College Life: How to Do a Lot in a Little Space

Photo courtesy of Maya Beatriz

Although college life has changed a lot over the past few hundred years, the one thing that hasn't really changed is the itty-bitty living space. Yes, college dorms and apartments tend to be pretty small, so it's important to make the most of every inch if one is to have a pleasant time.  

To help us figure out how to do that, we enlisted the help of some experts (actual college students), and here's how they use our products in their own spaces... 

Claire-Lise Greve

Photo courtesy of Claire-Lise Greve

Claire-Lise Greve set about organizing the kitchen of her post-grad apartment with sustainable storage products like our Albany Cane Rattan Bins, as well as Marie Kondo's Birch 3-Tier Expandable Shelf, Spice Jars, and Canisters. For prepping fresh meals and snacks, she choose the beautifully-constructed End Grain Teak Wood Cutting Board.

Elsewhere in her apartment, she opted for a glamorous look, selecting acrylic items such as the Rectangular Acrylic Serving Tray and Deluxe Monitor Stand with Drawer.

Maya Beatriz

Photo courtesy of Maya Beatriz

"Transforming my room into an organized sanctuary is the only thing I need for back to school," says Maya Beatriz. To accomplish this goal, she organized her college desk area with an assortment of great products, including the Marie Kondo Countertop Glass Stacking Trays for cosmetics, the Palaset Pencil Cup for writing utensils, and the Like-It Clear Stackable Drawers for a myriad of other things. "My desk is now an organized Virgo's dream thanks to The Container Store!" she raves.

Photo courtesy of Maya Beatriz

McKenna Salazar

Photo courtesy of McKenna Salazar

McKenna Salazar also tidied up her college desk area using our products. In her case, she went the acrylic route and organized her office supplies using the Lund London Nordic Stacking Boxes and Triple Storage Pen Cup, as well as the Slanted 4-Section Acrylic Pen Holder. Next to her desk, she added the Cleara Acrylic Trash Can by Umbra. "Having an organized space really clears my mind, which is definitely a necessity during the school year," she says.

Taylor Donoghue

Photo courtesy of Taylor Donoghue

For Taylor Donoghue, her first organizing project was her apartment fridge. To accomplish this task, she rounded up a variety of iDesign products such as their Divided Lazy Susan, Fridge Bins, Wine Holder, and Egg Holder. For storing fresh fruit, she added The Home Edit by iDesign's Berry Bins.

Once she was done with her kitchen, she moved onto her bedroom. She tidied her dresser drawers using Marie Kondo's Harmony Hikidashi Drawer Organizers, and then organized other folded clothes and accessories on the upper shelf of her closet with our clear Shirt and Shoe Drawers.