When we first moved into our 1,000-square-foot apartment in Los Angeles, our oldest son was just learning to crawl. At the time, it felt like plenty of space. My husband and I took the main bedroom, and our son had the smaller room all to himself. We were settling into the rhythm of city life, soaking up everything Los Angeles had to offer—the culture, the food, the diversity, and the unbeatable weather. We knew this was where we wanted to raise a family, even if it meant making trade-offs.
However, when our son’s baby brother arrived two years later, things got a little cramped. Our older son needed more space, and all the diapers, supplies, and new baby gear made our living area feel pretty tight. We started to wonder: Could our two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment comfortably house our growing family?
We decided to give it a go, and I am happy to report that 16 years later, we are still here and thriving thanks to creative storage.
Here’s a room-by-room guide to how we make a small apartment work with kids (and teenagers!)
In the bedroom & bathroom
The first thing we did was switch bedrooms. We moved the boys to the main bedroom and ourselves into the smaller bedroom.
For beds, we started with a toddler bed and a crib, but once they outgrew those, we opted for bunk beds with drawers and a trundle bed for future sleepovers. This was, by far, our smartest decision and the biggest space saver.
Another solid investment? These seven-tier bookshelves—we got two and mounted them to the wall for safety. By building up, we were able to store all the stuff they accumulated over the years and save precious floor space.
And in both bathrooms, we added over-the-toilet storage with cabinets. This gave us more space for our toiletries and linens, while keeping everything hidden away and clutter-free.
Shopping list:
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Meissner Twin-Over-Twin Bunk Bed With Trundle and 3 Drawers, $640 at Wayfair
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Idlewild 7 Tier BookShelf, $140 at Wayfair
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Rattan Over the Toilet Storage and Shelving, $100 at Amazon
In the kitchen
Although we are fortunate to have plenty of storage in our kitchen, we are lacking in countertop space. This means we only have room for two appliances on our countertops: a coffee maker with a built-in bean grinder and a 2-in-1 compact toaster that toasts and broils. While there are certainly other small appliances that are worth it, for us, good coffee is the cornerstone of parenting and cannot be sacrificed, even when space is limited, while our toaster can easily do bagels in the morning and pizza bites in the afternoon.
For under-cabinet storage, we rely on this paper towel holder and these shelf-baskets that hold odds and ends.
Shopping list:
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Cuisinart Automatic Brew and Grind, $120 at Crate & Barrel
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Ninja 2-in-1 Flip Toaster, $120 at Wayfair
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Under Cabinet Paper Towel Holder, $10 at Amazon
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Under Cabinet Shelves/Baskets, $21 for two at Amazon
In the living room
In our living room, we make our furniture do double duty. Instead of a large coffee table (which takes up way too much space), we use our ottoman, which also opens up for storage, where we keep extra blankets and the television remotes. That’s a foot rest, table space, and storage space in one piece of furniture.
Instead of the standard accent chair, we have a 3-in-1 chair that folds out into a sleeping space for guests. And our bookcase has drawers and cabinets, allowing us to to stash our clutter behind closed doors.
Shopping list:
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Brinna Traditional Upholstered Flip Top Storage Ottoman, $220 at Wayfair
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Artdeco Home Tustin Convertible Sleeper Chair, $190 at Wayfair
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Lat