It is used to be that dark no-man's land under the stairs filled with drooping macs and forgotten umbrellas. Now it's brightly lit, cheerful and provides plenty of storage space, behind white louvred doors, and a useful worktop in natural wood for the telephone and family accounts, neatly filed in red trays and drawers. There is a chair for comfort, a mirror and a vase of flowers and a handsome table lamp.