tons storage ideas | Hallway Makeover With Tons of Storage

Tons storage ideas: a concise orientation before we get practical.

Tons storage ideas: Quick notes

Looking to makeover a hallway to add extra storage? Here’s a hallway makeover some simple tips and ideas to create storage in underused spaces.

This was kind of the room that time forgot about.

It’s kind of a hallway, and kind of a pass-through, and kind of a space where you have to take a few extra steps before you walk into the bedroom.

When they were handing out awards?

This room got Most Awkward.

I never really knew what to do with it.

Most of the time, I just walked through it and didn’t really pay that much attention to it.

Until.

Until I decided that I’d make it into a storage area where I’d put all the extra cleaning supplies and create an ironing station and find a way to organize our laundry a little better.

And now?

The room isn’t so awkward anymore.

Here’s the before and after hallway makeover and a few storage ideas you might want to incorporate into your own home.

First of all, let’s orient ourselves. This is an overview of the top of the stairs.

See that door right there on the left?

If you open that door?

You’ll see this room.

I knew I wanted stripes.

(total aside: if you want to make a big impact in a room without spending a lot of money? Stripes are your best friend.

So now?

// neutral area rug // oversized clock //

We pulled up the peel-and-stick flooring a while ago and found wood underneath.

But the walls needed something a little different.

So we striped them.

These are six-inch stripes painted with SW Extra White and SW Repose Gray.

// oversized clock //

I didn’t walk you through the entire project because I’ve painted stripes tons of times on this blog.

(total aside: isn’t this clock the CUTEST? I got it all at Walmart and you can see it here.)

But to truly make your stripes turn out?

You need a few stripe painting tips.

Here are my top five tips for painting stripes.

1. Determine the width of your stripes

Read this before starting any stripe project.

Pin it or write it down so you remember, because this tip will make all the difference:

An odd number of stripes is perfect. For skinny stripes, divide by 9. For medium stripes, divide by 7, for thicker stripes, divide by 9.

2. Make sure your bottom and top stripes are the same as your base color

If you look in the pictures, our side stripe and top stripe are both the same color…..on purpose.

If you want to save time, make your top stripe and bottom stripe are whatever your base color is.

So much less taping.

3. Tape properly

Mark the stripes you are not going to paint. I know this seems elementary, but when you are in the middle of painting, it’s easy to forget.

Also, make sure that you tape the inside of the stripes you are not going to paint.

All the stripes you are painting should be taped on the outside.

Tip number three comes from experience…..and a lot of re-taping. 🙂

4. Pull the tape towards the wet paint

After you paint the stripes, for the crispest, cleanest stripes, pull the tape right away.

And when you remove the tape…pull it off in the direction of the wet paint.

That way, any drips of wet paint go back onto the stripe.

5. Remember that your paint will look darker next to a lighter color

When picking a paint color for your stripe, go lighter.

For example, I painted the base coat SW Extra White. When I picked my gray, I went with a really light gray SW Repose Gray. I knew that the white paint would make the gray look so much darker.

SW Repose Gray on the wall against the white looks so much darker.

If you take a 360-degree turn of the space, there’s a cabinet directly behind the door.

We painted this cabinet SW Naval (don’t you love the pop of navy against the gray)?

But inside?

That is where all the organization happens.

If you open the door, you’ll see this.

I know, right?

Who knew all that organization was going on behind closed doors?

Here are just a few of the ways I organized this space with this hallway makeover:

I added a smaller ironing board (you can see a similar ironing board here) and stored it at the top of the cabinet with the iron. Now we have an ironing board on each floor. No more dragging it up and down the stairs.
I repurposed a shower caddy with this tension pole into organization storage for the tall cabinet. This is where I’m going to store extra cleaners for the second floor. The shower caddy is like a built-in shelving unit, and there’s still enough space to add a broom and dustpan on the other side. You can see the shower caddy here.
I added small, clear storage jars for cotton balls and Q-tips. You can see similar jars here.
There’s also a towel ring on the inside of the door to give easy access for a dish towel.

// towel ring //

One fun organizing idea?

Add a towel ring to the inside of the door.

I came up with the idea of adding the towel ring to the inside of the door because I was tired of always searching for a cleaning towel to use.

Now, I just open up the door, and it’s within easy reach.

You can see the towel ring here.

// similar storage jars //

Here’s a close-up of the small storage jars.

These are from my stash of organizing stuff.

But I found the cutest apothecary storage jars that would work perfectly to store extra bathroom supplies.

You can see similar jars here.

// neutral area rug //

On the opposite wall from the large cabinet, there’s a laundry area.

It’s always been a challenge for me.

MY ENTIRE LIFE.

You’d drop the clothes down through the hinged door into the space, and then later you’d open the door and try to gather up all the clothes when it was laundry time.

Not anymore.

Thanks to this hallway makeover.

Now?