10 Cute AND Functional Ways to Store Clothes and Accessories in Small Spaces

It’s so frustrating to open your closet and find the clothes you took so much time to hang up not on the hangers as you left them, but crumpled in a pile on the floor. With my old plastic hangers, that was my life. They were also bulky and took up a ton of space.

These velvet hangers have been a game-changer. The velvet material provides more traction to keep my clothes on the hanger. Plus, they are slimmer than most traditional hangers, so they leave room for extra hanging space in my closet.

Shoes that are strewn haphazardly around your room aren’t just a tripping hazard — they’re also really difficult to find when you’re rushing out the door. Thankfully, there are many shoe racks made for small spaces that eliminate this issue. Shoe racks can be sleek and simple, too, providing a home for all of your shoes, that you can place in the back of your closet or even under your bed. That means more floor space for you to work with.

If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of miscellaneous accessories cluttering up your desk and side tables. Whether it’s rings or hair elastics, items can get lost when they don’t have a designated place to live. These mini baskets, which come in adorable pastel colors, will not only provide a great storage solution, but they’ll also add to the overall aesthetic of your room!

What do towels, jackets, tote bags, and backpacks have in common? They’re all items that used to live on my floor. Not only was it messy, but once I realized how many floor germs were getting onto items that touch my skin, I knew I had to make a change. My solution: heavy-duty adhesive hooks. These hooks are an inexpensive way to create extra hanging space in a small room, and they’re able to hold hefty objects like a backpack without falling off of the wall. When it’s time to remove them, they come off without leaving behind any residue, making them perfect for dorms and apartments where you’re likely hoping to get a security deposit back upon move-out.

One of my favorite ways to create extra space for clothes is with a hanging closet organizer. This one has six shelves where you can easily store folded sweaters, T-shirts, or jeans, as well as two side pockets where you can stick extra items. It comes in different colors to match your room’s decor.

College dorms don’t always come with a lot of drawers. Typically, you’ll find one or two small dressers and a desk inside the standard dorm room, so it’s pretty much impossible to dedicate one drawer to every type of item you own. One way to maximize your drawers’ storage capabilities is with dividers, which serve as partitions so you can store multiple items or types of items in the same drawer without them getting all mixed up. I found that these make it easier for me to use every inch of a drawer to get the most out of the space.

Whether you decide to loft your bed or leave it on the floor, you can turn the space beneath your sleeping area into extra storage for the clothes and shoes you wear less often — such as seasonal attire or costumes you crafted for theme parties. These particular under-bed storage bins have wheels, making it easy to pull them out and quickly grab whatever you need.

Trying to look through an overstuffed closet can feel like a literal workout: You have to shove hangers from one end to the next and try to wiggle new hangers in between. These vertical hangers are a great fix because they can carry up to 12 hangers at once, instantly freeing up space! They're made of metal, which makes them super durable, so denim or cotton fleece likely won’t weigh them down. They have a second hook on the bottom, so you can switch the vertical hanger to horizontal and see all of your clothes.

When you’re all about *fashion* and love to display your most stylish outfits or you simply want an easy grab-and-go area for your coats, shoes, and accessories, this bamboo garment rack is the perfect mix of cute and practical. It’s got so many shelves that it's a great way to store your shoes or bins of accessories. Since the rack is almost 5 feet tall, the top shelf can hold large items that you don't have to access often, like suitcases or bins of miscellaneous things. Plus, it has an additional rack on the side with hooks for scarves and bags.

Need a storage solution that's functional, cute, and collapsible? Sounds too good to be true, but this three-tiered storage bin has it all. It’s made of durable plastic, but has adorable reed-style front panels that make it look super chic! It’s also on wheels, which makes it easy to move around your dorm room (and those wheels lock in place when you find the ideal spot for it). This storage cabinet can be used to store shoes out of sight or keep your bulky sweaters and pants folded neatly.