Charlotte Cook

If you own a beautiful Victorian period home then the chances are that you bought it because you loved the proportions of the building and the original features. When it comes to renovation work it is ideal to preserve and enhance as many of these features as possible to achieve the most aesthetically pleasing result and add value as well. Here are just a few ideas to think about:

If you are buying a house or just doing up your current home then the kitchen is a key room for the whole family. One of the main considerations when viewing the room to decide if you want to buy the property or if you need to make changes has got to be the amount and quality of the storage. 'Where will I put the ironing board?' being a really good question to ask yourself at this point.

In most new modern homes there has been a garage built into the lower floor and living space above on the next two floors. Houses built before that modern style has been introduced quite often had a garage at the end of the drive in the garden. Garages unlike in the past are now very rarely used to house a car which means there is an empty space in most houses that can be put to good use.

In most homes, we tend to need the most space in our kitchens so making sure you're making the most of the storage space you do have is important if you don't have the luxury of a large kitchen.

If your kitchen needs a bit of a makeover, why not brighten up the room with one (or all!) of the following five ideas:

Why you shouldn't feel too daunted by redesigning a room in your new home!