A Simple DIY Can Be The Solution To Eradicating Small Dead Spaces From Your Apartment

If you've ever lived in a tiny home, apartment, or even a camper or RV, you understand the value of space. You never have enough room for everything you need. When you start to see the dead spaces in your living areas as untapped real estate, it's time to look for some out-of-the-box solutions to make the most out of what you have. There are some clever and ingenious ideas out there to maximize every square inch, whether it's the slim space behind an open door, behind your couch, or a niche in your hallway. This simple DIY shows how to eliminate dead space by turning the crevice between a dresser and the wall into an ultra-slim roll-out storage cabinet.

There are many ideas for filling the dead spaces in your apartment with clever storage solutions. The concept of a slim pull-out cabinet is the sneaky storage solution that fills awkward gaps in your kitchen. Pull-out pantry shelves are often used in kitchens to create more vertical storage space. Some models are custom-built, and others can be purchased, but not many are designed to fit in as small a space as the one that Tulipsforthetable over on Instagram needed to fill for the 3-by-16-inch crevice between her dresser and the wall. In a previous project, she upgraded her dresser with wallpaper, and now she's building a roll-out storage cabinet to fill the gap.

Since the dresser that Tulipsforthetable upcycled with wallpaper has legs that stick out, the legs create a natural gap between the dresser and the wall. With that 3-inch gap, items stored on top of the dresser, such as lotions and bottles of perfume, were constantly falling into the crevice, so she decided to fill that dead space with pull-out cabinetry for easy access. She used 1-by-3s to make a sturdy wood frame, then added shelves and pieces of trim for shelf lips to keep items from falling off. To follow this DIY, start by measuring your space and making the roll-out slightly narrower so it can glide in and out.

For the dead space in her apartment, the 1-by-3s worked perfectly for tulipsforthetable, but you may have to use a table saw to cut pieces to the size you need. She was able to get the pieces cut at a big box retailer, which is a service that big box retailers may provide if you ask. Next, she attached caster wheels so that the unit rolls out along the side of the wall. In her design, she was able to run the caster wheels along the top of the baseboard trim on the wall, but if you're building this hidden storage solution for your home, you'll need to measure the overall height to where the wheels will be.

Once Tulipsforthetable matched her new pull-out shelves with the dresser using leftover wallpaper scraps, the dead space beside her dresser was completely transformed, solving multiple problems in one clean DIY. The beauty of this concept is that it works anywhere you have a narrow gap to fill, such as in the pantry or beside your refrigerator. Much like other common kitchen items you can use to declutter and organize your bathroom, this one can be used next to a vanity or in a linen closet. You could also use it in the space between a washer and dryer, beside a nightstand, or in a bedroom closet.

If you decide to try this DIY, you can choose to match the pull-out cabinet seamlessly with the surrounding wall finish instead of the furniture that is next to it. If at all possible, widening the gap just a few inches by moving your furniture over could add a lot more storage space for your DIY. Whether you decide to keep it as a hidden feature or paint the face a contrasting color to make it pop, you can use a variety of finishes and hardware to make this idea your own. If you're using this idea in a home where space is less of an issue, consider making a wider unit that uses four caster wheels for a sturdier base. However you decide to finish it, an ultra-slim roll-out storage cabinet like this one turns a common dead space into a sleek storage solution.