More than half of us has at least one unloved room in our home. And, according to a new study by home improvement store B&Q, the spare bedroom is the most neglected space, with more than a third (37 per cent) admitting it is in need of attention.

Used as a dumping ground for excess mess by some, shut off from visitors by others – even simply entering that unloved room leaves nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of house-proud Brits feeling embarrassed. This results, on average, in 16.58sq ft being wasted space per home and nearly 14 million rooms in the UK left ignored or neglected.

A third (33 per cent) said that their unloved room has stopped them from feeling as though their home was complete, and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) confessed that the room in question actually prevented them from enjoying their home.

Property expert Kirstie Allsopp said: “My number one obsession is functioning rooms. You can’t have rooms that are just full of junk. You should be getting 100 per cent use out of your home. “It’s about clearing out and being inventive with stor-age. There’s no need to spend vast sums on rehabil-itation. The key is to keep reassessing the way your home is used, as life changes, and to adjust accordingly.”

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos commented: “In order to feel contained and happy within a living space you need to have a sense of ownership over the look and feel of the room, or a sense of what it does practically. She added: “If this isn’t the case then it’s less likely that one will be able to enjoy that space.”