Short answer: In an apartment, the best storage is shallow, modular or does a second job. Our Altitude wall shelves and cabinets are only 24 cm (9.4 inches) deep and keep the floor clear. Our Themis shelves, cabinets and desk can hang on the wall or stand on the floor. Our Aurora credenza and Stella media unit link into longer runs as your wall allows. For storage that is also seating, look at the storage ottomans and seats in our sofas, or the Ombra table with its nesting ottomans.
A small space leaves little room for mistakes. A deep cabinet takes a full step of floor, and a piece that holds only one kind of thing leaves less room for everything else. Below we compare our pieces by footprint and by job, and we say what to check before you order. For wider planning, see our guide to living room storage.
On This Page
- What makes storage earn its footprint in a small space?
- How do our storage pieces compare on footprint?
- Which pieces use the wall instead of the floor?
- Which low pieces suit a small living room?
- Which storage also gives you somewhere to sit?
- Will flat-pack storage fit through an apartment door and lift?
- Where can you buy it, and how fast does it ship?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our storage
What makes storage earn its footprint in a small space?
Five checks help most in an apartment. These are general advice, not product specifications.
- Depth first. Depth is the part you lose from the room. Leave at least 76 cm (30 inches) of walkway clear in front of any piece, and 91 cm (36 inches) where people pass often or you want more comfort.
- Wall before floor. Shelves and cabinets on the wall add storage without adding anything to the floor plan.
- A second job. Seating with storage inside, a desk that sits on a shelving system or a table with its own shelf each replace a piece you would otherwise buy.
- Closed where it is messy. Doors hide cables, games and paperwork. Open shelves suit the things you want to look at.
- Size for the trip in. Flat-pack boxes must reach the room first. Measure doors, stairs and the lift before you order.
How do our storage pieces compare on footprint?
All sizes below are our published dimensions, listed as width x depth x height.
How do our storage pieces compare on footprint?
| Piece | Size (W x D x H) | Where it goes | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude wall shelf, set of 1 | 81.3 x 24 x 81.3 cm (32.0 x 9.4 x 32.0 inches) | Wall-mounted | Open shelves |
| Altitude storage cabinet | 81.5 x 24 x 25 cm (32.1 x 9.4 x 9.8 inches) | Added to an Altitude shelf set | Closed storage on a shelf wall |
| Themis shelf or cabinet | 81.3 x 28 x 61 cm (32.0 x 11.0 x 24.0 inches) | Wall-mounted or freestanding | Open shelves, or closed storage with doors |
| Themis desk | 81.3 x 43.1 x 61 cm (32.0 x 17.0 x 24.0 inches) | Wall-mounted only | Workspace that joins the shelves |
| Aurora credenza, per unit | 81.5 x 38.2 x 47 cm (32.1 x 15.0 x 18.5 inches) | Floor, 1 to 3 units | Media and closed storage |
| Stella media unit | 57 x 40 x 40 cm (22.4 x 15.7 x 15.7 inches) with door; 57 x 38 x 40 cm (22.4 x 15.0 x 15.7 inches) without door | Floor, units link together | Low media or open storage |
| Ombra coffee table | 110 x 55 x 33.9 cm (43.3 x 21.7 x 13.3 inches), ottoman 45 x 35 x 30 cm (17.7 x 13.8 x 11.8 inches) | Floor | Table, shelf and seating |
The shallowest pieces are the two Altitude pieces at 24 cm (9.4 inches), followed by the Themis shelf and cabinet at 28 cm (11.0 inches). The Aurora credenza is the widest floor piece in the table.
Which pieces use the wall instead of the floor?
Two of our systems get storage off the floor.
- Altitude. The Altitude wall shelf is a wall-mounted shelving system sold in sets, including sets of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. A set of 1 is 81.3 cm (32.0 inches) wide and tall. It comes in Walnut, Oak or Dove. The Altitude storage cabinet is added to an Altitude shelf set, so you can hide small items while the shelves around it stay open. Its doors close with a magnetic push latch.
- Themis. The Themis shelf and Themis cabinet can be wall-mounted or freestanding, and either can be used right side up or upside down. The Themis desk is wall-mounted only and joins the shelves and cabinets, which suits a small home office on one wall. Our guide to a home office corner with modular shelving shows how the pieces combine.
Themis comes in Oak, Walnut or Dove, and its product page also shows Canary and Eucalyptus accent colours. Each coloured door is reversible. The yellow/white and green/white options are designed to be flipped during assembly. Each Themis shelf, cabinet or desk holds 23 kg (50 lb). The shelf and cabinet can be freestanding or wall-mounted, so the same pieces can change role if you move.
Freestanding Themis units still use connector brackets to join units and anti-tip hardware that fixes to the wall, so freestanding does not mean no fixings at all. Altitude is wall-mounted and uses wall anchors, so check the rules for your building before you drill.
Which low pieces suit a small living room?
Two of our floor pieces work as a media wall and as everyday storage.
- Aurora. The Aurora credenza is 81.5 cm (32.1 inches) wide per unit, and you can combine one, two or three. It has adjustable shelves, built-in ventilation and wire management, and four door styles: Solid, Slat, Chevron and Rattan. It comes in Walnut or Oak. At 38.2 cm (15.0 inches) deep, it is a shallow floor piece.
- Stella. The Stella media unit is 57 cm (22.4 inches) wide and 40 cm (15.7 inches) high, with or without a door, in oak or walnut. It works as a single unit that you expand by adding more units, and it is made of 18 mm MDF with a melamine finish. The product page shows layouts of one to four modules that mix open and closed units. It is a low piece, so check the height against your TV and sightline.
Our guide to choosing a credenza or media unit covers TV width, door swing and materials in more detail.
Which storage also gives you somewhere to sit?
In an apartment, a piece that is storage and seating at once often replaces a chair or a bench.
- Storage built into our sofas. The Atmosphere Storage version has storage seats, corners and ottomans, and its ottoman module is 75 cm (29.5 inches) wide. The Neptune sofa bed hides storage in each sleeper seat, in a compartment of 59 x 58 x 14 cm (23.2 x 22.8 x 5.5 inches), and its storage ottoman holds 32 litres. The Orian sofa bed has storage only in its storage version, with a storage seat, corner and ottoman, and that storage space measures 70.5 x 60.5 x 21 cm (27.8 x 23.8 x 8.3 inches). Its sleeper seats have no storage.
- Storage ottomans. The Ciello storage ottoman holds 75 litres, and the Gaia collection also has a storage ottoman. Our guide to storage ottomans that double as seating compares them, and our guide to sofas with hidden storage shows which seats hold what.
- Ombra. The Ombra table is a coffee table with an open shelf and nesting ottomans, each with a removable, machine-washable cover. A side table version is also available.
For more tables with built-in storage, see our guide to coffee tables with storage.
Will flat-pack storage fit through an apartment door and lift?
Our storage ships flat, so the largest box matters more than the finished size. These are the largest boxes we publish for each piece.
Will flat-pack storage fit through an apartment door and lift?
| Piece | Largest box (L x W x H) | Weight of that box |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude wall shelf, set of 1 | 92.3 x 42.7 x 19 cm (36.3 x 16.8 x 7.5 inches) | 13.2 kg |
| Altitude storage cabinet | 94.2 x 31.7 x 13.9 cm (37.1 x 12.5 x 5.5 inches) | Not stated |
| Themis shelf | 85 x 35 x 18.9 cm (33.5 x 13.8 x 7.4 inches) | Not stated |
| Aurora credenza, per unit | 88.5 x 48.5 x 21.9 cm (34.8 x 19.1 x 8.6 inches) | 21.5 kg |
| Stella media unit, with door | 66 x 46 x 20 cm (26.0 x 18.1 x 7.9 inches) | 16.2 kg |
The longest box in the table is the Altitude storage cabinet at 94.2 cm (37.1 inches), so measure stairwell turns and lift depth before you order any of these pieces. Our guide to measuring stairs, lifts and doorways explains how.
Where can you buy it, and how fast does it ship?
You can buy all of these pieces from us directly. Browse our storage collection for shelves, cabinets, credenzas and media units, and our living room storage page for the pieces that suit a living room. Our product pages show the finishes and configurations you can choose.
On shipping, our product pages say that we offer free shipping on all items with no order minimum, and that shipping is fast and free across most Australian states, with some exceptions in remote areas our delivery partners cannot reach. Our shipping page adds: "Shipping times vary depending on stock availability, but delivery is typically expected within a few days once your order is shipped." A delivery estimate appears under the Add to Cart button on each product page. We do not publish a product-specific shipping speed, so use that estimate for the piece and address you are ordering.
Our recommendation
- Little floor space, plenty of wall: Altitude shelves with one or two Altitude cabinets, at 24 cm (9.4 inches) deep.
- A wall that may change, or a desk and storage in one spot: Themis, which can be wall-mounted or freestanding and adds a wall-mounted desk.
- A TV wall that can grow: the Aurora credenza in one to three units, or the Stella media unit in a low, linked row.
- Storage you also sit on: a storage ottoman or storage seats from our sofas, or the Ombra table with its nesting ottomans.
Start with the wall and the walkway, then choose the piece that leaves the most room clear.
Explore our storage
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.