YOU can never have too much storage at home, butit’s somethingthat a lot of houses and flats lack, and unless you like cluttered living, it’s not something you can do without.

One room where storage is essential is the bedroom. While a walk-in wardrobe is the stuff of dreams, it’s not something most of us have room for.The next best thing is fitted wardrobes, as they provide acres of storage space and can be built into alcoves to make the most of what could be dead space.

Fitted wardrobes are usually made to measure, so use every inch of space, much of which is wasted with free-standing wardrobes. The interiors of fitted wardrobes can be customised with drawers, shelves and hanging space, etc,depending on your needs, so they’re a bespoke storage solution.

The main downside of these wardrobes is the price – they typically cost thousands of pounds from a specialist company, although a local carpenter will often make them for a lot less.

Fitted storage is particularly useful in awkwardly-shaped rooms. In a loft-conversion bedroom,for example, a freestanding wardrobe may not fit, but creating built-in storage under the eaves will maximise the limited space.

If your bedroom already has fitted wardrobes but the doors belong to another decade, simply replace them with more up-todate ones (as long as the wardrobes are fine internally).

Lots of online companies offer standard-sized and made-tomeasure replacement wardrobe (andkitchen)doors, so it’s easy to get a new look for a fraction of the price of new wardrobes.

If a lack of storage in the kitchen is driving you to distraction, consider adding a larder – or a larder unit if your kitchen is on the small side.

Kitchen showrooms and DIY stores have all sorts of clever ways of making more of whatever space you have – including pull-out worktops and shelves/racks, carousels in corner units, drawers within drawers and pop-up knife blocks.

Away from the kitchen, there’s potential to build in storage all over the home. Ideas include an understairs cupboard (if there’s just an understairs space, a carpenter can create a cupboard), freeing up the airing cupboardby having a combi boiler fitted and so getting rid of the hot-water cylinder, window seats that double as storage, stairs that contain drawers, vanity and wall units in bathrooms, and bookshelves and cupboards in alcoves. If you opt for a bespoke home office - even just one under the stairs – the space can be tailor-made for your computer, books, files and more.

Some of the best storage is, of course, a loft or cellar. Cellars are generally easier to access, but can be prone to damp if not tanked.

If you wantto use a loftfor storage and need to access it regularly, fitting a large loft hatch with a built-in ladder will make it much easier. You’ll also need to board the loft, if it’s not already boarded, before storing things there.By using big sheets of chipboard, or chipboard loft boards, which slot together, you can quickly create a very useful storage space.