Top shelves
If you’re short of storage, those hard-to-reach spaces, such as the tops of shelves, will need reappraising. “There are always opportunities to maximise the space you have,” says interior designer Sarah Brown. Think of the unused space above a wardrobe: the instinct might be to dump suitcases or ugly plastic storage boxes there. “Instead, consider using pretty rattan baskets,” Brown says. “Pentreath & Hall sells a lovely collection of willow and seagrass baskets which could happily house smaller items that you don’t need to hand all year round. Or Toast’s Hogla baskets are a more affordable option.”
The top of kitchen cabinets is another space that’s prone to gathering dust and mismatched Tupperware. Brown suggests you curate these spaces as you would your mantelpiece or bookshelves. “I would opt for a group of similar items, such as earthenware vases, vintage jugs or glassware in varying sizes or similar colours, rather than a random selection of objects,” she says, “as they will have more impact.” Brown’s go-to vessel is the vintage confit pot: “I love the mustard yellow colour and the weathered look of them,” she says. Tallboy Interiors always has a good selection, as does The Confit Pot.
sarahbrowninteriors.com
The empty corner
“In my bathroom, there is a blue-painted wooden chair I found at a market in Spain,” says designer Matthew Williamson. “It’s handy for a towel, shampoo and soap dish, but I also sit one of my cordless, portable brass Phileas lamps on it – it completely transforms the atmosphere of the room.”
The idea is particularly effective in kitchens and bathrooms, which tend not to get the same level of decorative attention as, say, living rooms or bedrooms. “A nice chair, a portable lamp, a shell or a piece of coral together could change the whole feel of a bathroom,” Williamson says.
Throughout his home, he has mastered the art of creating what he calls “treasured vignettes” – movable assemblages of precious possessions that enliven awkward, unused corners. In a narrow hallway, he has added a slim wooden shelf above the radiator. “This acts as a holding station for things on their way in or out of the house: keys, coins and post. I’ve clad the wall above the shelf with mementoes and framed artwork and photos I’ve accumulated on my travels, which would otherwise collect in a drawer. They bring the space to life and add personality to a bare wall.”
To create these moments in your own home, Williamson suggests gathering a few things that you love. Affordability and creativity is key: the idea is to work with what you have and what has meaning for you. “It can be a branch from the garden, or a picture or photograph perched on the seat of a chair,” he says. “You’ll find you can get quite a lot of joy out of those very simple manoeuvres.”
Go to matthewwilliamson.com for hand-sourced vintage and antique items, lighting and homeware
Unused fireplaces
These take up a lot of dead space, particularly in period properties. You could, of course, fill them with dusty dried flowers or a cluster of unused pillar candles, but interior designer Beata Heuman has a much smarter suggestion. The hearth, mantle and surround in her daughter’s bedroom had been ripped out, leaving a deep, gaping hole in the wall. Heuman worked with her builder to create a bespoke set of drawers, set back into the recess and protruding only 10cm into the room. Alternatively, a freestanding piece of furniture or simple shelves could fill the recess. “It looks sweet, and preferable to just piling up a load of books and magazines. If you still have the surround, you can always hang a mirror above it and place a few candles on the mantelpiece, too.”
Another tried-and-tested idea is to install a squat, cast-iron radiator in the void. “Radiators are best under a window, but if you’re short of space this is a fun alternative that plays on the idea of the fireplace as a heat source.” Paint the back of the fireplace one bright colour and the radiator another: “You want to draw attention to it and make it a focal point in the room.”
Every Room Should Sing by Beata Heuman is out now (Rizzoli)
Under the stairs
That angular space under the stairs is often used as a dumping ground for shoes, coats and bags, but presenter and interior designer Micaela Sharp has a simple idea for making much better use of it: build shelves and a bench to turn it into a reading nook. Custom joinery will get around the issue of awkward angles and tight spaces, Sharp says, and if you handle the upholstery yourself, you can choose your own textiles to suit the design. “People often assume bespoke upholstery is expensive, but a rectangular back board and box cushion are small projects that can be tackled without a professional.”
If bespoke joinery is beyond your budget, Sharp suggests this simple Ikea hack: “A standard Kallax shelving unit, customised with a long, upholstered cushion (try fabric from Haines Collection, which diverts unwanted stock from landfill; Poodle & Blonde; or Imogen Heath), becomes a beautiful bench complete with shoe storage. Adding a matching backrest elevates the piece another step,” she says, and putting in task lighting will ensure that the space remains functional even in the evening.
Micaela Sharp’s A Complete Guide to Modern Upholstery course is available from createacademy.com
The front doorstep
“Your front doorstep is a vital first impression,” says interior and garden designer Nicola Harding. “It is the greeting you extend to others, and your first taste of homecoming.” But how do you transform a dumping ground for dead leaves and damp trainers into an enticing entrance? First, think of greenery. “Potted plants will dress and define the entrance to your home,” Harding says. “Choose containers that are generous in size for maximum impact, and include scented plants to welcome guests and lift your spirits when you arrive home. Try Daphne odora and Sarcococca for a wonderful winter scent, and Nicotiana alata is hard to beat for summer perfume. Bronzino is a great source of handsome, well-sized planters.”
Lighting is also key, Harding says. “There is often quite a lot of light spilling out of the house, so outdoor lighting can be kept to a minimum. If you have steps, consider installing discreet side lights to give them a gentle glow. A single, beautiful wall lantern can transform your entrance (try gardentrading.co.uk or originalbtc.com).”
If you have space around your front door, a bench to the side feels generous and welcoming, Harding says. “It might be a useful place to perch while removing muddy boots – or to pause, drink in hand, while soaking up the last of the day’s sun.” You could even consider adding a porch canopy. “It gives a front door more presence and creates shelter while finding your keys or locking up,” Harding says. (Bear in mind that this is something you will need to commission an architect to help you design and, where necessary, secure planning permission.)
Finally, Harding suggests investing in a good door knocker. “It’s an opportunity to add a punch of personality. There are some fabulous vintage and antique ones – try antiquedoorknockers.co.uk.”
Landings
For designer Maria Speake – one half of reclamation and design duo Retrouvius – landings are spaces that, given some thought, can enhance the lives of those who pass through them. Best of all, you don’t even have to do anything to them.
“If you’re doing building work, I always suggest trying to make the landing bigger,” Speake says. “Everyone is obsessed with making bedrooms bigger, but actually it’s the generosity of those neutral spaces that makes a house feel comfortable.”
Speake’s advice is to borrow as much natural light as you can: “If you’re able to put in a roof light above, that will make a huge difference to the atmosphere of the space. If not, I’d suggest half-glazing the doors that lead off the landing. If you’re twitchy about privacy, you can always add a lightweight curtain.”
A well-lit, relatively spacious landing can also provide the ideal location to indulge a hobby, Speake suggests. For example, a sewing table, writing desk or music stand in front of a window will remind you to complete that project or practise a musical instrument.
If you live with small children, the landing can provide an intermediary space between bath and bed. “If you have room, a small two-seat sofa and a shelf of books works well. Kids love landings: if there are books there, I bet you’ll find them reading on their tummies or using the steps as a seat.”
Landings are, by their very nature, transitory. “They can be visually unrestful,” Speake says. “There are often several doors leading off them, so sometimes we create jib doors – frameless doors that sit flush with the wall and are often without hardware, so that you can’t immediately see the door. Without distracting doorways, the focus can be on a beautiful artwork or piece of furniture instead.”
retrouvius.com
Double-height ceilings
High ceilings create drama, but they also gobble up a lot of space. If your floorplan is tight but your headroom is overgenerous, a mezzanine level is one way to create additional usable space. Designer Pearl Lowe has commissioned a carpenter to build a triangular sleeping platform in the eaves of her double-height living room in East Sussex. The 1940s bungalow has one upstairs bedroom and two bedrooms on the ground floor, but “with four children who all have boyfriends and girlfriends,” Lowe says, “we never have enough space for everyone to stay here.”
The mezzanine will give them room to expand. “At the moment it is a dead space with a small internal window that overlooks the living room. Our carpenter is going to create a hatch in the floor and a ladder so that we have a super-cosy space for teenagers to come and stay.” Lowe plans to create a luxe hunting-lodge aesthetic: the space will be clad in reclaimed floorboards and decorated with sheepskin rugs, antique lamps and taxidermy.
She has also made use of dead double-height space in one of the bedrooms, building in storage above the wardrobes that follows the line of the eaves. “We did something similar in our previous house, only that was for our collection of books. A carpenter created a bookshelf that ran up the side of the stairs and continued into a nook on the landing. There was a window at the top of the stairs, so it created this really inviting view as you came in through the front door.”
Faded Glamour By the Sea by Pearl Lowe is out now (Cico)
