Organizing what you keep

We talk a lot about de-cluttering here (because I believe it is crucial to becoming more organized).  However, a reader suggested I talk a little about what to do with the things you keep. 

Here are a few ways to organize the stuff you keep:

• If you are going to have piles, give them a purpose.  For instance, if you have an abundance of books and lack of shelves, stack the books against the wall or on top of a entertainment center.  Use attractive bookends or place an object on top to make the pile purposeful and decorative.
• Cleverly hide things.  I have long table in my living room, covered with fabric that matches the rest of my decor.  The fabric cleverly disguises the filing boxes I keep under that table.  Then I use the top of the table for a command center and some decorative touches.
• Contain little stuff.  Have an attractive basket for the TV remotes, a pretty container for pen, etc.  There are so many cute boxes to store things in that there is no excuse for clutter to be sitting out. 
• Hang it up.  Get some hooks or some shelves/cabinets (I love yard sale finds made new with a coat of spray paint).  Keep things off the floor by utilizing wall space for storage.
• Make storage pull double duty.  If you have a bench for kids to take off their shoes, buy a bench that opens up for storage.  These make great places to store extra bedding for guests, out of season shoes/gloves, etc.  We adapted a large two drawer file cabinet as an entertainment stand in our living room. Holds all our DVD’s out of sight and the other drawer holds the kid’s craft supplies.  A former bedside table is in our entryway, perfect for holding shoes and a drawer for our keys.  Think outside the box and make your storage solutions work for you!

What are some ways you organize the things you keep in your home?