We all know someone who is hard to buy for. It can be tricky to find the ideal birthday or Christmas gift for the person who has everything, but the problem this kind of person has is not a lack of a particular item, but how to organise and store all the gadgets they do have. When you have everything you could possibly need it can be quite hard to find the thing you actually want.

Shelves may sound boring but they don’t have to be. A good solution can be attractive as well as functional and it can make a huge difference not only to someone’s ability to find what they need quickly and without fuss, and to the look and feel of the room. There is nothing like a huge pile of cardboard boxes to make a space seem cramped and unattractive.

Storage doesn’t have to mean a plastic tub or plain book shelves. These days there are a huge range of innovative products designed to make the best use of any space, from a flat wall to a corner, underneath a staircase or on top of a wardrobe. Some are built along classic lines with varnished or raw wood, some are brightly coloured and made with chrome and plastic. Whatever your loved one’s style is, there will be shelving and racking to match.

For extra effect try and install the gift before giving it. It’s hard to make a flat-pack look impressive even with the biggest bow and brightest wrapping paper. The recipient may not be too excited straight away but they’ll soon realise that a good storage system was the best gift they could have hoped for.