How to use a tension rod to make cute storage space anywhere in your home

So you tried the viral tension rod garland hack that was all over social media sites like TikTok this winter, and now what? The holidays are over, the garlands, tinsel and lights have been squirreled away for next year, and now you have an extra tension rod on hand and nowhere to use it. Or, do you?

In case you missed it, the viral tension rod garland hack took off late last year when Instagram and TikTok influencers began hanging garland from a tension rod suspended between doorway arches, windows, kitchen cabinets and more. I tried it myself — I loved the results and will definitely continue the hack each Christmas, for what it's worth!— but now I had a tension rod on hand and nowhere to use it.

Some say a cluttered space is a cluttered mind, which is why I've always been over-enthusiastic about new and innovative storage hacks. I'm especially giddy about ones that suggest equipment I'm likely to already have around the house. That's when I stumbled across a storage hack about turning an unused corner of your home into a cute and functional storage space using just a tension rod and a curtain.

Gathering my nifty little tension rod, I ordered a cute and affordable set of gauzy ticking stripe curtains from Amazon and got to work once they arrived.

I chose to convert the corner beside my china cabinet into a makeshift broom closet using the curtain and rod. I'm in the process of renovating a 100-year-old house, so there are half-finished projects in every room of the house. Having one corner where we can squirrel away the vacuum, broom, dusters, mop and other cleaning essentials is one small blessing in an otherwise pretty chaotic living situation.

The tension rod I had on hand was foolproof — I simply twisted it to the length I needed and it automatically locked in place. I also liked that it's an oil-rubbed bronze color that adds some fun dimension to the kitchen, though of course, almost any tension rod you have on hand should work just fine.

I chose lightweight, linen-looking ticking-stripe curtains on Amazon that complemented the cottage decor of our English kitchen. I wanted something lightweight, with a bit of color and texture, and that had a linen look to it without a linen price tag. I chose tie-tab curtains so that I could have some additional control over the height of the curtain. (After all, who doesn't like ribbons?)

The outcome is so much cuter than I expected, too. The red-striped curtain adds some playful eye candy to the room, while the curtain itself functions like a small broom closet, neatly hiding away our bulky vacuum and dusty brooms. I even added a few S-hooks to the tension rod to hang my aprons and some tea towels.

Overall, I'd recommend using a tension rod that's suitable to hold whatever you plan to hang from it. If it's just going to hold a lightweight curtain, most tension rods should be fine. But if you plan to hang S-hooks from it to store other essentials like brooms, dust pans or boot brushes, I recommend investing in a stronger and sturdier tension rod that can handle a bit more weight, like this one.

And, there are loads of ways to make this hack your own. You could mount another sturdy tension rod behind the curtain and use S-hooks to hang your broom, mop and other cleaning gadgets tidily off the floor. Or perhaps you could mount one of these broom and mop kitchen organizers behind the curtain. You could even put a narrow shelving unit behind the curtain. Out of sight, out of mind.

In the end, it's a cute, functional and genius way turn an otherwise unused or cluttered corner of space into something a bit neater and tidier — and who doesn't like having a space that's neat and tidy?

Everything you need: