Storage

Use wasted areas of your house for more storage - under the stairs, under the bed, under the sofa, under the kitchen units above the picture rail.

Cover shoe boxes with wrapping paper and use them as storage boxes on shelves. Paint wooden fruit boxes and use them under the bed to store shoes etc. Use trunks and boxes as coffee-tables and bed-side tables. Create built in seats & benches with storage underneath.

Room sizes

Make a room look wider by using horizontal lines - such as stripes or pictures aligned in a row.

Make a room look bigger by painting the walls and floor white. Make a room taller by using vertical stripes and removing picture & dado rails. Make a tall room look smaller by adding picture-rails or borders - or use the same color on the ceiling & the floor. Break up large room with furniture or screens.

Carpets

Never use carpets in bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms. Also try to avoid using it in high- trafficked areas.

Patterned carpets will make a space look smaller. In a small house or apartment use the same carpet and floor color throughout.

Ideas for kids rooms

To create a desk use two small chests of drawers (or your old bedside tables) as legs.Use a sheet of hardwood, perspex or laminated board as the desktop.

Use a row of hooks or pegs on the wall to hang toys and bags - or fix a rail under a bookshelf to hang things on. Decorate plastic bins and use them as storage and extra seats.