Organizing Solutions for Any Home

I liked this article from Real Simple. It's got some great ideas and solutions. Below are some highlights.

Break With Tradition

(Luv this idea!) In the dining area, two tables on casters are pushed together for family dinners, pulled apart and supplied with extra chairs when more seating is called for, and rolled against the wall to hold buffet platters for large gatherings. For more intimate dinners, an electronically controlled curtain drops from ceiling to floor to separate the dining and living areas.

Room Curtain
Reproduce the effect of Lauri’s curtain with Smith + Noble’s Calypso wall- or ceiling-mounted roll-down shade in various sizes ($388 for 127 by 120 inches, www.smithandnoble.com).

Tables on Casters
Lauri designed her dining-room tables and had a furniture maker build them. She added Payson casters (from $13 each, www.paysoncasters.com for stores).

STASH IT. “I’m a big believer in cubbies,” Lauri says. “They’re great for everything, and they suggest an organizational process to kids.”

Wall Cubbies
Translucent white Cubitec shelving is available at Design Within Reach ($195 per unit, www.custominserts.com).

FILE IT.

Binders
To chronicle kids’ budding art talent, you could use simple vinyl binders from Staples (ones similar to those shown here, $7.50 each, www.staples.com) or more elegant linen-covered designs from Pina Zangaro ($19 to $23 each, Binderfinder, www.binderfinder.com).

JAR IT.

Where there are kids, there will be stuff — and lots of it, scattered everywhere. In the children’s rooms and bathrooms, Lauri keeps their precious things in containers that look good enough to be showcased on shelves and countertops. She has focused on transparent holders so the kids can find what they’re looking for with fewer “Hey, Mom’s.”

Storage Jars
Lauri’s clean-looking jars from the Container Store come in sizes from 1 to 16 ounces (90 cents to $2 each, www.containerstore.com).