Space is always at a premium in London. Whether you’re a landlord or a homeowner, it’s in your interest to squeeze every last bit of useable space out of your home. If you’re renting your property out, it upgrades your property, making it sleeker, more modern, more attractive and crucially more valuable. It could even see you upgrading another room into bedroom, and being able to charge it as a three or four bed home rather than a two or three bed. As well getting you more money in your pocket month on month, this could mean the difference between providing a home for a group of students or young professionals who are typically less than careful with how they care for a property, and a family who will treat your house as a home.

Of course, if you own your own home, the benefits are no lesser. When you come to sell, building in sophisticated storage methods can add to the value of your property on the market, as well as making your life easier. Some well designed doors and shelving can turn an alcove that was a mere relic of the house’s original floorplan when you moved in, into an attractive pantry that could turn a buyer’s head, and that’s just the start.

Designers, architects and home owners have recently been looking for inspiration in living spaces that have been forced to make a virtue of limited space for centuries now: canal boats. With more than 10,000 people living on house boats in London, including, at times, celebrities like Keira Knightley and David Suchet, the time is ripe to bring some of the techniques to maximise storage onboard ship ashore to benefit the majority.

Galley kitchens are just the start of it. An architect in East London has begun a trend for bespoke, interlocking furniture allowing you to fold out tables when you need then and stow them safely when they’re in the way, as well as fitting in storage in every nook and cranny, allowing the extension to work as accommodation and office at the same time, and making sure every surface can be used for multiple purposes.

With the burden on the London property market only increasing, we’re going to need more inventive solutions drawn from the waterways to make sure everyone can find a home.

If you’re struggling with space and need some temporary relief, try https://www.bystored.com/. They’ll collect your possessions for free and keep them secure until you book a time for them to be returned.