These space-saving, clutter-busting home storage projects will inspire you to organize every space in your home. Trust us, you'll thank us later.
15 Home Storage Solutions You’ll Thank Us For Later
Updated on Jun. 18, 2025
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Assemble a Sandwich Bag Parts Organizer
Keep your workshop screws, connectors, nails and other small parts in sight and handy with this resealable bag holder. You can build it out of a 3/4 in. thick scrap of plywood. Start by cutting two pieces of plywood as shown. Draw lines one inch apart across the shorter piece with a square, stopping one inch from the edge. Now cut along the lines with a jigsaw. Screw the two pieces of plywood together and screw the unit to the wall. Fill resealable bags and slip them into the slots.
“Ultimately, the key to space-saving isn’t always about adding more, it’s about rethinking how you use what you already have” says, Tony Ditzler, President of Shelf Genie. “Most people underestimate the value of good organization and easy access.”
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Build Heavy-Duty Storage Shelves
Store-bought shelving units are either hard to assemble and flimsy, or awfully expensive. Here’s a better solution. These shelves are strong, easy to build and cost about $70. And this sturdy shelf unit is sized to hold standard record boxes ($4 each).
“One of the most underutilized storage solutions is simply vertical storage,” says Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Cabana. “People don’t realize the possibilities that are there when it comes to storing up rather than just out. Heavy-duty storage shelves, for example, can be great for garages, allowing you to store outdoor and other items higher up in a more organized manner, taking advantage of that wall space.”
If you want deeper storage, build the shelves 24 in. deep and buy 24 in. deep boxes. And if you prefer to use plastic storage bins, measure the size of the containers and modify the shelf and upright spacing to fit.
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Make a Stud-Space Cabinet
When you can’t find a convenient nook for a set of shelves, you can often create one by recessing the shelves into the wall itself. So choose the location before you build the project to make sure it will fit. Start by looking for a space with no obvious obstructions. Then locate the studs with a stud finder. Some stud finders can also locate electrical wires and plumbing pipes inside walls. When you’ve found a promising spot, cut a 6 in. square inspection hole between the studs. Use a flashlight and a small mirror to inspect the stud cavity for obstructions. You can often modify the size of the cabinet to avoid obstructions.
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Create This Joist-Space Storage Space Saver
Don’t waste all that space between joists in a basement or garage. Screw wire shelving to the underside of the joists. An 8-foot x 16-inch length of wire shelving and a pack of plastic clips (sold separately) costs about 20 bucks. Don’t forget that wire shelving also looks great on walls.
You can also use this idea to store shoes on the ceiling, says interior designer Olivia Martin. “This works well in utility areas, but I usually recommend that my clients add a slender false panel beneath the shoe racks, if the space in which they’re storing shoes is accessible to, or visible from, shared or aesthetic garage spaces,” she says. “It keeps the look pristine and prevents visual chaos without sacrificing function.”
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Build Cabinet Rollouts
Base cabinets have the least convenient storage space in the entire kitchen. To access it, you have to stoop way over or even get down on your knees and then sort through all the stuff in front to find that particular omelet pan or storage container. What a pain. Rollouts solve that problem.
“No longer is that deep cabinet or pantry space that a no man’s land, where items are pushed to the back and forgotten,” says Ditzler. “Our clients are often amazed at how much storage they gain when we install Glide-Out shelves that fully extend, allowing them to see and reach everything with ease.”
Rollouts make organizing and accessing your cabinet contents back-friendly and frustration-free. If you’re stuck with cabinets without rollouts, don’t despair. In these step-by-step project instructions, we’ll show you how to retrofit nearly any base cabinet with rollouts that will work as well as or better than any factory-built units.
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Create This Super-Simple Bath Cabinet
In many bathrooms, a picture or a small shelf hangs above the toilet. But you can make better use of that space by building an attractive cabinet that offers about three times as much storage as a typical medicine cabinet. The simple joinery and store-bought doors make this a great project for the woodworking novice.
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Hang a Glass Shower Shelf
Tired of the clutter of shampoo and conditioner bottles along the rim of your tub? This tempered safety glass shelf on a cable shelf bracket is an easy solution. And the cable shelf bracket requires only two screws for support. If studs aren’t located in the right positions, use toggle bolts to anchor the shelf brackets. And the glass hangs on the cables. The cable shelf brackets (No. CSB5B) are available online. Also, order a tempered glass shelf from a local glass company. We installed a 3/8-inch-thick, 12-inch-deep shelf.
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Clear Clutter With This Space-Saving Stacked Recycling Tower
Five plastic containers, six 2x2s and screws, and one hour’s work are all it takes to put together this space-saving recycling storage rack. The frame fits containers that have a top that measures 14 1/2 inches x 10 inches and are 15 inches tall.
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Maximize Your Closet With These Nook Shelves
Don’t let the recessed space at the ends of a closet go to waste. One of our favorite ways to maximize existing closet space is to install wire shelving to hold blankets, towels or bedding. Wire shelves are available in a variety of widths. Measure the width and depth of the space. Then choose the correct shelving and ask the salesperson to cut the shelves to length for you. Subtract 3/8 inch from the actual width to determine the shelf length. Buy a pair of end mounting brackets and a pair of plastic clips for each shelf.
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Maximize Hand Tool Storage With On-a-Roll Pegboard Doors
Maximize hand tool storage in a tool cabinet with this slick DIY project. The key to this project is a four-foot-long by-pass sliding door hardware set (about $15 at a home center). Mount 1/4 in. pegboard onto it, making sure to provide enough room (two inches) to hang tools on the pegboard and still allow it to slide by the door in front. The trick is to insert 1/2 in. plywood spacers in the roller hardware as shown. You can use the floor bracket that comes with the slider hardware to maintain the same two-inch clearance at the bottom of the cabinet. For door handles, simply drill a couple of 1-1/4 in. holes in the pegboard with a spade bit. Now, pop in the pegs and hang up your tools.
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Build These Behind-the-Door Shelves
The space behind a door is an often-overlooked storage spot. Build a set of shallow shelves and mount them to the wall. The materials cost about $40. Get the project drawings here. Locate the studs. Drill clearance holes and screw the shelves to the studs with 2-1/2 in. wood screws. Put a rubber bumper on the frame to protect the door. Don’t have an electronic stud finder handy? Learn how to locate studs without a stud finder here.
“This is a clever concept, pretty and functional for hiding clutter,” says Martin. “I would recommend painting or staining the shelves to match the tone of the door trim to give off the illusion of them being built in. You could also use it to display curated objects, like woven boxes or ceramic jars.”
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Hang Glass Shelves for Bathroom Storage
Most bathrooms have one space you can count on for additional storage, and that’s over the toilet. Open glass shelves are a great place to display decorative bathroom bottles or knick-knacks. And there are zillions of glass shelving systems on the market. Follow the directions that come with the system for the installation details, but learn how to anchor them to the wall here because you probably won’t have studs exactly where you need them. In this project, use masking tape to avoid marking the walls.
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Add More Kitchen Storage
You can unlock hidden storage space in your kitchen by opening up the hard-to-get-at corners, nooks and crannies of your cabinets. Squeeze more space from deep base cabinets and corner cabinets, and add versatile new features to old cabinets.
One way is by adding toe-kick drawers. “These hidden drawers beneath base cabinets are one of the most underused gems in home design,” says Blindauer. “Perfect for rarely used but necessary items, like holiday platters, pet bowls and spare linens, they turn negative space into functional luxury.”
The caveat? Avoid using them in high-traffic areas where constant bending may become a nuisance. And always invest in quality glides to avoid the frustration of sticking mechanisms.
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Add a Closet Rod and Shelf
This project will save you hours of ironing and organizing. Now you can hang up your shirts and jackets as soon as they’re out of the dryer — no more wrinkled shirts at the bottom of the basket. You’ll also gain an out-of-the-way upper shelf to store all sorts of odds and ends.
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Attach a Towel Bar to the Laundry Sink
Get those messy rags out of the sink and onto a towel bar so they can actually dry. Shop for an easy mounting towel bar that you can shorten if you like. We picked one up at the hardware store that had easy mounting holes right on the face of the mounting plate and a removable bar. We cut the bar with a hacksaw so it would fit nicely on the side of the sink. While you’re at the hardware store, buy stainless steel mounting bolts, washers and acorn nuts to mount the bar. We used 7/8 in. No. 8-24 bolts.
For a kitchen or bathroom storage idea that’s a bit more elevated, swap out the white for brushed brass or matte black towel bars that match the cabinet hardware, says Martin. “It brings visual harmony and lends even behind-the-door solutions the feel of something designed, not slapped together,” she says.
FAQ
Does having more storage increase the value of my home?
Yes. While appraisers may not assign a fixed dollar amount to every built-in cubby or wall-mounted bin, well-executed storage upgrades make a visceral impression, says Blindauer. Buyers perceive order, ease and care — that’s emotional ROI, and it sells.
“In fact, I’ve seen storage become the tipping point between a walk-through and a written offer,” says Blindauer. “When buyers open a closet and see a large functional closet or peek in a garage and spot floor-to-ceiling utility shelving, they’re not just imagining where their things will go, they’re imagining a life with fewer headaches.”
About the Experts
- Rachel Blindauer is an interior and product designer with more than 15 years of experience. She studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Academy of Art University and the Architectural Association in London, and has designed over 1,000 products for leading brands.
- Olivia Martin is an interior designer at Berberorugs, LLC, an online rug and home decor outlet featuring hand-crafted wares and natural fibers. She has worked there since 2018.
- Jeremy Yamaguchi is the CEO of Cabana, a full-service pool maintenance and repair company based in San Diego, CA.
- Tony Ditzler is President of Shelf Genie, a Neighborly company.
