When it is time to kill the clutter

Nifty storage solutions can transform a home. Gabrielle Fagan finds the best space savers around.

Feel that your possessions are taking you over and the walls are closing in? You're suffering from clutter creep – a common phenomenon in the autumn, as possessions (wanted or unwanted) spread like a fungus throughout your home. They may have been temporarily tamed by a spring clean, but if you took your eye off the ball in the summer they'll have sidled on to surfaces, jammed up drawers and crowded corners.

Don't panic – there is help at hand in the shape of attractive storage solutions, which mop up the mess and enhance your home, says Judith Wilson, author of Casual Living. "Filled with the clutter of everyday living and constantly in use, the closet and shelves are the unsung heroes of our homes," she says. "If we arrange these useful pieces of furniture sensibly, storage can also be beautiful and imaginative." Aim for a practical mix of storage options, she says, and experiment with built-in choices, customised vintage cabinets and chain store buys, so that there's literally a place for everything. Veterans of clutter culls will know that facing up to giving some possessions their marching orders is well worth it, as there is little point simply trying to pack everything into already overflowing cupboards or containers. "Having sufficient cupboards and shelves isn't enough," Wilson says firmly. "They may create the illusion of a tidy house, but if too many possessions are stuffed inside and there is chaos within, no one feels relaxed." If you need an incentive – remember Christmas is on the horizon which means an influx of new possessions and probably visitors which will all have to be accommodated into those over-crowded rooms.

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Imagine you are a visitor to your home – and walk around and try to see things objectively. Pinpoint problem areas in each room and decide what items you can get rid of and where storage needs de-cluttering. Consider new areas that could be utilised for storage, whether it is an understairs cupboard or a landing, or simply a corner that could accommodate shelves.

Prioritise by giving each clutter trouble spot in the home a stress rating (the extent to which it irritates you) so the worst area is tackled first. Avoid expensive mistakes by measuring your room and furniture, so you can assess how much space any new storage will need before you splash out on new buys.

The hallway is a magnet for clutter, but is the very space that it is essential to keep clear, as tripping over clothes and shoes won't aid your wellbeing and gives a first impression of chaos to visitors. "If you're struggling for floor space, small, wall-mounted shelves and racks are a great way to keep items such as keys and post accessible and tidy," says Simon Glanville, managing director STORE, which offers small through to large storage solutions.

Transform an entrance with a Strand Console Table, 169.99; Walnut V Shelf Kit, 19.99, and a natty Oak Effect Swivel Hook rack, 11.99. All from Homebase.

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Dunelm Mill's white-painted Cottage collection, three drawer unit, with three roomy baskets beneath, is 129.99.

Living room storage should combine good looks with practicality and wall units, with shelves, work wonders. "Some people shy away from open shelving, feeling that they don't want the pressure of keeping it tidy," says Wilson. "But if open shelves are ordered and there's a planned space for everything, they offer a wonderfully casual, see-at-a-glance way to live."

Wilson advises incorporating both hidden and display storage areas into your shelving to cater for all possessions and hide unsightly items from view.

Most of us are Ikea fans, according to a recent Mintel survey. The Billy bookcase is its bestseller, and a group of those, which start from 19 each, could fill an average wall for under 100.

Muji's Pulp-Board shelving looks great despite its utility

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name. It is 19 for two shelves, and a storage box is 7.95. Make every inch of your home count – identify under-used areas in your home, and kit them out with storage.

"Make the most of bay windows, alcoves and areas under the stairs by creating additional storage under window seats and creating a home office in an under-stairs space," says Simon Meyrick, designer for Neville Johnson, bespoke fitted furniture company.

House a seat and shelves in a bay window by using bespoke solutions, from 3,000, from Neville Johnson.

Kill clutter but add character. Go on a treasure hunt to antique fairs, auctions, and markets to source vintage display cabinets, bookcases or even old storage crates. Clutter is a space-invader, but take the upper hand and use those dead areas in the middle of large rooms for a cupboard or a room divider unit. The latter are a boon for zoning an

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open-plan area and making a style statement. It is also a neat way to create smaller, more intimate places that can be moved at a whim. Boconcept's high gloss square Room Divider unit, 1,595, comes in orange for the adventurous or discreet white.

Clutter in the bedrooms isn't conducive to peaceful nights, but often it is difficult to find extra space by the time you've accommodated a bed and a wardrobe. "It's all about maximising the space you already have," says Glanville. "Shoe drawers work brilliantly inside or outside wardrobes, and can be stacked up to boost storage space. The spaces underneath your bed can be quickly transformed into a functional storage area, with large, flat boxes and drawers."

Milo Oak drawer storage bed, from 695, has four, roomy built in drawers, from Living Storage. An alternative is Marks & Spencer's Michigan storage bed, from 999. Marks also has a nifty selection of baskets suitable for any room in the house.

Boconcept: www.boconcept.co.uk

Dunelm Mill: 08451 656 565/www.dunelm-mill.com

Dwell: 0845 675 9090/www.dwell.co.uk

The Holding Company: 020 8445 2888/www.theholdingcompany.co.uk

Homebase: 0845 600 2420/www.homebase.co.uk

Ikea: www.ikea.com

Living Storage: www.livingstorage.co.uk

Marks & Spencer: www.marksandspencer.com

Muji: www.muji.co.uk

Neville Johnson: 0161 873 8333/www.nevillejohnson.co.uk

STORE: 0870 224 2660/www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk

Casual Living by Judith Wilson, Ryland Peters & Small, 19.99.

YP MAG 6/11/10

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