Built-in storage ideas
Obviously the best way to declutter your life is just that - get rid of it. You can't beat a good clear-out, after all. But for what's left, built-in storage is the way to go, offering a much sleeker and tidier solution than free-standing wardrobes or shelving units. Built-in storage can blend into the walls or become a decorative feature in its own right, but either way, it's highly satisfying to see your stuff disappear behind smooth doors or slot into perfectly designed spaces. Built-ins aren't just for living rooms and bedrooms either - built in pantries are every cook's dream in the kitchen, and can provide much needed extra space in a bathroom too. Scroll down for our favourite bespoke solutions in every room of the house.
Rachel Whiting1/12Maria Speake of Retrouvius brought her usual aplomb with salvaged materials to this flat in the Barbican. She clad the walls and sliding doors in parquet; all the pieces were scrubbed and individually hand-sanded, so that they reflect light in different ways. The doors hide built-in shelving.
James Macdonald2/12Interior designer Diana Sieff has made clever use of space in the attic of her converted Methodist chapel in Oxfordshire. When partitioning off the en-suite, a handy cupboard was built in to the dividing wall.
Elsa Young3/12In Victoria von Westenholz's Battersea cottage, the bedroom has built-in wardrobes with pretty fabric panelling.
Michael Sinclair4/12Two mirrors by William Emmerson from Ralph Pucci hang above the double sinks in this monochrome bathroom from a Shalini-Misra-designed London house. Under the sinks, Shalini has built storage into the units.
Helen Cathcart5/12The main bedroom in designer Paul de Zwart's Kensal Rise home cleverly combines decorative details with storage. A chest of drawers built into the alcove is made from the same material as the wall cladding. The two 'Leggera' chairs from Giò Ponti add colour.
Benjamin Edwards6/12With its clever use of luxurious textures and finishes, Irish interior designer Bryan O’Sullivan’s latest project – a London townhouse owned by longstanding clients – is a treat for the senses. In the dressing room, bespoke joinery designed by Bryan’s studio was clad in shagreen by Simon Orrell Designs.
Michael Sinclair7/12Designer Patrick Williams has carefully transformed an eighteenth-century house in Bath into a welcoming home. In the library on the first floor, the family's Penguin and Pelican books are housed in bookcases made by Patrick, who combined new shelves with Georgian architraves. The rug belonged to his grandparents and survived a Second World War bomb blast.
Michael Sinclair8/12Wardrobes are built into the walls, panelled and painted white in keeping with the rustic charm of this Oxfordshire cottage.
Yuki Sugiura9/12When renovating her London house, Matilda Goad knew she wanted a lot of wardrobe space and something fitted. In order to make the space work, her husband's company, Blockhouse Build, completely moved the original bedroom door to allow an entire wall free for built-in wardrobes. The cane panelled result were Matilda's own design and are painted in the same colour as the walls.
10/12In the bedroom of interior designer Jane Taylor's London flat, smart panelling conceals walls of wardrobes and cupboards: a perfect solution for a small room.
Paul Massey11/12Walk-in wardrobe, meets spare bedroom. Designer Paolo Moschino has created a cosy cabin-bed at the end of the dressing room in this house in Cornwall, which has storage underneath for the client's shoe collection.
Michael Sinclair12/12In the London home of Lady Wakefield built-in bookshelves on either side of the original marble chimneypiece display ceramics from Iran.
