Office/Desk Organization

Avoid a jumbled mess of mail and school papers by setting up a message center and inbox for each family member. Use the area to corral artwork, homework assignments, forms, and magazines as soon as they enter the house. At each week's end, go through the contents of each box; discard old material and file away things you want to keep.

I like this desk set up!

Take your office anywhere -- to the couch, dining room table, or deck -- with this tote-able solution. Outfit a dish drainer with pretty file folders, and use the utensil holders to organize pens, pencils, and small notebooks. Slip the dish drainer into a cabinet when not in use.

Turn an old cart into a mobile office. Lower shelves can store notebooks and boxes for supplies and paperwork (try using a vintage suitcase to corral everything). Plus, the cart can be pulled up to an armchair or couch, and the top surface can be used as a laptop workstation.

Use unexpected containers, such as these simple mailboxes, for desk-side storage. They're perfect for organizing mail, takeout menus, and bills. Plus, they'll keep your desktop paper-free. Dress them with pretty motifs from wallpaper remnants or decorative paper adhered with decoupage medium.

Mount a low-cost shower caddy to the wall to stash home office supplies, bills, and mail or create gift central (shown here) by storing stationery and wrapping paper. Add ribbon to a wire canister to hang writing utensils from one of the hooks.