De-clutter to free up much-needed storage space

Every house has its weak spot, that place where the odds and ends of domestic life gather, says Carol O’Callaghan.

It might be one end of the kitchen table or, in my case, a run of worktop which is the first piece of flat surface I encounter when I walk into the kitchen.

Everything lands on it — keys, post, purse, bills, shopping— and stays there. Even friends coming for a visit automatically gravitate to the spot with their bottle of wine.