Attics and storage rooms: what was stored there and how space was freed

In small apartments, every square meter counted. And although storage space was often lacking, some solutions allowed even the most inconvenient corners to be utilized. In fact, some elements of this system are still useful today.

Mezzanines were created in hallways, above doorways, and sometimes along corridors. This created an additional compartment that didn’t take up floor space nor obstruct passage.

Items that were rarely accessed were stored there:

In some Soviet apartment layouts, a separate storage room or a deep built-in cabinet was provided. Even a small space could hold many items thanks to shelves that reached the ceiling.

Items such as dishes, grains, canned goods, tools, buckets, and household supplies were stored there. If the height allowed, there was also space for skis.

The advantage was that the storage area didn’t require identical shelves or attractive exteriors. The space could be adapted to specific items: leaving a high compartment in one area and placing several narrow shelves in another. However, it wasn’t possible to store everything together. Food needed a dry place and appropriate temperature, while household chemicals, paints, and solvents had to be kept separately.

Another useful trick is seasonal clothing rotation. In winter, coats and jackets were hung in a readily accessible place, while in summer they could be stored on a shelf or upper level.

This way, there was no need to keep all the wardrobe items in the closet at once. It also provided an opportunity to check the clothes, clean the shoes, and sort through items that hadn’t been used for a long time. Of course, not every family conducted a thorough review on a regular schedule. But the need to switch seasonal items helped to review the contents of the closets.

A simple principle guided this approach: the more often an item is needed, the easier it should be to access.

Large attics did not guarantee order. In Soviet apartments, items were also stored for years “just in case”: broken appliances, leftover wallpaper, old clothes, and empty boxes.

The reasons were clear. Some items were difficult to replace, so even malfunctioning equipment was kept for spare parts, and things that were unnecessary today might be useful later. As a result, attics and storage areas gradually filled up, leaving little free space again.

This is a familiar problem even today: the more closed cabinets there are, the easier it is to overlook how much unnecessary stuff has accumulated inside them.

There’s no need to repeat the old design. The same principle can be applied in a modern apartment, without requiring major renovations.

Here are some practical solutions:

1. A cabinet that reaches the ceiling. Use the upper sections for suitcases, seasonal textiles, and holiday decorations.

2. High shelves in the pantry. Use the space above the main shelves for light items that are used infrequently.

3. Labeled boxes. Organize the contents by category to avoid going through everything when looking for a specific item.

4. Seasonal rearrangement.Swap the location of currently worn clothing with items that are not needed yet twice a year.

For upper storage, it’s important to have reliable fixtures and safe access. Heavier items should be kept lower down, and ceiling shelves should not be overloaded.

You can start without making any purchases. Simply open the upper cabinets and see what’s inside. It’s possible that rarely used items occupy the most convenient shelves, while items needed daily have to be retrieved from distant corners.

Attics and storage rooms helped small apartments by making thoughtful use of space. This approach remains useful today: sometimes, what’s needed for order isn’t another cabinet, but a different arrangement of items.