Something I've seen in a lot of my friend's sewing rooms are repurposed garage cabinets. They are wonderful. Attractive, functional, easy to clean and setup. I'd love to get a set or three of these for the family room. Another great way to use these in the house is for toy storage. Holiday storage. One family had a lot of baking supplies and animals; to help keep pests of the animal, human, and vermin varieties away from the food they used a giant set of metal cabinets in the kitchen. I thought that was great thinking. When we moved into this house I bought a set of utility shelving from the garage section of a large home store- cheaper than pantry shelving. The setting up and putting together could have gone better, but overall I was happy with it. If you look at what you really need for organization, it pays to look outside the box for good deals on the equipment. Like with wedding things, "home decor" items can be found cheaply in other departments without the bells and whistles. Sure, they may not always be as pretty to look at, but that just lets you get in touch with your creativity when it comes to making it a loved part of your home.