Our homes are full of items we love, can't part with, and things we need or think we might need one day. It doesn't matter how tidy we are, when we accumulate possessions our homes can end up in chaos. But with adequate storage, life is wonderful! It not only provides relief from the clutter but also gives us an opportunity to create a beautiful display case of our prized possessions. And, indeed, something to make our hearts swell.

Deliver instant order to your living room with an attractive shelving unit, featuring small, medium and large cubbyholes. You can store a lot in this type of unit without it looking cluttered. Check out the range of flat-pack units (available from homeware stores) that you can assemble in a couple of hours. Adjustable shelves are a bonus as you can customise the unit to your own requirements. In this way, entertainment systems can happily coexist with dvds, cds, books and decorative pieces.

Boys' rooms are notoriously messy. Not surprising really, when you take into account the number of model cars, trophies, sports equipment, music systems, and all the other things a boy must have in his room. A freestanding cube storage unit is both efficient and attractive, and the ideal piece of furniture to house all sorts of kiddy jumble. A good idea is to include matching tubs as part of the package so stray paperwork and any small items can land in them rather than litter the floor.

Save yourself the frustration of searching through a mountain of stuff in the garage when you're trying to track down a specific item. Here's how: sort your things into appropriate piles such as tools, gardening stuff and fishing gear. Then stash the groups on shelves or stock-standard melamine cupboards that you can pick up relatively inexpensively from a hardware warehouse.

Thank goodness for the plethora of sturdy bins and baskets on the market, for they can be the salvation of the cluttered home.

Up-end a toilet-roll holder, fix it to the wall and you'll discover it's a good solution for string, rope and ribbon. Simply unroll the length you need and the rest stays neatly in place until the next time. For an economical option, check out your local hardware or storage specialist.

Make use of a set of shelves by stacking them with same-size canvas boxes filled with shoes, clothes or anything you want. A work of art in itself, really. And because out of sight can mean out of mind, slap a photo of the box contents on the front. You can conceal the lot behind a beautiful curtain, if you prefer.

Here's an inexpensive way to give your bathroom an instant facelift. Put in a shelf or two, then decorate it with stacks of fluffy towels, and glass jars and lovely canisters filled with all those little things that previously clogged your vanity drawers. Add a picture, and voila!

Divide your living area into two and simultaneously create intimate spaces and display opportunities. Attach self-braking castors to budget store-bought units so you can wheel them into place at will. And to emphasise the visual separation, limit your choice to tall units with closed backs.

Organise the contents of your kitchen with flexible interior fittings. Now you can tailor the storage of utensils, tableware and cookware to suit your individual needs.

The modern plate rack has come a long way. Display and store your plates on a narrow ledge fixed to your kitchen wall about 25-30cm above the benchtop. Make sure it has a groove so you can rest plates without fear of them toppling over.

Even the most mundane possessions look more appealing when they're hanging from a rack, whether they be clothing or accessories in the hallway, or pots and pans in the kitchen. For a similar set-up, fix a row of vintage-style coat hooks to the wall and rig up a shelf above them. You'll need a timber shelf and brackets. Edged backboards give a classy finish, so if you're handy with a router, go for it.

Tuck a convenient office into a closet. For full access, fix bifold doors. Freshen up the interior with paint, and stack store-bought storage units with drawers and open shelves. For an affordable desk, attach adjustable table legs to a white shelf fixed to the wall. And when you want to shut up the office for the day, simply close the doors.

Streamline your gift-wrapping supplies with a bucket storage station. Rig up a ribbon dispenser with a length of dowel for easy access and stand paper rolls in the bucket. This storage station is portable, too.

Here's a super way to declutter your vanity top. Sit your hair products and make-up on a lovely tray or mirror, and you're done.

When arranging children's storage, remember what they can't reach they won't organise. Install shelves, hooks and hanging rods at their height. Hang mini clipboards and notebooks near or on the back of cupboard doors for daily reminders of activities and chores. Fix inexpensive wire shelves for sports and school bags. Add collapsible bins for laundry or toys.

Look beyond the obvious for decorative ways to store practical items. Instead of hiding your towels, display them in a wonderful, raised wire planter.

Put the space under your bed to good use and store bed linen and winter woollies in lidded trunks, boxes or bags. The item pictured is Maize Underbed Storage, from Howards Storage World.

Look outside the square when organising your kitchen utensils. Ceramic containers and jugs make useful receptacles for your whisks, spatulas and the like.