If you want to avoid clothes draped over chairs and piles of spare linen and pillows cramping your style, you need to think ahead. As with kitchen planning, it's worth listing what you need to store and working out how much hanging and drawer space is required. Don't forget shoes, bags and luggage, plus books, magazines, photograph albums and even CDs if you want your bedroom to be a bolt hole where you can escape to read or listen to music. If you are starting from scratch, you can opt for fitted furniture or freestanding designs, or a combination of the two. If there are already cupboards in place, a new paint finish and updated interior fittings will help improve the look.

Additional items – a bed-end chest or a multi-drawer cabinet, for example – can also provide crucial extra storage. Think laterally – you don't have to restrict yourself to furniture specifically designed for bedrooms. If space is at a premium in your main living areas, the bedroom may be able to accommodate discreet bookshelves, or even a small desk area. This approach particularly suits guest bedrooms, which can double up as a study or home office.