When I was living in New York City, finding the best way to optimize my limited counter space was a challenge. Lots of apartments in the city have awkward layouts and next to no space — including mine. I lived in a railroad apartment, which is essentially a long hallway with a few different rooms you walk through to get from one side to the other. This meant a kitchen with long, skinny countertops and minimal storage. I used shelving units, hooks, and other inventive ways to store my tools and utensils to make the area actually usable. And the best one was under $20!
One of the most game-changing organizing gems I’ve found is the $20 IKEA OMAR shelf unit that can be used in so many different ways all around the kitchen and home. The sleek silver bars make it modern and stylish, yet simple and practical. It’s about 26 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 10 inches deep, which means that it can squeeze into most tight spaces. I had mine on my kitchen countertop to create more storage.
You can also stack multiple shelves to create a stand-alone shelving unit to store things like spices or snacks if you don’t have pantry space. I like using the shelf to store items I want to keep easily accessible like mugs and bowls.
This organizing gem is part of IKEA’s viral OMAR shelving collection, which comes in different sizes and heights (like this bigger version with extra shelves). The collection is popular among home decorating and organizing influencers on TikTok because of its sleek design and seemingly endless uses. Lots of creators use the larger versions to organize things like shoes and books.
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If you’re set on the IKEA version, I suggest running (not walking!) if you want to snag it before it sells out. If you don’t live near an IKEA, or it doesn’t ship to your ZIP code, don’t worry. You can find similar shelving units from other retailers, like this one from Amazon that’s a similar size and can hold up to 450 pounds, or this version from QVC that has extra hooks for storage. If you want more flexibility, these shelves from Amazon are expandable and come in a set of two. Whatever works best for your space!
Buy: Wire Storage 3-Tier Utility Shelving Unit, $25.99
