Storage furniture buying guide

Q: I have no room in my living room for storage furniture, where can I hide the clutter?

A: This is where multifunctional furniture comes into its own. A corner sofa can suit smaller rooms as it uses every inch of space, no empty corners – and some of these have hidden storage in the chaise end. You could also buy an ottoman footstool that could serve as extra seating, storage and even a coffee table when needed (using a tray of course). Equally, if you can squeeze one in, consider a trunk coffee table or a coffee table with drawers – a great place to hide all those bits and pieces.

Q: What’s best, storage furniture or fitted storage?

A: Both are good, it depends on what makes most sense for your home. There’s a lot to be said for built-in furniture, but the advantage of storage furniture is that it can move home with you, or can be moved to another room if you decide to change things around (children grow up and families often change the uses of rooms over time). The advantage of semi-fitted wardrobes is that they have the appearance and space-saving properties of fitted wardrobes, but can be sold, or taken with you if you move.

Q: My spare room is filled with mismatched storage furniture, and now it just feels like a dumping ground. How can I clear space to make it into a proper spare room and den without losing storage?

A: There are a couple of options. The first is to be honest with yourself about what you are storing and perhaps throw some stuff out, or store it in a loft or garage instead. Then keep what’s left in your favourite pieces of the storage furniture but with more floor space around it. The second option is to start again with your storage and store everything in coordinated bedroom furniture such as semi-fitted wardrobes or tall chests of drawers. You could invest in a spare bed that has ottoman or drawer storage to make the very most of your space.

Q: My other half is very messy and their side of the bedroom is a nightmare, what storage could help?

A: Make sure your partner has a good, large bedside cabinet with drawers for smaller clutter, and perhaps bookshelves near their side of the bed for bedtime reading, magazines or whatever they keep lying around. If they are still leaving things lying around one solution could be an ottoman chest at the foot of the bed. Just chuck their stuff in to it, and hopefully they’ll know where to look when they’ve lost something again!