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Stow what you need — where you need it — by adding storage all around the house.

A place for everything and everything in its place, or so goes the old saying. The problem is that you probably have too many things and not enough closets or cabinets to put them in. The solution? Furniture with built-in storage to help keep things tidy in every room of the house. These tips will get you started.

Store more!

• Use a decorative box on a coffee table to hold the remote, or stack several large boxes on the floor to hold papers, files, photographs or magazines.
• Furniture meant for other rooms of the house can often blend seamlessly into a living room. Try a chest of drawers, for instance, and let each family member lay claim to a drawer.

Take note

• Spend a week observing where clutter accumulates in your house. Then decide what types of storage pieces you need and where.

Clutter crisis #1
My living room is a dumping ground.
Books, toys, remote controls — the biggest mess is almost certainly found in whichever room gets the most traffic. To control the chaos, select tables, consoles and cabinets with plenty of shelves and drawers.

• Keep surfaces clean and clear.
  Seek out a coffee table with built-in drawers. It keeps your stuff in order and provides the perfect place for everything from pens to superhero action figures.
• Tuck away items you don’t often use.
  Turn an accent table into a storage solution. If your sofa is also a guest bed, use an ottoman to store blankets, an alarm clock and other items a visitor might need.
• Thwart pile-ups.
  Keep your collection of All You back issues from looking messy with a simple rack.

Clutter crisis #2
All I want is a little place just for me!
Forget about a room of one’s own — most women would settle for a piece of furniture where they can sit, put on makeup or write a note with personal items close at hand. Use small trays and boxes to organize the space inside. Add more storage with a rolling file cabinet that’s small enough to slide underneath.

• Provide easy access.
  Whether you use it for your makeup or your laptop, a lift-up compartment in a vanity is handy, and gives the piece just the slightest touch of femininity.
• Store more!
  Look for an armoire with a built-in desk that either slides out or pulls down for extra storage. To maximize stowing capacity, couple the vanity with a storage ottoman.

Clutter crisis #3
There’s no more room in my kitchen.
Pots, pans, dishes, bowls, utensils, plus the many small appliances that seem to multiply — it’s no wonder that storage in the kitchen is at a premium. Survey the premises and find a way to use every square inch.

• Store more!
  Install a peg board on the back of a kitchen door.
  If your kitchen is short on built-in cabinets, an armoire might solve your storage problems.
• Think small.
  Even a diminutive table can serve many purposes, providing roomy drawers as well as a spare work surface. Add hooks to the side for hanging dish towels.

Clutter crisis #4
Piles of clothing have made our bedroom chaotic instead of comforting.
The bedroom offers many opportunities for storage, which is lucky, since there are so many things we need to house there. Find room for clothes, then make sure you have space for jewelry and mementos, plus whatever you like to have on hand next to the bed.

• Integrate storage into the bed.
  Place a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed.

Clutter crisis #5
I can barely get in (or out) the door.
The trick is to find a neat and organized way to keep necessities (backpacks, purses) in the entryway to speed up the morning exodus.

• Try an all-in-one solution.
  Look for a bench with a high back that offers storage space inside, plus hooks on the high back.
• Store more!
  Provide an easily accessible place for outerwear. A row of pegs is one remedy, or try an old-fashioned coat stand.

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