Karen Sealy knows a thing or two about making the most of a small space.

The interior designer recently bought a cottage on Lake Simcoe. With a footprint of only 25 feet by 25 feet, storage was bound to be an issue, especially given her plans included ripping out the existing closets to make room for bedrooms. Incredibly the small space now sleeps 10 people.

So how did she do it?

"My thinking was, ‘What do you need at a cottage?’ You need jeans, a bathing suit, some shorts, T-shirts and fleece. Most things can go in drawers. So all of the beds are storage beds, and I did tons of hooks on the walls, so there’s lots of storage," she explains in an interview with CityLine.ca.

Sealy also used every spare nook and cranny, with cedar-lined niches for towels, cleaning supplies, and other items.

She did make room for two big closets. One houses the washer-dryer and shelving for toiletries. But the main one, at the front of the cottage, is a multi-purpose closet that also functions as a pantry.

"There’s boots and coats and mitts and scarves and all that stuff in there. (But) there’s also a pull-out wine rack. I have a candle drawer, because a cottage is all about ambience, and all sorts of adjustable shelves because I thought this would be my pantry as well," she explains. "So I have pop cans, pop bottles and all the stuff I don’t have room in my tiny kitchen for but I wanted handy."

Sealy’s main piece of advice for those looking to make the most of their closet space?

"Think about your need requirements and then design your closet around it," she advises. "That’s what I did."

First, decide what you’re putting in your closet, whether it’s clothing or serving platters, and go from there.

"Even clothes take up a lot of (planning) time because: Is it full-length? Is it 3/4 length? Is it half-length? Some people fold their pants in half to hang them in which case they need half-length storage for pants. Some people hang them from the cuff, and if you’re tall that could be full-length storage," she notes.

"Shoes, purses, you have to think about every single thing that’s going to go in that closet and chances are you’re probably still not going to have enough room for everything. So then you’re going to have to prioritize."

De-cluttering from time to time is key, Sealy notes.

"I’ve always lived in small homes and I love it. I have a little bungalow here in the city and my cottage is cozy, and my philosophy is if I’m buying something new, something has to leave. If you keep bringing things into your tiny space, you’re going to get overwhelmed pretty quickly."

suzanne.ellis@cityline.rogers.com