Help with storage solutions for a small place

sophlowe45

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this.

I am looking for storage solutions for a small room preferably not too expensive. If the mattress ends up being terrible I would buy a new one to make my quality of life better for example.

I have found this bookcase depth 24cm, does anyone know if you can get bookcases less than that? Its 25 pounds too so I think that counts as old style moneysaving.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40068154/

I've seen DVD towers that have a depth of 17cm. They cost £30 each though.

A friend said stack milk crates on top of each other and paint them.

If the landlord would allow me to, I would like to put shelves up, are the cheapest ones from Ikea ok?

These are £1.75
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50178703/

and the brackets are 50p.

Am I not understanding why I would buy more expensive shelves or brackets? I guess I have to buy rawplugs and screws (they will not come with the shelves?)

If anyone has any other storage ideas I would be most grateful.

I am thinking of buying some vacuum storage bags.

sophlowe45

This looks great too and £4.50

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30179435/

It is great as a standalone clothes rail would be too wide but again this would require permission from the landlord.

maman

Before you think about having even narrower shelves, you need to think about what's going on them. My Ikea Billy bookcases are 28cm deep and they take box files and CD boxes as well as ...books!

yuppiebaker

My first port of call would be a local charity shop (pref one specializing in furniture) to see what of the above they have. This will help keep the cost down, and Ikea furniture does tend to crop up quite often :-)

In terms of interesting, personalising touches, maybe look up some upcycling/repurposing websites for interesting ideas for items which can be put to alternate uses.

Hope that helps :-)

maman

yuppiebaker wrote: »

My first port of call would be a local charity shop (pref one specializing in furniture) to see what of the above they have. This will help keep the cost down, and Ikea furniture does tend to crop up quite often :-)

In terms of interesting, personalising touches, maybe look up some upcycling/repurposing websites for interesting ideas for items which can be put to alternate uses.

Hope that helps :-)

Or look at the Shabby Chic thread on here. They do some lovely upcycling projects.

SailorSam

Have a look on Freecycle, or even better put your own wanted add on Freecycle.

AnnieO1234

If you're looking at ikea things, look up their algot system. It's brilliant, can be wall mounted or wheeled units, not just for laundry, I have a twelve drawer one, stands around seven feet next to my fridge freezer. It cost less than £60 new, far better than a custom cabinet that would've been around £500 to match other units. Plus it's on wheels so I get to move it to where I'm cooking. X

-taff

Some breeze blocks, and some planks of wood would be even cheaper if you can find a friendly skip otr a cheap DIY shop [thermalite are very light] screw some hooks into the top planks and hang a curtain rod and make a curtain to cover.

Lucyadams184

Love Ikea they are great for storage solutions. You should go to the shop though to see how big the item is. Sometimes the units are bigger than what you think they are and can overpower a room.

Yorkie1

Re. the rented point, I would definitely ask the LL first - or you'll need to face 'making good' and repainting at the end vs deposit deduction.

And get any agreement in writing.

emg

maman wrote: »

Before you think about having even narrower shelves, you need to think about what's going on them. My Ikea Billy bookcases are 28cm deep and they take box files and CD boxes as well as ...books!

I agree with this poster. I live in a small space too and have previously fallen into the trap of buying storage boxes and furniture because they are small or fit into particular little nooks without thinking about what I actually need to store in them. Start from the point of 'what is the best way for me to store X/Y/Z?' and then look for a solution else you will end up like me with a bookcase that fits perfectly in an alcove but is bigger than I need to store my actual book collection and doesnt fit my storage boxes or anything else useful on it. In the meantime I have nowhere to store shoes. I would have been better getting a shoe cabinet and just putting up a couple of shelves above it.