Storage & Clutter | Your Interior Design Priority
Start With Storage & Clutter
You’ve told me that one of the biggest frustrations with your room is getting clutter under control and working out what storage you actually need.
More storage isn’t always the answer.
When a room constantly feels cluttered, it’s very easy to assume the solution is another cabinet, basket or set of shelves.
But repeated clutter usually points to something deeper.
You may genuinely need more storage. But it could also be that your storage is in the wrong place, difficult to use, or designed for things you no longer need to keep.
Sometimes the problem isn’t a lack of storage at all. It’s that the room is being asked to hold more than it comfortably can.
Don’t tidy the clutter away just yet.
Choose the area of the room that repeatedly becomes untidy.
It might be the coffee table, the dining table, a chair in the corner, the hallway floor or the top of a sideboard.
“What actually ends up here — and why?”Look at what naturally accumulates there before putting anything away.
Bags by the door may mean you need better drop-zone storage. Toys on the floor may mean the existing toy storage is too far away or too difficult for children to use.
Paperwork on the dining table may have very little to do with the dining room at all — it may simply be the easiest available surface.
The clutter itself often tells you exactly what kind of storage the room actually needs.
A clutter problem isn’t always a storage problem.
You’ve identified storage and clutter as the area you most want help with. But when I assess a room as a designer, I wouldn’t automatically start by adding more storage.
A poor layout can create awkward dead zones where things naturally pile up.
Furniture that’s the wrong scale can leave you with too little usable space.
A room without a clear design direction can feel visually cluttered even when it’s actually quite tidy.
And sometimes the real issue is simply that too many different things are competing for attention.
That’s why the next step isn’t buying another storage unit.
It’s working out what’s actually causing the clutter first.
The Designer Room Audit
Something About Your Room Feels Wrong?
Find out what — before you spend another penny trying to fix it.
Look at your room the way a designer would before recommending a single purchase.
I created the 8-Point Designer Room Audit to help you work out what actually needs your attention — rather than spending money fixing the wrong thing.
- Function — Is the room working for the way you live?
- Layout & Flow — Is the furniture positioned well?
- Natural Light — Are you making the most of the light you have?
- Artificial Lighting — Does the room have enough layers of light?
- Storage & Visual Clutter — What actually needs storing?
- Scale & Proportion — Are your pieces the right size for the room?
- Design Direction — Do your furniture and finishes work together?
- Layers & Finishing — What is stopping the room feeling complete?
By the end, you’ll identify your three biggest priorities — and, just as importantly, what not to spend money on yet.
Get The Designer Room Audit — £7 →Instant digital download. Use it on one room now, then repeat the process throughout your home.
Storage should make everyday life easier — not just hide things.
Before buying any new storage, think about where an item is actually used, not simply where there happens to be space for a cabinet.
The best storage usually sits as close as possible to the behaviour it needs to support.
Don’t start with the storage product. Start with the thing that keeps ending up in the wrong place.