Interior design: The room planner

To keep tools in their place, my workshop guru suggests mounting a large plywood board on the wall; suspending or balancing tools on strategically placed nails; then drawing an outline around each tool with a marker pen. You'll then be able to see at a glance where each tool lives and, most importantly, what's missing. This trick is ideal for keeping tabs on teenage boys let loose in the workshop. Alternatively, have a look at Seton's tool storage panel kits (£70.90).

Having sufficient tool boxes and tool cabinets is essential to running an orderly system. Leon likes Tool-Up's versatile, galvanised rolling workshop (£116.09) and the Sealey eight-drawer chest (£218.51).

Group tools by type: keep all power tools in one place and, apparently, the more drawers you have for small bits (nails, screws, washers and bolts etc), the merrier. It seems the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle applies in the workshop. Tools and equipment should either be stored at chest height, or at eye level; anything left lying at your feet will be overlooked and won't get used as regularly. Consider Index's tool cabinets (from £150).

Of Leon's clever storage tricks, one of my favourites costs nothing, is environmentally friendly and makes life easy. Gather a collection of discarded clear glass jars in varying sizes, complete with metal (not plastic) lids. Nail the lids in a row to the underside of a wooden shelf, then appoint each jar for a specific small bit, anything from nails to pencils, markers and chalk. The contents of each jar will be clearly identifiable and easy to reach.

Don't forget to make use of the ceiling if your workshop has sufficient head height. Use metal or wooden beams to store long, awkward objects such as floorboards, extra lengths of wood or piping.

Good general lighting is vital, along with a quality task light like the Chronos dustproof halogen lamp, pictured below, (£44.95). Illuminating dark corners helps to avoid mess and clutter as the latter are magnets for discarded grease rags and the like.

Proper ventilation is another must: with paint and petrol fumes in the air, a fan aimed towards the open door or window will help suck fresh air in, and blow fumes out. Tool Supplies has a selection of industrial, high-velocity fans from £45.20. Rubber workshop matting helps to keep the workshop clean and is ideal if you're working with fluids.

Of course this column wouldn't be complete without some aesthetic tips. If your workshop doubles as the garden shed and clusters of straight-handled garden tools always accumulate in the corners and along the walls, make a free-standing tool rack from reclaimed timber. I like the look of one featured in Moira and Nicholas Hankinson's Recycle! (Kyle Cathie £16.99) one of my favourite eco DIY guides. The book has several projects that are ideal for a workshop, such as using unwanted trellis as wall and ceiling racks. By adding hooks to the securely fixed trellis, tools and workshop items are easy to see and reach.

PRACTICAL TIPS: