Interiors: Set store by your home

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 onto surfaces, jammed up drawers and crowded corners.

Don’t panic – there’s 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’s little point simply trying to pack everything into already overflowing cupboards or containers.

‘‘Having sufficient cupboards and shelves isn’t enough,’’ Wilson says.

‘‘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 overcrowded rooms.

So ready, get set, store – and choose from a selection of super storage solutions.

REMEDY CLUTTER FEVER

Imagine you’re 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 current storage needs de-cluttering.

Consider new areas that could be utilised for storage, whether it’s 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.

MAKE A QUICK EXIT

THE hallway is a magnet for clutter, but is the very space that it’s 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 smallthrough- to-large storage solutions.

STORAGE STARS: 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.

STORAGE SNIP: Dunelm Mill’s white-painted Cottage collection, three drawer unit, with three roomy baskets beneath, is £129.99.

SHELF STYLE

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.

STORAGE STARS: Most of us are Ikea fans, according to a recent Mintel survey, which revealed a tenth of all furniture bought in the UK comes from its stores. The Billy bookcase is its bestseller, and a group of those, which start from £19 each, could fill an average wall for under £100.

STORAGE SNIP: Muji’s Pulp-Board shelving looks great despite its utility name. It’s £19 for two shelves, and a storage box is £7.95.

SECRET SPACES

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.

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

STORAGE SNIP: 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.

FREE-WHEELING STORAGE

CLUTTER’S 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 open-plan area and making a style statement. It’s also a neat way to create smaller, more intimate places that can be moved at a whim.

STORAGE STAR: Boconcept’s high gloss square Room Divider unit, £1,595, comes in orange for the adventurous or discreet white.

STORAGE SNIP: A chunky Triple Pandanus cube unit, whose frame is covered in chocolate brown pandanus grass, and is laden with baskets, is reduced from £756 to £495 from The Holding Company.

SLEEP & STORE

CLUTTER in the bedrooms isn’t conducive to peaceful nights, but often it’s 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.’’ STORAGE STAR: Milo Oak drawer storage bed, from £695, has four, roomy built-in drawers, from Living Storage. Alternatively, Marks & Spencer’s Michigan storage bed, from £999.

STORAGE SNIP: Marks also has a nifty selection of baskets suitable for any room in the house.

Water hyacinth corner laundry basket, £35, and a white three-tier storage unit, £75.

STORE SMART

EVERYDAY clutter – from coffee cups and magazines to toys – is inevitable, so you need to make it easy to sweep it out of sight.

Coffee tables incorporating storage are a good choice, while side tables with drawers and playful looking toy boxes are a savvy investment for any family home.

STORAGE STARS: Dwell’s square display coffee table, £529, has a glass top so you can see (or display) the contents of the large drawer beneath it.

STORAGE SNIP: The Holding Company scores again with a huge Mendong Box, £98, which can be used as a coffee table or useful storage box.

Lego’s tiny building bricks have morphed into extra-large size storage boxes, from £17 each from STORE, and could encourage a storage habit in the young.

STORAGE SOURCES

Boconcept: boconcept.co.uk

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

Dwell: 0845-675-9090 dwell.co.uk

The Holding Company: 020-8445-2888

theholdingcompany.co.uk

Homebase: 0845-600-2420 homebase.co.uk

Ikea: ikea.com

Living Storage: livingstorage.co.uk

Marks & Spencer: marksandspencer.com

Muji: muji.co.uk

Neville Johnson: 0161-873-8333 nevillejohnson.co.uk

STORE: 0870-224-2660 aplaceforeverything.co.uk ■ Casual Living by Judith Wilson, with photography by Polly Wreford, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £19.99. The book is available for £17.99 (inc p&p) from Macmillan Direct: 01256 302 699.