STORAGE STORIES

Faced with cluttered rooms and overflowing cupboards, four homeowners found smart solutions to help them get more organised

'CLOTHES HAD TAKEN OVER THE BEDROOM'

Their Georgianstyle house was built in the 1980s and was in need of refurbishment by the time Roísín and her fiancé Max moved in. The main bedroom was always untidy, not helped by an ugly mirrorfronted wardrobe with sliding doors, with contents that were hard to see and an interior that was awkward to use,' explains Roísín.

THE FIX 

Roísín and Max have busy jobs and wanted to transform their bedroom into a tranquil retreat to relax in after long days in the office. "The key was to create organised storage with the right amount of hanging space and shelving, so it was easy to find our clothes and shoes, and we didn't feel overwhelmed by clutter,' says Roísín. I also wanted a dressing table, with space for make-up and a hair dryer.'

The couple began by clearing out their clothes and reviewing how much hanging space they needed. 'We also looked at the length of our clothes, because too much room for a few long dresses and coats would simply have meant wasted space,' Roísín says. Approaching John Lewis of Hungerford to make the classic Shaker-style furniture they had in mind, they opted for three double wardrobes, with shelves, drawers and short and long hanging space.

The neat built-in dressing table includes drawers for make-up and hair dryer attachments, while the Carrara marble top has a cut-out niche to accommodate the cord for the hair dryer. Painted in a gentle grey, the furniture has a calm elegance. It looks beautiful and the room feels so much more serene for being quietly organised,' adds Roísín.

'THE LIVING ROOM WAS UNLOVED'