12 Tips to Help You Maximize Living Space in Your Boston Apartment

A Boston apartment has 535 sq. ft. of personal space. To put it in perspective, apartments in Louisville offer, on average, 731 sq. ft./person, the most personal space in the country. This means if you live in Boston you might not be cramped for space, but you still don’t have a lot of space to work with when it comes to organizing your personal belongings here. Whether you’ve moved into a new apartment in Boston or you’re simply looking at ways to better organize your space, the key is to know how to make the most of your apartment space.

To help you achieve this goal, we’ve put together a list of tips to maximize your storage space when you live in an apartment in The City on the Hill:

1. Start by decluttering

Moving into a new apartment is an excellent opportunity to go through your things and decide which things you can still use and which are not useful to you anymore. Make several piles: “keep”, “toss”, “donate” and “use later”. Deteriorated objects and clothing should be tossed, but if you have clothing and even kitchenware you don’t need that’s in good condition, find a Goodwill store in your new neighborhood and donate these items.

For the things you don’t use on a daily basis but can still enjoy, you can turn to self storage. Put your popcorn maker, panini maker and seasonal decorations in a storage unit. This will free up more room in your new kitchen to cook or simply enjoy the space more. Renting a storage unit in Boston costs $193/month.

2. Define spaces

Defining how you use your space in your apartment is important whether you live in a penthouse or in a studio. If the latter is the case, you can use rugs to create distinct spaces. Additionally, couches can also work as separators between the living room area and the dining room. If you have a tall shelving unit, use it in lieu of a wall to create more zones within your living space. Hanging curtains can also be used for a similar effect.

3. Use vertical space

However big your apartment is, using every inch of space is paramount to making the most of your living space. This strategy includes using vertical space and how you can use it to create new storage. Use tall shelves for book storage and more and also skinny cabinets as they take up little floor space. Make sure to store your less used items on the top shelves, saving the easy-to-reach shelves for items you use frequently. Besides using walls for practical purposes, you can also hang art and flowing plants to infuse your space with a little personality and why not, leave your mark on the apartment décor.

4. Mount your TV on the wall

Along with furniture, your TV can also be the beneficiary of the vertical space. Instead of getting a TV stand that will definitely take up floor space, you can wall-mount it. We promise you won’t regret this decision. Besides, you can use the space below to add a small table or some other piece of furniture you could find useful in that space.

5. Go for furniture with storage

If you can choose between furniture that serves one purpose and one that can also give you some storage solutions, you should definitely choose the latter. It will help you better manage your space and your items. Many coffee tables, ottomans and even couches come with built-in storage. Beds with storage will help you keep items such as bedding, towels, and out-of-season clothing.

6. Get foldable furniture

Living in a smaller space doesn’t mean you can’t host Thanksgiving dinner. Foldable furniture can provide a simple solution for inviting guests to dinner. An expanding table and folding chairs will make room for everyone. And once your guests leave, you can fold up the furniture and store it in a closet — giving you more room to relax after hosting.

7. Find room for your bike

If you enjoy leading an active lifestyle, you might use a bike to get around. You might also want to consider finding space for your bike in your apartment. There are several options to do so such as hanging the bike on the wall to avoid using floor space. It’s fairly easy to get the new storage organized: Use durable hooks that can support the weight of your bike.

8. Decorate the old fireplace with books

Many old Boston apartments come with a fireplace in the living room. At this point, they’re purely decorative. Instead of treating these old-fashioned fireplaces as dead space, turn them into a small library. Although the fireplace no longer provides warmth, it has given you a home for all those extra books you picked up at the local Boston bookstores. Simply stack the books or use baskets to store them in your new little library!

9. Befriend door organizers

Once you get those over-the-door shoe organizers, you might just fall in love with the concept! Apply it to other areas of your home to increase storage potential. You can install on in the closet for keeping scarves, jewelry, makeup and other miscellaneous small objects. Moreover, their smaller cousins for the inside of bathroom cabinets where you can store cleaning supplies or beauty products.

10. Use baskets in various spots

Baskets are a great way to keep clutter at bay. Put a couple of them inside your closet to store clothes and other hard-to-store items such as umbrellas that would otherwise create clutter on their own. Have a basket or two in the living room to keep magazines and throws. They work both as storage solutions as well as pretty décor.

11. Invest in a kitchen cart

If you don’t have enough countertop space – and who can say there’s ever too much of it? – you can supplement that space with a kitchen cart. Look into bar height carts, which double up as a kitchen island when you’re using them in the kitchen and also as additional storage space when you’re having guests over in the dining room area.

12. Turn to local organizers

Want to take your apartment space to the next level? Try consulting a local organizer. They’re focused on helping you turn your home into a functional space all the while cultivating a beautiful layout. Shipshape Organize, Grace at Your Place or Ditch the Clutter are some of the Boston professional organizers that can help you bring back the zen to your apartment.

Which is your favorite tip to help make your Boston apartment more organized? Let us know in the comments section below.