1. Have wall-to-wall storage units custom designed in sections, so they can be more readily rearranged for a new space if you move or decide to use them elsewhere years later.

2. Ensure your media cabinet has closing doors for when it is not in use. Choose a well-designed solid wood cabinet that will withstand the weight of your electronic gear and that has cut-outs at the back for cords and cables to pass through.

3. Low cabinets and buffet units are a modern take on the traditional sideboard. Low furniture generally is easier on the eye, making it less intrusive in a small space.

4. There’s a surprising amount of storage in a ‘pantry’ style kitchen where the entire kitchen is sited along a single wall. Capitalise on the overhead cupboards for keeping those lightweight seasonal items out of the way, and use the tall side cupboards for cleaning gear or a pantry unit.

5. Even if your bedroom closet isn’t the stuff of dreams – you know, the kind of storage for a hundred pair of shoes, row upon row of dresses and dozens of neatly folded cashmere sweaters – you can squeeze more space into a cupboard by maximising your vertical space and building floor to ceiling.

6. Cupboards are often designed with a 10-15cm ‘toe-kick area’ beneath them. Consider putting a shallow drawer in this space so as not to waste precious storage centimetres.

7. Shoving mess under the bed is a trick kids learn from a very early age. Beat them at their own game by placing plastic-lidded storage tubs or shallow drawers under the bed for them to store away their possessions(minus the dust).

8. Consider the storage needs of all the family. Children accumulate a lot over the years, so make it easy for them to be tidy by providing plenty of cupboards.

9. Do you have a corner shelf or cupboard that’s hard to get into? Consider placing small, lightweight items on a lazy susan carousel so more is easily within your reach.

10. Consider using the underside of the shelves in your kitchen cabinets. Mount a rack or false shelf beneath and you have a place for storing napkins.

11. Are your kitchen cupboards a jumble of pots and pans? Cut out the clatter (and the clutter) by mounting lid racks on the inside of your cupboard or pantry doors.

12. A small appliance cupboard on the benchtop is a great space-saver and keeps everything in one place (any higher and you’re constantly lifting them into position). Include a power point within the cupboard and you won’t need to use extension cords.