Organize your life in a small space

With every new year comes a transition into the new season's trends and the foreseeable future.

Concerning real estate, in the past year, we've seen an uptick in a desire for tiny homes, simplistic and modern design and apartment living. Specifically, roughly 40 million Americans across the United States rent apartments, according to The U.S. Census Bureau and the national average apartment is 882 square feet. The need to purge excess clutter, condense functionality and make the most of square footage has never been more prevalent.

Consider a reliable resource called The Home Edit. For those who missed the Netflix series “Get Organized,” The Home Edit is a women-owned business that focuses on reinventing traditional organizing and merges it with interior design to style signature looks across the globe.

The co-founders, Clea and Joanna, have organized the homes of world-renowned celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Khloe Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, Lauren Conrad and Kevin Hart, to name a few. On their website, they share tips, tricks and stories of spaces they are converting into phenomenal transformations.

Bedroom storage

In a recent blog post, they shared small space hacks for bedroom storage and unique ways to get creative. One of their bedroom storage hacks is to “cart it” — essentially a three-tiered cart on wheels to store multiple items in an organized way. For instance, gym equipment, school supplies or a movie-night makeshift stands are all options to help keep various items together in an aesthetically pleasing way. For bedroom storage, they suggested using the space underneath your bed and hanging organized items over your doors. They suggest labeling storage bins for sweaters, sneakers and scarves underneath your bed or hanging a shoe organizer over the door for a nice closet display.

Entertaining in a small space

When it comes to entertaining at home, small spaces aren’t always the most convenient. However, these tips can help to conserve space in any environment.

Clea and Joanna claim that “making an entrance” solves guest clutter. Consider making a welcome cabinet for guests to have a space for their shoes, coats and other belongings. The coats can hang from wall hangers directly on top of a shoe cabinet that is multi-layered to hold several shoes. There are bonus points if the cabinets also have doors that shut, making it even more visibility appealing.

Another idea is a “happy hour on wheels.” These women are pro-carts and libations are no exception. A great way to entertain with drinks is to serve directly from a beverage cart with glassware and mixology utensils on top and liquor or wine bottles beneath. This makes it easy to provide hospitality without taking up too much counter space.

Home office here to stay

Now let’s take it a step further for those who are working and living in their space.

Many aspects of our way of life shifted since 2020, including how we work and the structure of the traditional 40-hour work week.

Forbes said its “10 Biggest Business Trends of 2024” that the trend of working remotely isn’t going away, with employers eager to attract talent from around the world. For many, an office is a vital part of the home, without sacrificing the comfort of living.

The key is to make the most of what you have. From a psychological standpoint, it isn’t always encouraged to sleep where you work, but for some, like those living in a studio apartment, it’s not a choice.

Interior designer Alexis Rodgers of “Home With Alexis,” tells Forbes, “If you have a closet that can be sacrificed, you can remove the closet doors and convert the closet space into an office nook. Even if it’s a shallow closet, having a desk in that nook creates a purposeful workspace while giving it a separate feel from the rest of the bedroom.” If there are corners of the perimeter of the room that can serve as multi-purposeful spaces, that is also encouraged.

Who to follow

Want to stay in touch with those pioneering top-tier interior products? Elle Décor declares that the next top 5 designers in 2024 to follow are Arielle Assouline-Lichten, Lisa Hunt, Farrah Sit, Natalie Weinberger and Kiva Motnyk.

The feature said specifically, “Each of the five women featured here — all product designers based in the New York City area — are linked by a reverence for their chosen materials and an understanding of how functional forms can be catalysts for a rich, full life,” according to the Elle Décor feature. “Moreover, with their keen business minds, they possess just the right mix of creative and pragmatic skills to push their craft forward into broader visibility.”