Smart Storage Ideas for Small Apartments with Flat-Pack Panel Furniture Small apartments and rental homes often struggle with one thing: not enough storage. Clothes, books, luggage and daily items quickly fill every corner, and there is rarely space for bulky built-in furniture. With the right flat-pack panel furniture, you can still create a bright, organized home that feels calm instead of crowded. Here are some practical ideas to make the most of every square meter using flat-pack wardrobes, beds and cabinets. 1. Build a Full-Height Storage Wall When floor space is limited, think vertically. A full-height wardrobe or storage wall from floor to ceiling instantly adds a huge amount of hidden storage without taking more footprint. Use tall cabinets around the bed or TV area. Closed doors keep the room looking clean, while a few open shelves in the middle can display books, plants or a TV. Slim handles and light wood tones help the design feel modern and not too heavy for a small room. Flat-pack panel wardrobes are delivered in cartons and assembled on site, which makes them perfect for apartments with narrow stairs or elevators. 2. Turn the Bed Area into a Storage Zone In small bedrooms, the bed is usually the largest piece of furniture. Instead of letting the space under and around it go to waste, transform it into extra storage: A platform bed with drawers underneath is ideal for bedding, seasonal clothes or suitcases. Steps leading up to a raised bed can hide additional drawers or cabinets. A headboard with shelves and small cabinets keeps phones, books and chargers within easy reach while freeing up the bedside floor. These designs work very well with panel furniture. Standard board sizes and hardware make it easy to customize length, depth and internal layout according to each room. 3. Combine Desk, Wardrobe and Shelving Many people now work or study from home, even in small apartments. Instead of using several separate pieces, consider a combined unit that integrates wardrobe, open shelves and a desk. A corner desk with wall-mounted cabinets above and a wardrobe next to it creates a compact “working wall”. Open shelves can hold files and décor, while closed cabinets hide everything else. Keeping the furniture off the floor visually opens the room and makes cleaning easier. Flat-pack construction means these modular units can be shipped in flat panels and assembled in different layouts: left-hand or right-hand desk, longer or shorter wardrobe, more or fewer shelves. 4. Choose Light Colors and Warm Wood Textures Color has a big impact on how large or small a room feels. For compact spaces, light neutrals are your best friend: white, light grey and soft beige make walls and cabinets visually recede. Warm woodgrain fronts or accents add comfort and prevent the room from feeling cold. You can mix white cabinet doors with oak or light walnut panels to create a fresh, Scandinavian-inspired look. Using the same material for wardrobes, beds and shelves also creates a calm, unified feeling instead of a busy, mismatched room. 5. Enjoy the Practical Benefits of Flat-Pack Furniture Flat-pack panel furniture is not only space-saving in the room, it is also efficient before it arrives: Products are packed flat in cartons, so more pieces fit into one container or truck. Cartons are easier to carry through narrow hallways and up staircases. Most systems use cam locks and dowels, allowing for quick assembly and disassembly when moving. For landlords, student housing and rental projects, this makes installation faster and replacement simpler. For online brands and retailers, flat-pack furniture reduces shipping costs and makes warehousing more flexible. 6. Behind the Scenes: How Quality Flat-Pack Furniture Is Made A good small-space design also depends on precise manufacturing. Modern CNC cutting lines, edge-banding machines and drilling centers ensure that every panel fits perfectly, doors stay aligned and hardware works smoothly. Consistent quality is key when many apartments or rooms need to be furnished with the same design. About Starwood Starwood is an OEM & ODM manufacturer based in Guangdong with over 12 years of experience in panel materials and furniture. We supply decorative papers, MDF, particleboard, plywood and custom-designed flat-pack furniture, including wardrobes, storage beds, study units and kitchen cabinets. If you are a retailer, online brand, interior designer or project client looking for small-space furniture solutions, feel free to contact us to develop your own flat-pack collection or apartment package.

Fun turquoise mermaid tile backsplash in a girls' shared bathroom. Remodeled space includes new custom vanity, lighting, bamboo mirrors, aged brass faucets, penny floor tile, and vintage style runner. Photo by Emily Kennedy Photography.

Ed Ritger Photography
Example of a transitional gray three-story exterior home design in San Francisco

Wonderful bedroom with new casement windows we installed. This bright and charming bedroom with gorgeous wood floors and old world truck at the end of the bed looks amazing with all new white windows. New windows are just a phone call away with Renewal by Andersen of Greater Toronto and most of Ontario. . . . . . . . . . . We offer windows in a variety of styles -- Contact us today: (844) 819-3040

Mid-sized trendy vinyl floor kitchen/dining room combo photo in Orange County with white walls and no fireplace

San Marino based clients were interested in developing a property that had been in their family for generations. This was an exciting proposition as it was one of the last surviving bayside double lots on the scenic Coronado peninsula in San Diego. They desired a holiday home that would be a gathering place for their large, close- knit family. San Marino based clients were interested in developing a property that had been in their family for generations. This was an exciting proposition as it was one of the last surviving bayside double lots on the scenic Coronado peninsula in San Diego. They desired a holiday home that would be a gathering place for their large, close-knit family. Facing the Back Bay, overlooking downtown and the Bay Bridge, this property presented us with a unique opportunity to design a vacation home with a dual personality. One side faces a bustling harbor with a constant parade of yachts, cargo vessels and military ships while the other opens onto a deep, quiet contemplative garden. The home’s shingle-style influence carries on the historical Coronado tradition of clapboard and Craftsman bungalows built in the shadow of the great Hotel Del Coronado which was erected at the turn of the last century. In order to create an informal feel to the residence, we devised a concept that eliminated the need for a “front door”. Instead, one walks through the garden and enters the “Great Hall” through either one of two French doors flanking a walk-in stone fireplace. Both two-story bedroom wings bookend this central wood beam vaulted room which serves as the “heart of the home”, and opens to both views. Three sets of stairs are discretely tucked away inside the bedroom wings. In lieu of a formal dining room, the family convenes and dines around a beautiful table and banquette set into a circular window bay off the kitchen which overlooks the lights of the city beyond the harbor. Working with noted interior designer Betty Ann Marshall, we designed a unique kitchen that was inspired by the colors and textures of a fossil the couple found on a honeymoon trip to the quarries of Montana. We set that ancient fossil into a matte glass backsplash behind the professional cook’s stove. A warm library with walnut paneling and a bayed window seat affords a refuge for the family to read or play board games. The couple’s fine craft and folk art collection is on prominent display throughout the house and helps to set an intimate and whimsical tone. Another architectural feature devoted to family is the play room lit by a dramatic cupola which beacons the older grandchildren and their friends. Below the play room is a four car garage that allows the patriarch space to refurbish an antique fire truck, a mahogany launch boat and several vintage cars. Their jet skis and kayaks are housed in another garage designed for that purpose. Lattice covered skylights that allow dappled sunlight to bathe the loggia affords a comfortable refuge to watch the kids swim and gaze out upon the rushing water, the Coronado Bay Bridge and the romantic downtown San Diego skyline. Architect: Ward Jewell Architect, AIA Interior Design: Betty Ann Marshall Construction: Bill Lyons Photographer: Laura Hull Styling: Zale Design Studio

Small Bathroom renovation for the downtown Manhattan project. Photos by Richard Cadan Photography
Example of a mid-sized trendy 3/4 glass tile porcelain tile and gray floor alcove shower design in New York with a wall-mount sink, flat-panel cabinets, beige walls and a hinged shower door

A remodeled retro kitchen mixed with a few original architectural elements of this Spanish home. Highlights here are aqua glazed lava stone counter tops, custom designed hand silk-screened fabrics, and children's art inside the upper cabinet panels. To know more about this makeover, please read the "Houzz Tour" feature article here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/32975037/list/houzz-tour-midcentury-meets-mediterranean-in-california Bernard Andre photography.

This dining room features a large distressed table flanked by a church pew on one side and mismatched dining room chairs on the other. A large buffet sits against an amazing exposed brick wall. The walls feature old recipes from grandma framed along with grandma's china mixed with some other beautiful pieces. The dining room also has an amazing pressed tin ceiling and Castle Comb wood floors.

Example of a kitchen design in San Francisco

Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in Phoenix.

Dasylirion planted amongst boulders and pebbles. Sustainable modern Landscape with drought tolerant plants and low maintenance landscape.
Photo of a southwestern landscaping in Los Angeles.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Wayne Pool Wayne, New Jersey Monello Landscape Industries Design elements and features include six multi level paver patios, three permeable paver patios, and a sunken pool bar and kitchen with seating inside and outside the pool. A 20 foot double water falls drops into a pond with glass panels that separate the pool from the pond enabling views of koi. A 24 in. by 30 foot running/trickle water wall over natural stone into the the pool is also features. Additional items include three built-in bistro tables, a 20 foot high boulder wall system featuring perennial garden plantings, and floating boulders built into the pool. Design challenges included a 12 foot high bar wall engineered with ¾ in. rebar and a solid concrete pour. Lower levels of the patio system were built and excavated below the water table level, so an extensive and creative drainage system was installed. In addition, water pumps were active during construction. Trenching was so extensive under and around the hardscape areas that all soil had to be removed from the site and replaced with compacted clean stone so there was no threat of future settlement. There was over 1500 cubic yards of soil removed from the site and over 1500 yards of aggregate trucked into the site.

A curved black gravel path leads to a a sitting area and focal point replacing an unusable soggy lawn.
Photo of a mid-sized landscaping in Seattle.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Wayne Pool Wayne, New Jersey Monello Landscape Industries Design elements and features include six multi level paver patios, three permeable paver patios, and a sunken pool bar and kitchen with seating inside and outside the pool. A 20 foot double water falls drops into a pond with glass panels that separate the pool from the pond enabling views of koi. A 24 in. by 30 foot running/trickle water wall over natural stone into the the pool is also features. Additional items include three built-in bistro tables, a 20 foot high boulder wall system featuring perennial garden plantings, and floating boulders built into the pool. Design challenges included a 12 foot high bar wall engineered with ¾ in. rebar and a solid concrete pour. Lower levels of the patio system were built and excavated below the water table level, so an extensive and creative drainage system was installed. In addition, water pumps were active during construction. Trenching was so extensive under and around the hardscape areas that all soil had to be removed from the site and replaced with compacted clean stone so there was no threat of future settlement. There was over 1500 cubic yards of soil removed from the site and over 1500 yards of aggregate trucked into the site.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Wayne Pool Wayne, New Jersey Monello Landscape Industries Design elements and features include six multi level paver patios, three permeable paver patios, and a sunken pool bar and kitchen with seating inside and outside the pool. A 20 foot double water falls drops into a pond with glass panels that separate the pool from the pond enabling views of koi. A 24 in. by 30 foot running/trickle water wall over natural stone into the the pool is also features. Additional items include three built-in bistro tables, a 20 foot high boulder wall system featuring perennial garden plantings, and floating boulders built into the pool. Design challenges included a 12 foot high bar wall engineered with ¾ in. rebar and a solid concrete pour. Lower levels of the patio system were built and excavated below the water table level, so an extensive and creative drainage system was installed. In addition, water pumps were active during construction. Trenching was so extensive under and around the hardscape areas that all soil had to be removed from the site and replaced with compacted clean stone so there was no threat of future settlement. There was over 1500 cubic yards of soil removed from the site and over 1500 yards of aggregate trucked into the site.

After completing an interior remodel for this mid-century home in the South Salem hills, we revived the old, rundown backyard and transformed it into an outdoor living room that reflects the openness of the new interior living space. We tied the outside and inside together to create a cohesive connection between the two. The yard was spread out with multiple elevations and tiers, which we used to create “outdoor rooms” with separate seating, eating and gardening areas that flowed seamlessly from one to another. We installed a fire pit in the seating area; built-in pizza oven, wok and bar-b-que in the outdoor kitchen; and a soaking tub on the lower deck. The concrete dining table doubled as a ping-pong table and required a boom truck to lift the pieces over the house and into the backyard. The result is an outdoor sanctuary the homeowners can effortlessly enjoy year-round.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Wayne Pool Wayne, New Jersey Monello Landscape Industries Design elements and features include six multi level paver patios, three permeable paver patios, and a sunken pool bar and kitchen with seating inside and outside the pool. A 20 foot double water falls drops into a pond with glass panels that separate the pool from the pond enabling views of koi. A 24 in. by 30 foot running/trickle water wall over natural stone into the the pool is also features. Additional items include three built-in bistro tables, a 20 foot high boulder wall system featuring perennial garden plantings, and floating boulders built into the pool. Design challenges included a 12 foot high bar wall engineered with ¾ in. rebar and a solid concrete pour. Lower levels of the patio system were built and excavated below the water table level, so an extensive and creative drainage system was installed. In addition, water pumps were active during construction. Trenching was so extensive under and around the hardscape areas that all soil had to be removed from the site and replaced with compacted clean stone so there was no threat of future settlement. There was over 1500 cubic yards of soil removed from the site and over 1500 yards of aggregate trucked into the site.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Wayne Pool Wayne, New Jersey Monello Landscape Industries Design elements and features include six multi level paver patios, three permeable paver patios, and a sunken pool bar and kitchen with seating inside and outside the pool. A 20 foot double water falls drops into a pond with glass panels that separate the pool from the pond enabling views of koi. A 24 in. by 30 foot running/trickle water wall over natural stone into the the pool is also features. Additional items include three built-in bistro tables, a 20 foot high boulder wall system featuring perennial garden plantings, and floating boulders built into the pool. Design challenges included a 12 foot high bar wall engineered with ¾ in. rebar and a solid concrete pour. Lower levels of the patio system were built and excavated below the water table level, so an extensive and creative drainage system was installed. In addition, water pumps were active during construction. Trenching was so extensive under and around the hardscape areas that all soil had to be removed from the site and replaced with compacted clean stone so there was no threat of future settlement. There was over 1500 cubic yards of soil removed from the site and over 1500 yards of aggregate trucked into the site.