8 Ways to Deal with a Lack of Space ...

Although you might not have a lot of square footage, you can easily take advantage of the space on your walls. Naturally, you can put up shelves literally anywhere, at varying heights, for lots of extra space. However, you can also store things in interesting places – like on top of your refrigerator or, if you have cabinets that don't go all the way up to the ceiling, you can store items you don't readily need on top of them.

Of course, there's lots of room for storage on the floor as well. You can save ample space by storing items under beds, couches, chairs, et cetera. The bottoms of closets work well in this case too. You can buy shallow storage bins at Walmart, Target, or even at the dollar stores, and they don't cost a lot at all.

Not every storage container needs to be hidden, though. There are plenty of ways to decorate while still creating storage space. Again, wall shelves work well here, but so do bookshelves and things like that. If you don't have enough closet space, you can instead use bureaus, nightstands, and so on, or you can go bargain shopping for a lovely chifferobe.

It sounds silly, but lots of people take their corners for granted. They provide excellent opportunities to save space, though. Placing a piece of furniture, whether it is a bookshelf, television stand, couch, or bed, kitty-corner can save space in the rest of the room, plus it creates a unique aesthetic for the layout.

This option is mostly reserved for people who have bay windows – but actually, if you're handy or know someone who is, it can work with just about any window. You see, it's incredibly easy to create a window seat, especially if you do have a bay window. Plus, you can design it in such a way that there is extra storage space beneath the seat.

You can always create your own storage space to open up your room. A great way to do this is by utilizing items in different ways. That's kind of an enigmatic way of putting it, but what I mean is that you can buy a wine rack, for instance, and use it to store towels in the bathroom. You can also buy one of those iron shelving units you have to put together yourself and, using the shelving pieces themselves, create racks in your kitchen where you can hang your pots and pans!

You can also create more space by simply fudging it. In each room, for instance, use only one really large piece of furniture, and let that be both the main piece and the focal point. In the bedroom, naturally, it's probably going to be the bed. In your living room, it might be your sofa or sectional. In the kitchen or dining room, it will be the table.

Finally, always go for simplicity. A simple but classic design aesthetic can make all the difference when you don't have a lot of space. Keep your lines clean, use classic and elegant colors, make use of your windows, use mirrors to create the illusion of more space.

It can be difficult to deal with a small space, but it's not impossible. You don't have to feel cramped and cluttered. How do you deal with a lack of space?

Top Photo Credit: Maria Kristin Steinsson