Small-space Living

Storage for a small home, without drilling

In a small home the storage problem is not volume, it is surface. There is rarely a spare shelf and almost never a spare cupboard — but there is almost always a blank wall, the back of a door, and the inside corner of a shower.

Start with hooks, because they cost no floor space and hold more than people expect. An adhesive hook rated at 13 lb will take a coat, a towel or a set of keys, and it lifts off without a mark when you move. In the bathroom, a no-drill shower caddy gets bottles off the floor of the tub, which is the fastest way to make a small bathroom feel bigger.

• Adhesive hooks need a clean, flat surface and 24 hours before load.
• Check the weight rating — a wet towel is heavier than it looks.
• Corner shelves use space that is otherwise completely wasted.
• Match the finish across hooks and caddies or the wall starts to look busy.

Also worth a look: a sink sponge holder for the kitchen, and a wall-mount cap organizer that holds up to 20 caps in the depth of one.