| ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT | | | | books neat, their colourful spines create a quirky |
| Why move when you can improve? There are lots of | | | | display, too. Add even more impact by extending the |
| reasons to extend, whether you want to create more | | | | shelving around door frames. |
| space, add value to your home or just love the area in | | | | 'How you place your reading material on shelves |
| which you live. 'The increasing cost and hassle of | | | | makes a big difference, too,' says Maria Speake, |
| moving combined with uncertainty in the property | | | | interior designer and co-owner of architectural salvage |
| market makes staying put an attractive prospect,' | | | | and design business Retrouvius. 'Colour-coding spines |
| says Hugo Tugman, co-founder of Architect Your | | | | is a great way to calm the potentially messy |
| Home. 'Many properties have untapped potential, and | | | | appearance of a library. Start with darker shades at |
| renovations can make a home more enjoyable to live | | | | the bottom and fade the colours up. Another idea is to |
| in as well as adding to its market value.' | | | | let them breathe by breaking up the rows with a |
| BE AREA AWARE | | | | painting or vase.' |
| Before you plan that extravagant extension or costly | | | | Alternatively, pile books high to create a striking, as well |
| conversion, it's crucial to talk to a local estate agent to | | | | as space-saving display. To keep a tall stack stable, |
| find out what renovations are popular in your area. | | | | invest in Minottiitalia's classic Ptolomeo shelf, which |
| Every street has a ceiling value so don't over develop | | | | supports your tower of tomes invisibly. 'At home, |
| if you want to see a good return on your investment. | | | | we've adapted one to go from floor to ceiling,' says |
| RESEARCH FIRST | | | | Polly Dickens, creative director of The Conran Shop. 'It |
| 'If your area is full of young professionals, | | | | looks like the stack of books is holding the ceiling up!' |
| family-friendly extensions are not the way to go,' says | | | | Decorative storage in bedrooms and bathrooms |
| Michael O'Flynn of Find a Property 'Ask agents for | | | | Bespoke storage comes into its own in bedrooms and |
| examples of extended properties they've sold and | | | | bathrooms, where space is often limited, yet there are |
| how much they went for.' has access to the Land | | | | dozens of items that need to be stashed away. Add |
| Registry's sold prices info, plus properties currently on | | | | interest to built-in cupboards by leaving some shelves |
| the market. 'Plan wisely and you'll add more value than | | | | open, and paint or illuminate the insides to highlight |
| the amount spent,' adds Tugman | | | | pretty bottles and jars. Glam up doors with a coloured |
| Decorative Storage in a kitchen diner | | | | lacquer finish, revamp them with wallpaper or, as Maria |
| How you arrange your storage has a lot to do with | | | | Speake suggests, wrap them in beautiful fabric for a |
| the hierarchy of your possessions,' says Mark Garside. | | | | chic alternative to a feature wall. |
| 'Some things are worth showing off; others should be | | | | 'For a really personal touch, get a printing company to |
| tucked away.' The right shelving or cupboards can help | | | | transfer your own image onto MDF, then lacquer it,' |
| make a feature of their contents, and, while you may | | | | says interior designer and design consultant Shaun |
| not want to keep your cornflakes on view, there's | | | | Clarkson. You can get this done at Concorde |
| plenty of kitchen paraphernalia that deserves to be | | | | Graphics. |
| displayed. ' | | | | Vintage finds are also ideally suited to these spaces. |
| Grouping objects of the same type makes more of an | | | | Sidestep the expected by choosing interesting pieces |
| impact than when they're on their own,' says Lori | | | | and using them in unusual places. A stack of battered |
| Pinkerton-Rolet, chair of the British Interior Design | | | | suitcases or school-style trunks are roomy enough for |
| Association. 'Think piles of crockery, whether vintage | | | | piles of spare linen, and if you're neater than a |
| or modern, and even the simplest glassware seems to | | | | Benetton shop assistant when it comes to folding up |
| sparkle more when arranged en masse.' | | | | your jumpers, glass-fronted vintage shop fittings are a |
| Although fitted units tend to be the norm, freestanding | | | | great way of storing clothes. |
| furniture, such as a bombe chest or antique armoire, | | | | A second-hand filing cabinet is ideal for stashing |
| add glamour to an otherwise sleek kitchen. 'For a | | | | bathroom necessities, or line the drawers with pretty |
| homespun feel, use vintage or wooden crates as | | | | paper and use it to keep lingerie in order. You can also |
| shelving,' suggests interior designer Suzy Hoodless. | | | | get old furniture sprayed at a car body shop. |
| 'They're easy to move and add to, making them very | | | | 'Spray-painting a cabinet or Louis-style piece with a |
| versatile.' | | | | high-gloss finish will immediately update it,' says Karen |
| Decorative Storage in Living Spaces | | | | Murray, head of merchandising at Selfridges. 'Changing |
| Media storage is the main requirement in most living | | | | handles is an easy way to make a piece individual.' |
| spaces and, while CDs and DVDs are best tucked | | | | And why not reincarnate reclaimed luggage racks as |
| behind closed doors, books in all their forms can | | | | towel rails? Mount high above a bathroom door and |
| become part of your overall scheme. Line an entire | | | | stack bath sheets in the otherwise redundant space, |
| wall with a built-in bookcase as, not only will this keep | | | | or fix lower and hang hand towels on it. |