When you live in a small space, you're always looking for new hidey holes within which to store things in. There are always some pieces of furniture and parts of buildings that can be made to work so much harder once someone puts their mind to it.

The staircase in our house has had many reincarnations. It was originally a lowly broom cupboard, but we opened it out to create a mix of hidden storage in the form of deep cupboards and drawers and open shelving for the TV and books. It then became the focal point of our lounge. 

When you live in a small space it's tempting to squeeze something into every available gap - under the bed, on top of the kitchen units, over the back of the kitchen door. But, if you want to avoid your rooms feeling too cramped, you need to leave space to let them breathe. 

And, although more often than not, handleless styles are contemporary in nature, you can find some more traditional looks if you search hard enough, particularly with the current fifties trend so prevalent.

The latest push to close and automatic close handleless doors are very safe and effective. They also have fewer dust traps and produce a much cleaner, streamlined look, enhancing that feeling of space that you're forever chasing. 

Here are our top tips for helping to make a small home feel more spacious.