is for the tin or box so you might as well use it for something. I've got sunglasses, receipts and spares in mine to name a few.
7. Mirrors
Not really a storage solution but consider buying a long or big mirror to make your room look more spacious. The doors of my wardrobe are wall length mirrors and really help to create more light and illusion of space.
8. Make-up brushes
I find they are best stored upright, not in a drawer where they could get grubby and damaged. I like to hunt in stores for little pots that would look cute in my room or, alternatively, mugs also do the job.
9. Hide things....
Really tall objects like deodorant bottles and body creams seem to be such good value for money but such a pain in the butt to store. I need easy access to these every day but there is no way they'd fit in my dinky dressing table drawers. So I've hidden them behind a mini three drawer thingy that is taller than the bothersome pair and they're very nicely out of sight but super easy to get to. I didn't want them in my wardrobe as I use them so often.
There are probably loads more ideas that I've forgotten to include but I hope these are somewhat helpful!
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