Finding a Home for the Small Stuff
Once the larger pieces of my desk setup started falling into place, I still had another problem to solve: all the little things. Pens, cables, adapters and other small accessories may not take up much room individually, but together they have a habit of spreading across a desk surprisingly quickly.
That made these hanging storage cups and bins a useful addition to the organizer. Rather than placing another container on the wooden desktop, I could hang them around the existing frame and create storage in areas that otherwise would have gone unused.
They are simple accessories, but that simplicity is part of what I like about them. I could decide what belonged in each one, move them around when needed and keep the smaller pieces of my setup within easy reach.
Hanging the Cups Without Taking Up Desk Space
The round cups came with metal ring-style hooks that hold them against the organizer, while the square bins use their own smaller metal hooks. There was no complicated installation involved — the containers simply hang from compatible openings on the organizer and can be repositioned whenever I want to change the layout.
Having both shapes also gave me a little more flexibility. The deeper round cups work well for taller or loose items, while the square containers give me another option for things that are easier to group together. Instead of forcing everything into one large compartment, I could spread smaller accessories around the organizer based on what made sense to me.
And once again, the desk itself did not need to be changed. The storage was being added around it rather than permanently attached to the wood, which fits exactly with what I wanted from this entire small-desk project.
Small Containers, Surprisingly Useful Storage
What I like most about these cups is that they help with the kind of clutter that is easy to overlook. A cable here, a pen there and a few small gadgets scattered around might not seem like much, but those are often the things that make a compact workspace start feeling messy.
Using the hanging containers gave those items designated places while leaving the actual desk surface available for working. They also became part of the organizer rather than feeling like another collection of containers sitting around the room.
Want to see how the rest of this small desk came together?
My Small Desk Setup: How I Made More Room Without Buying a Bigger Desk
Explore My Small Desk Setup: How I Made More Room Without Buying a Bigger Desk to follow the complete series and see the other additions I used to build out the space.
What Would You Keep in Yours?
Sometimes organizing a small workspace comes down to giving the smallest things somewhere specific to go. These hanging cups helped me do exactly that without sacrificing any more of my limited desktop space.
