Estate agents should shelve the art direction

Convincing the poor, style-less and dowdy to want to be you and to have your beautifully designed belongings is the latest trick used by estate agents when advising people on how to sell their property.

The technique, ‘shelf-styling’, involves removing all but the finest items from your shelves and blending the design, colour and content of everything from the literature on your bookshelf to the vegetables in your fridge. Designer products, preferably still in their boxes, are a good investment.

The result: a harmonious, attractive life and property that exudes quality. It also helps if you are a poet, apparently.