7 Brilliant Storage Ideas Are Hiding in This Small Closet-Free Brooklyn Apartment
While Jennelle Mendes‘ most recent home is a little larger than the Upper East Side 350-square-foot apartment she last rented, at 450 square feet, it’s still a small-space problem that needed tackling. “It’s New York, so space is always a puzzle, but I love a good challenge,” she writes. The rental space in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood had been newly renovated with sleek finishes and offers big windows that Jennelle says drenches the small space with sunlight. But one thing the space didn’t come with? Closets!
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“My apartment has zero closets, so I had to build my own. They’re not revolutionary, but they hide the chaos (and a lot of clothes and shoes). I use every inch of this apartment for storage,” Jennelle says.
The event planner has created or found storage behind doors, inside an ottoman, under the bed, with existing furniture she used in new ways, and even with the bar cabinet (which not only holds spirits, but also shoes!). “At some point, it felt like I was constantly fighting the space and no matter how much I organized, it wasn’t enough,” Jennelle admits.
“But one thing I’ve learned about this process is that if something feels like a battle, stop fighting it. Embrace it. So I stopped trying to hide everything and just made the visible storage as cute and intentional as possible. Now, it feels like part of the design instead of something I’m trying to work around,” Jennelle says.
1. She nests a shoe rack under an entry table.
In her last apartment, Jennelle stored her shoes in the rental’s closet. But since this unit didn’t come with closets, she had to get creative. Thankfully, she made an ultra-functional entryway by nesting this affordable shoe rack underneath a stylish entry table (also from Amazon). The result is a lot of storage in a small space.
2. The bar cabinet stores spirits … and shoes.
Also in Jennelle’s entryway is an accent wall with a lovely blue color and neat neon sign, and a bar cabinet that holds various liqueurs on top but hides a surprise inside — more shoe storage!
3. She negotiated for an IKEA cabinet to stay.
Before moving in a year ago, Jennelle was able to negotiate in the lease for this IKEA wardrobe to stay in the bedroom from the previous tenant. It would act as storage. She then placed an existing IKEA MALM she already had inside the wardrobe to maximize its storage.
4. She doesn’t waste the space under her bed.
When she said she uses every inch of this apartment for storage, she means it. Even the empty space under her bed has been transformed into a place to store stuff thanks to these underbed containers found on Amazon.
5. She stores stylish elements out in the open.
Whether it’s purses, shoes, jewelry, or hats, Jennelle hasn’t tried to hide every single thing in her small space, instead opting to embrace styling elements out in the open instead.
6. She uses a storage ottoman for a coffee table.
In her last tour, Jennelle tucked a gray ottoman she purchased from Burlington Coat Factory underneath her media console, which she said doubled as storage for comforters and blankets but also as a coffee table when she had guests. It does the same double duty in this small rental!
7. Cube shelves offer tons of mixed storage potential.
Jennelle brought plenty of her existing furniture from her last apartment, including these cube shelves from Target that she uses as a media console in this space. Some of the cubbies serve as space for her books on display, but other cubbies store everyday items in theseboxes.
Resources
LIVING ROOM
DINING AREA & KITCHEN
BEDROOM
- Bed — IKEA
OFFICE
- Standing Desk — Wayfair
- Paint colors — Benjamin Moore “Spring Meadow”/Benjamin Moore “Green Frappe”
Thanks, Janelle!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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