Design Guides
Small Space Storage Guide
Updated 2 min read
The short answer
Small homes almost always have more storage available than they appear to, because most storage stops at furniture height and ignores everything above 2000mm. Going full height on one wall typically adds 30–40% more capacity in the same floor area, and it makes the room read as designed rather than furnished.
Where the unused volume is
- Above 2000mm on every wall
- The single biggest untapped zone in most homes. Seasonal storage, luggage and archives all belong here.
- Under the stairs
- The most-wasted volume in almost every house. Drawers, a cupboard, a desk nook or a powder room depending on the geometry.
- Under windows
- A window seat with drawers or a lift-lid converts a dead recess into seating and storage at once.
- Hallway walls
- A 300mm-deep full-height run along a corridor holds an enormous amount and barely narrows the space.
- Above doorways
- A shelf or cupboard across the top of a door opening. Unconventional, and genuinely useful in a tight flat.
- Under beds and benches
- Drawer bases rather than open voids that collect dust.
- Behind and beside a bathroom door
- Shallow full-height storage in the space the door swings over.
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Depth by application in a tight space
| Location | Workable depth | Holds |
|---|---|---|
| Hallway run | 250–300mm | Books, shoes, linen, tinned goods |
| Behind a door | 150–200mm | Toiletries, spices, small items |
| Window seat | 400–450mm | Bedding, toys, seasonal items |
| Under stairs (tall end) | 600mm+ | Coats, vacuum, sports gear |
| Under stairs (low end) | 300–400mm | Drawers for shoes and small items |
| Above door | 300mm | Rarely-used and archive storage |
Answers
Frequently asked questions
- Will full-height storage make a small room feel smaller?
- Usually the opposite, if it is on one wall and painted to match. Scattered furniture at varying heights is what makes a room feel cluttered. A single clean full-height plane reads as architecture and leaves the rest of the room open.
- Is under-stair storage worth the cost?
- Almost always — it is volume you have already paid for in your floor area and are currently not using. The geometry makes it fiddly work, so it is not cheap per cubic metre, but the alternative is a void that does nothing at all.
- What is the best storage upgrade for a condo?
- A full-height millwork wall in the hallway or behind the sofa, going right to the ceiling. Check the building rules first — many downtown Calgary buildings restrict drilling into slabs because of post-tension cables, which affects how the unit is fixed.
Want this applied to your space?
Send a few details and we will come and measure. Free, no obligation, and a fixed written price.