FYI Magazine

How to handle cramped quarters

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Apartment living has its advantages. Without a mortgage to pay, many apartment dwellers feel more free than homeowners who still have decades of payments left before they can pay off their homes. And when apartments need fixing, such responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the landlord instead of the tenants.

• Clear the clutter. The easiest and perhaps most effective way to conquer cramped living quarters is to remove clutter and work diligently to avoid its accumulation once it's gone. Only buy new furnishings when you need them to replace existing items, and resist the urge to treat dressers, coffee tables and dining areas as storage areas for junk you won't use or mail you have not opened.
• Purchase some multi-purpose furniture. Multi-purpose furniture, such as storage ottomans or bedroom benches that include storage areas for bed linens or bath towels, can be an apartment dweller's best friend. When buying a new bed frame, look for one that has built-in storage drawers so you have even more space to store bedding and other items. Such pieces add both aesthetic appeal and serve practical purposes for apartment dwellers with limited closet space.
• Wall-mount your television. While today's televisions are nowhere near as bulky as their predecessors from decades past, many apartment dwellers still place their televisions atop bulky television stands. But you can create more space in your entertainment room by wall-mounting your television. Renters may be hesitant to mount their televisions for fear of losing a substantial chunk of their deposits, but the majority of today's mounts won't do much more harm to the walls than more traditional wall hangings.
• Make use of your vertical space. Shelving units and bookcases can be great allies to apartment dwellers because these items make use of an apartment's vertical space. Many apartment dwellers underutilize their vertical space, but items that go up instead of out can create more room in an apartment and allow homeowners to keep items they may otherwise have to discard.
• Reconsider your work space. Men and women who work from home may find their work spaces take up considerable chunks of their apartments. But how many items in your work space do you still need? Many professionals no longer print documents, so if you still have space allotted for printers you might be able to redo such areas without affecting your workday. In addition, large desks were once sought after because they made perfect homes for desktop computers. But if you now use a laptop or tablet when working from home, you likely don't need as much desk space as you once did. Downsizing to a smaller desk and work area can open up a substantial amount of space without affecting your ability to work from home.