THE kitchen is the most frequently used room in the home.

It's where many of us eat, entertain, watch TV, study and even work from home.

We are constantly looking for ways to make the space work harder for us.

With clever tricks and planning, we can often gain extra space without having to invest in a whole new kitchen.

Look at your kitchen objectively. If you're thinking of selling, put yourself in a prospective buyer's shoes.

How often do you hear of people not buying the house because they're put off by the idea of having to put in a new kitchen? Quite often we can give an old kitchen an updated look by changing door handles, replacing the work surface, or a new floor.

Look at your lighting. The addition of recessed low voltage lighting can really give the room a boost.

Go for light colours on the walls and a window dressing such as a blind to maximise the natural light in the room.

Having a well-organised, efficient kitchen can make all the difference to your culinary enjoyment. Even the worst cooks will agree that preparing food is far less annoying when you can actually find all the items you need.

Stop hoarding - clear out your clutter! Get rid of all those gadgets and pots you never use.

To start with, empty all your cabinets and drawers, then group items together according to where in the kitchen they are used. For example, keep pots and pans close to the cooker and have basic food ingredients close to your food preparation area.

Pots and pans take up a lot of space, so go for a decorative rack to hang them from. Store their lids in shallow bins fixed to unit doors. Avoid stacking and invest in stepped shelving for inside your unit.

Make the most of corner units.

Make your kitchen space look bigger by clearing away items on your work surfaces. In a small kitchen, consider moving appliances, like the fridge or washing machine, to the garage.

If you're replanning the whole room or just a small area, there are three steps to follow:

1) Take measurements, including distances around windows, doors and alcoves. Always work in millimetres as unit and appliance manufacturers work in millimetres.

2) Draw up a scale plan of your room on graph paper. Note down the position of power points, switches, gas supply doors etc.

3) Make a list of all the appliances or storage that you want. Do you need a dining area, or a larger oven?

Take all three things with you when you visit kitchen suppliers - it will help you to get the most from the service they offer.

Remember, the work triangle idea states that the three most used items in the kitchen - the cooker, sink and fridge - should be close together, ideally in a triangular arrangement, so that you don't have too far to walk between them.

And finally, if you are selling, give your kitchen a really good spring clean. Nothing is worse than the thought of having to scrub someone else's oven - you never know, it may just give your house the edge over another, dirtier, one.

For details of a full House Doctor Service, contact the design team at Honeysuckle Interiors, Oakley, on 01256 780831 or visit the website honeysuckleinteriors.co.uk