There are many ways to hide the clutter in your smaller home, apartment, or even dorm room. OK, let's not call it "clutter" because these items you do need and you do use often. If you don't use them and you don't adore them, you should get rid of them now before trying to hide them.
To get rid of the clutter, first, visit this post which will help you awaken to the clutter in your home before you find creative ways to hide your stuff.
Why hide the stuff in your home?
People have stuff around the house and don't even realize that the cluttered space can affect them. See the list below of the ways clutter may be affecting you.
- It can be dangerous. Your stuff can create a hazard on the floor where you can trip and fall.
- The stuff can distract you. It can draw your attention away from what needs to be done without you even knowing it.
- Items left out are usually symbols of incomplete actions that will represent unconsciously or consciously how many to-dos you have to take care of in your life. This will result in more stress and will limit you from relaxing. Below is one of my favorite quotes to share with people.
Clutter represents indecision. Make a decision and clear the clutter.
These are just a few impacts that can take a toll on your life and home. Now, go and clear that unwanted clutter and actions.
Then, come back to this post and start hiding the stuff. In this post, "clutter" will be the items you use and want but do not want to see, day in and day out. Here are 6 creative places to hide clutter in a home.
Six hiding clutter options in smaller houses
1st Hide Clutter Option: Hang a pressure rod and hang a curtain in front of a set of shelves. I used one blackout curtain to create two curtains to cover these shelves. I cut them and measured the opening and then created a place for the pressure rod and finished off the bottom edge.
2nd Hide Clutter Option: Use fabric, a piece of wood (2 x 2 inch), a staple gun, and 2-3 screws to hide stuff behind an open console table. Staple the fabric to the piece of wood by overlapping the fabric to create a fuller look. Then, screw in the bottom of the console table. I used two café curtains here from a discount store.
3rd Hide Clutter Option: Use baskets in closets, on the stairs going upstairs as a catch-all small items bin and other areas to store small items you don't want to see.
4th Hide Clutter Option: Use your largest bag to hold smaller bags. Or, buy a cheap (large) tote and store all the bags in them.
5th Hide Clutter Option: Use fake books fronts and fake cans to store valuables. Here are 4 examples you can buy on Amazon.com. (affiliate)
6th Hide Clutter Option: Get doors for your tall bookshelf cabinets. This is great for a teen girl's room since they have lots of small stuff. Add boxes with lids that fit inside to organize the items even further.
Below are additional tips to help you hide the clutter:
Make sure these are items you want to hide. Ask yourself, if I hide these items, will I forget they are there? Some items need to be left out to remember to use them. One example is your daily vitamins. We like to keep out vitamins to remember to take them.
Be sure to organize "behind the curtain" too. Add bins to use in the hidden area for similar small items. Labeling the different bins works great so you can easily find the right bin.
If the items are serving dishes and other platters you don't use them often, be sure to have them covered so they do not get dusty. See below items from Amazon.com (affiliate).
Well, there you have it. I hope it helps. Remember hiding your clutter will help your room feel spacious, less distracting, and more functional. Try it and see for yourself. Please leave a comment below on how you hide clutter in your home. I would love to hear from you.
Below are other posts to keep your small home organized. Feel free to visit ours and other popular posts about small homes organizing and hiding the clutter.
Benefits of Living in a Smaller Home
17 Clever Ways to Hide Clutter in your home
10 Sneaky Ways to Hide all the Clutter