Home improvements

From smart storage solutions, to multi-use furniture – whether you’re getting your home ready for sale, or just tidying things up a bit before spring rolls around, there are some great tools out there to help you de-clutter your space. This month, Rupert Oliver of Rupert Oliver Property Agents gives us some tips and tricks for making sure your home stays smart...

Tidy space, tidy mind, tidy profit; it’s always nice to have an organised home, but when you’re getting yours ready for sale, it’s essential. First impressions really do count, and a buyer should feel like they’ve walked into a calm and tidy oasis – if they’re tripping over shoes in the corridor, you might not be off to a great start.

Clever space

When it comes to successful storage systems, there are options for homes of all shapes and sizes, so it’s important to consider what would suit the space available to you. When you’re working with a small space, making proper use of the walls is a great way to start your organisational journey; built-in, floor-to-ceiling shelving, for example, is a bespoke route that will ensure not a scrap goes to waste. In a similar vein, you might opt for a mounted storage unit without legs to increase square footage (that way you’ll get the benefits of storage without losing out on floor space). Or perhaps a wall-mounted rack to stow larger items, like your bicycle, up-upand-away.

In the kitchen, hang your pots and pans on hooks beneath your cupboards to double storage potential. In the bedroom, use an over-the-door shoe rack on the wardrobe to clear away any corridor clutter. It’s also a good idea to invest in storage solutions that do two jobs for the price of one. An ottoman, for instance, gives you somewhere comfortable to sit while doubling up as a place to store living room knick-knacks.

Dormant storage space can often be upcycled into something a little more useful too. Take the ‘cloffice’ – aka, an office in a closet. With the use of a few well-placed shelves and a micro desk, many WFH-ers have made the most of wasted space by transforming it into miniature offices. Think a little outside the box, and you’ll have a tidy home in no time.

Optical illusions

Sometimes, no matter how finely tuned the storage system, your home can still feel cramped; but there are ways and means to create the illusion that you and your guests are swimming in space. A well-placed mirror can double the appearance of a room in seconds; using light shades of paint on the ceilings is another neat, optical trick to have up your sleeve: a pale coloured ceiling will seem further away – and the room larger as a result.

Another tactic to keep a space feeling fresh and open is to bring the outdoors, in – and houseplants are a great way to go about the task. Adding some greenery gives a room a pop of vibrant, natural colour, the mood-boosting effect of which is not to be underestimated. As an added bonus, plants have an active effect on the quality of air in a room: increasing the humidity of a space (through a process called evapotranspiration, for the curious), they’re great at balancing out dry air created by central heating systems. Those without the gift of green fingers can still reap the aesthetic benefits of the houseplant: simply pick up a fake, and your visitors will be none the wiser.

• rupertoliver.co.uk; 14 Waterloo Street, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4BT