There’s a saying that goes something like, ‘possessions will always expand to fill the available space’. We all know the truth of it. No matter how tidy you are, eventually you’ll wish for another wardrobe or an extra room.

Here are some ideas for making the most of the space you already have, without selling everything you own.

INCREASE STORAGE SPACE INDOORS

Life can seem to close down over winter, with everyone huddled indoors. Organising storage reduces lost or muddled possessions. Ideas include:

Installing more vertical shelving to take advantage of wall space. The more you can get up off the floor, the more spacious rooms feel.

Decluttering common dumping grounds, such as cubby holes under stairs. We tend to neglect these hidden spaces, but with some hooks or shelves, a battery-operated light and a few clear storage tubs, the area can become really handy.

Learn to fold or roll linens so they take up less space. Rolling socks, for instance, makes room for more in the sock drawer (especially bulky winter or wellie socks), and rolling towels is a nicer way to keep them organised than folding them.

Put shoe racks or organisers in wardrobes in closets. With plastic tower drawers you can practically double your bedroom storage space, and since they’re hidden in the closet it doesn’t really matter if they don’t go perfectly with your decor.

CREATE PLAY AREAS

During the colder months, children are less likely to be outside playing in the garden. Small children need supervising, and it’s easier when everything is in one place, or you’ve made a special space for safe play activities.

Creating more floor area in a child’s bedroom gives you some extra space to play with. If kids are old enough, consider raised beds so you have the desk or wardrobe space or drawers under the mattress. You no longer need extra furniture for clothes or toy storage, and have more floor area for playing games or just jumping around in.

You could try building a ‘quiet corner’ for reading or relaxing by fitting book shelves around a corner and providing a bean bag for lounging. Or use the additional space for a Wendy house or a pop up tent, a dressing up box or extra desk space for older kids.

If you like children playing where you can see them, organise dedicated drawers where you keep play things. Storage furniture, or just a shelf in a sideboard or cabinet helps keep stuff in one place and makes tidying up faster. It might even persuade kids to help with clearing away toys and games. 

TAKE A SEASONAL APPROACH 

Short of extending the house or selling up and moving, it can be tough trying to find extra space for growing lists of possessions.

If you can’t fit your jumpers in the drawers because they’re full of T-shirts, or your light summer things are tangled up with winter coats and boots, it’s time to rethink.

Some people are catching on to the seasonal approach to storage. During summer, they put winter things in a self storage unit, and vice versa, keeping at home only the things they’re using. Winter storage would include things like the lawn mower and barbecue, along with winter clothes and summer garden furnishings or toys.

Rotating possessions like this not only makes room for things in use and keeps items not in use in good condition, it has another benefit: when you reclaim items from self storage, they seem new and fresh again. It’s surprising how you can re-fall in love with items you thought you were bored with when you don’t see them for a few months. In this respect, self storage more or less pays for itself as you won’t want to replace older items with new all the time.

Finding or making additional space can involve a bit of sideways thinking. Keeping things as simple as possible usually works best, but if you do decide on a more ambitious storage project, make a plan first to decide how, where, purpose and use. Installing shelves where they’re not needed, for instance, will just make an extra area for clutter, instead of solving a clutter problem elsewhere.