Tips for a clutter-free Christmas

Christmas is a busy time of year in the home and when rooms are full of presents and extra guests, space can quickly become limited.

The trick is to make space before the decorations, gifts, family and friends arrive, and then enjoy a clutter free Christmas.

Vlatka Lake, marketing manager at self-storage company Space Station, shares her five top tips on how to create more space in your home at Christmas.

1 Remove any furniture you don’t need. It is surprising how much room the things we rarely use can take up. To create more space in the living room or other areas of the home, remove any furniture that you no longer use and put it away in storage.

If you have minimal space in your home, invest in furniture such as dining tables and chairs that can be folded away and brought out when you have additional guests.

2 Utilise space under the bed or cabinets. To create the illusion of more space and to help you stay organised, consider investing in storage boxes that can be kept under the bed, under tables or in drawers around the house. Slimline storage boxes are great for hiding away and keeping items you no longer need out of sight.

If you don’t have space under your bed or tables, look at bringing storage into your decor by stacking decorative boxes and making this a focal point in your room.

3 Have a clear out. We are all guilty of hoarding items that we no longer use and these can take up a lot of space in the home. Be honest with yourself and try to get rid of the items that you know you will never use again. You can give items you no longer need to charity or list them on websites such as Gumtree, eBay or websites such as Freecycle, where you can give away the item for free to those in need.

If you’re struggling to let go, the 12-12-12 challenge is a great way to motivate yourself - simply pick 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate and a further 12 to be returned to their home.

4 Invest in multi-functional interior items. If struggling for storage is a regular occurrence, consider looking at multi-functional interior items such as footstools, sofas or ottomans with built in storage. This will help you create additional storage without adding further items to an already crowded room.

5 Decorate the walls and ceilings. When you have limited space and it is filled with oversized decorations, it can feel cramped and claustrophobic. Limit your decoration to key pieces and look for slimline Christmas trees and smaller trinkets to decorate your room.

If you don’t have much floor space, try hanging your decorations from the ceiling and walls, instead. Drape Christmas lights from the corners of the ceilings, purchase a wall card holder or hang bunting. You can always forgo the Christmas tree all together and hang a simple wreath in your living room or branches in vases, for a more minimalist look.

For more information about Space Station’s storage offering, go to: http://www.space-station.co.uk/household-storage