by Caroline Harmon

Created on: February 17, 2010

Wouldn’t it be great if our homes magically grew as the number of possessions we have also grew? Whilst this house only exists in our dreams there are things you can do to make your home feel bigger. Start with this three-step plan.

Begin by clearing the existing clutter out of your rooms and making it hard for it to return. Spending an hour throwing away and organising lots of clutter can be very satisfying. Unfortunately, many of us have the odd clearing frenzy only to find that within a few weeks the junk just builds up again. So we need to also plan for our future needs.  

For example, if you have a set of shelves that are bulging with books and more books sitting on the floor in front of it, don’t just reduce the number of books so that they fill the shelves perfectly. Instead, go far enough in your clear out efforts that you create some spare shelf space for books you might buy in the future.

If you have a build up of mail don’t just clear it up. Get a box or shelf to store it in or on in the future. Think about more efficient ways of getting letters from the mailbox to either the bin or the place you want to store them. Determine to do this at the same time each day or each week to make sure you keep on top of things.

Secondly, make the most of the storage space which you will be using for the clutter you’ve just cleared up. Schedule in your diary regular clear outs of cupboards and other storage areas: try six-monthly to start with and see how it goes. It’s amazing how much space you can create just by periodically rearranging what is in those areas. Ask yourself the following questions about your storage space:

Are you using all the space available to you? For instance, could you put shelves in a cupboard to make use of all the height? Could you get smaller boxes into nooks and crannies that are currently empty?Are items stored according to how often you use them and closest to the part of the house you use them in? For instance, if you only use an item annually then put it behind an item you use weekly which is in the same cupboard. So the artificial Christmas tree goes behind the ironing board and the suitcases for your summer holiday go behind the vacuum cleaner. Rearranging things in this way might not literally give you more space, but your home will feel more spacious if the things you need most often are the easiest to put your hands on when you want them.

Finally, experiment with the way in which the

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>