Designers have realised that storage has to be aesthetically desirable as well as practical to fit the increasing trend for small space living. Most of us have compact homes where storage has to be on display. Whether you have a traditional cottage-style interior or a steel-and-chrome-filled urban apartment, there's a host of solutions to fit any style of room and create an altogether more streamlined effect.

Bathroom design no longer has to consist of simply a bath, shower, sink and loo. The trend now is for streamlining by using units to link each piece together and so creating a built-in look where lotions and potions are stashed neatly out of sight.

In the bedroom, built-in wardrobes with their pigeonholes, racks and drawers make organising your clothes and accessories a dream. But this is a pricey option, so if you don't have the budget, invest in under-the-bed storage on wheels, canvas hanging sweater and shoe shelves and drawer dividers.

If you're short on rail space, opt for a freestanding rail with hanging shelves and storage pockets. You could always disguise the rail with a room divider for a tidier look. And if you have a small budget, look at the sliding door wardrobe option. Stanley has a range of stunning doors that you simply fit over an alcove space or along a wall to create a bank of smart wardrobes.

In the kitchen, fit shelves, racks and pull-out organisers into your existing cupboard space to organise the space more effectively. Instead of tins and foodstuff being lost and forgotten at the back of a shelf, you'll have access to it instantly with a solution such as chrome pull-out larder racks. And you can put wasted space in cupboards to good use by fitting racks to the back of doors and under existing shelving in empty space.

And finally, in the sitting room, look for furniture which has a dual purpose. For instance a coffee table that opens to reveal storage space or a footstool with space inside. And if there's absolutely no space left on the floor, think higher. Use redundant wall space to hang CD holders, magazine racks and audio visual units.