Home Sweet Home

When you next look around your home thinking that you couldn’t swing a cat let alone put away your record collection, think again. Even the smallest studio flat has storage potential. You can make your tiny corner of the city a more spacious and pleasant place to live.

Finding somewhere reasonably central at a price you can afford, especially if you are single, often means sacrificing the luxury of space. This usually means living in a one- bedroom flat or a studio apartment where storage space and the most efficient use of your living space is of paramount importance. Not for you the convenience of the loft space where those unused belongings lurk out of sight and out of mind. What you have, you use — and it has to be on hand, but not under your feet.

Kitchen

Unless you’re very lucky, the one room in the house where you are very unlikely to have a lot of space to spare is the kitchen. Think in terms of the room’s volume and not the floor area. If you’re leading a busy lifestyle, there are going to be things you need every day and those things that you don’t — make sure everyday items are easily accessible.

• Cupboards and shelves should be built up to the ceiling, allowing work areas to be placed at a convenient height for food preparation.
• Even in a very tight space, storage can still be used as a decorative feature. An old- fashioned dresser will add character to your kitchen and is an excellent way to show off your crockery and glassware.
• Every wall space is a potential storage area — attach a mesh rack to the wall and use hooks to hang bulky items such as ladles and colanders; hang pots and pans from a sturdy ceiling rack; a wall-mounted spice rack above your worktop may do wonders for your cooking! Racks and hooks can also be used in a small hallway to hang up coats, scarves, hats and umbrellas.Another storage idea that can grow as you need it is a modular vegetable rack — fill it with all your favourites!
• Shelving should be deep enough to store large casseroles and the like — but not so deep that you lose things!

Sharp kitchen knives can be stuck to the wall using a magnetic knife rack — make sure it is safely located away from little fingers!

Bathroom

How many times have you felt your bathroom has been invaded by the shampoo bottles from outer space? You know what it’s like — all those bottles of shampoo, last year’s suntan lotion and a doctor’s cabinet of ‘flu remedies that you’re loath to chuck out!

• Install a shelf above the bath (along its length) or, alternatively, install several smaller shelves above the bath taps. Another solution is to have small shelves fitted into the angle of two walls.
• A multi-tiered trolley for bathtime essentials is movable and adaptable.

Hooks are another quick- fix solution for hanging towels, clothes and pot plants.

Multipurpose mezzanine

The living room is often the most important room in a flat and in many cases also doubles up as a bedroom. Put yourself up on the shelf by building a mezzanine floor! This idea requires a fairly large room with highish ceilings. A mezzanine is easy and cheap to build, can make a very attractive feature and, most importantly, can be a real selling point when you decide to sell. It is quite simply the most space-saving thing you could hope to have — even the steps up to it form an eye-catching tiered storage space perfect for storing all your documents and files in attractive stackable boxes. Underneath can become a cosy spot to place the sofa or a desk. Otherwise you can devote the whole space to storage — it is the ideal place to put your hi-fi, television and video and the like.

Dual-purpose bed

Of course, not everyone has the possibility of building a mezzanine, so now is the time to start thinking about a dual- purpose sofa bed or divan. It’s a worthwhile investment — after all, there’s no point having more space to move around in if you can’t even get up in the morning! Divan drawers are excellent for storing spare blankets and out-of-season clothes.

Revamping junk

• Do up a second-hand blanket box — it can double as a coffee or bedside table or sit at the end of your bed.
• Revamp an old wardrobe or cupboard and put shelves inside to double your storage space. Install a shoe rack and wire baskets in the bottom too.

Wall-to-wall shelving

The classic solution for storage problems is wall-to- wall shelving. Break up the monotony with recesses for your collectables, ornaments and pot plants. The shelves can be of different sizes and strengths according to what you want to store on them.

Freestanding pluses

Freestanding storage units such as desks and worktops, drawers and cupboards can be used as room dividers or as island units. One plus is that you can rearrange the room whenever you feel like a change, or take the units with you when you move on. Built- in cupboards can be tailored to suit your needs but they are permanent fixtures — you’ll need to weigh up the pros and cons of fixed versus freestanding storage units.

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