here’s a reason I’m on a first-name basis with the people at my local container store – I live part-time in a cozy Manhattan apartment. And as much as I love giving things away, the minute I toss it, I know I’ll need it. So how does a lifelong saver conquer clutter? Be creative, be organized and find space everywhere – over doors, under tables, in unused corners, even on the ceiling.

Foyer/Living Room
Stop clutter at the door. Slide boots under an entry bench; hang coats on wall racks; stow umbrellas into French flower pails. Drop junk mail into a trashcan slid under a foyer table.

Group related items together in tote baskets that tuck neatly under tables, on shelves and on top of armoires when they’re not needed. Use luggage tags for labels.

Give everything a secret life. Storage ottomans hold pillows and throws; trunks-turned-coffee tables become an all-ages toy box for games, cards, CDs, DVDs and movies.

Treat bookcases like usable art. Paint the inside a contrast color and fill shelves with an interesting mix of books, silver, framed photos, artwork and pottery; stack little-used items on top in woven baskets and place collections of magazines or photos in fabric-covered boxes.

Kitchen/ Dining Room
Turn accessories into décor. Display plates and platters on wall racks or on hooks hung around a door; nest bowls along soffits; line glasses and jars on windowsills.

Increase pantry and cabinet space with tiered Expand-A-Shelf jar and can stackers. Use ceramic planters as utensil holders – it frees up drawer space for smaller items that can be separated by adjustable dividers.

Mount coffee mugs, can openers and wine racks under the counter.

Keep table linens, glassware, serving platters and bar essentials in an entertainment armoire. (The same idea works for gardening, sports and craft supplies.)

Show your style with a smart centerpiece. Center an attractive basket on a lazy Susan and fill it with fruit, candles and seasonal arrangements, or do as the French do and put serveware center stage. Load a decorative tray with stacked bread plates, fabric napkins, glassware and a vase filled with silverware to make a functional – and fashionable – display. Use the same idea inside cabinets to stow spices, kitchen gadgets and other household essentials.

Bedroom
Think inside the box. Organize clothes and shoes by season, in labeled see-through plastic boxes that stack to the ceiling. Store smaller items in hatboxes, gift bags and straw totes.

Keep knits neatly stacked with shelf dividers. Sort sweaters by color in a hanging sweater stacker. Store off-season garments on high shelves or in under-the-bed roller bins.

Turn a pot rack into an accessory organizer for purses, belts, scarves and jewelry. Try the same setup to organize a man’s ties and belts.

Store linens in a foot-of-the-bed trunk; top with a cushion to make a handy seat for slipping on shoes and socks.

Mount towel dowels to the backs of doors to hold tie and scarf collections. Stack the dowels vertically every 15”-18”, starting at the top to maximize storage potential.

Bathrooms
Treat walls like found space. Hang cabinets over the toilet and replace towel racks with train racks that have a roomy top shelf. Use decorative hooks and peg racks for robes, clothing and towels.

Store makeup on handled trays that move easily from drawer to countertop. Arrange brushes and pencils in mint julep cups. Pour liquid soap and lotion into pretty pump bottles.

Keep cotton balls and other everyday essentials in glass canisters dressed up with sheer ribbon bows tied around the necks.

Display rolled towels in a wine rack; stash toiletries and sponges in colorful garden pails hung over the shower door; stow washcloths and toilet paper in totable wire baskets.

Office
If you don’t have an office, make one. Center a table in front of a window and flank it with armchairs that multitask throughout the house.

Hide papers in decorative folders and office supplies in vases or flowerpots.

Staple fabric around cork panels to make artful memo boards.

Build simple shelves everywhere. Start over the door and go all around the room to make a ceiling library or install 2x4s up and down a wall or hallway to showcase collectibles.

Patio/Deck/Outdoor Room
Select furnishings that do double duty. Provide extra seating with lift-top benches that keep hideaway items within easy reach; arrange plants, garden tools and accessories on an iron baker’s rack; keep magazines neatly organized in chairside wooden planters.

Save space with folding tables and chairs that come out for dining alfresco and stow compactly in the garage, utility closet or a storage unit when they’re not in use.