These three key steps will get you on your way to making order in your home using basic everyday items:

1. Contain
Enough storage space is, of course, the Holy Grail of any household. But solutions to the problem are probably littering your closets and cupboards right now.

2. Repeat
Transform stray containers or collectibles into a decorative tableau by clustering like objects. Consistency produces a neater look than a random assembly does — and while one or two may look arbitrary, a group looks like art.

3. Repurpose
You can eke a second life out of idle treasures by assigning them new functions — and, in so doing, add style to the surfaces they grace.

Contain Photos and Letters in Shoe Boxes

You don't need to buy fancy fabric-covered storage boxes. Raid your closet for an attractive array of shoe boxes, which can hold photos, stationery, or old letters, then stack them on your bookshelves. Combine them with hat, shirt, or gift boxes in other sizes. Affix labels noting the contents; create consistency by using the same labels and ink color.

Contain Towels and T-Shirts in Wooden Crates

Take crates that once teemed with clementines or old flea-market finds originally used for wine bottles and convert them into storage for towels in the bathroom or T-shirts in the bedroom. (Don't worry — they won't look like the plastic milk crates that held your record collection in college.)

Contain Cotton Balls in Berry Baskets

To display things like cotton balls and extra soap in the guest bathroom, you could spend $30 on baskets made to look as if they had once held fresh raspberries — or you could just use baskets that actually did. Spray them with a mild disinfecting cleaner, such as Lysol, to ward off mold and critters.

Contain Office Supplies in Glass Jars

For a clean, fresh look, use clear jars (and glasses) of various heights and shapes to hold office or sewing supplies.

Repeat Vases for a Sculptural Effect

A tight grouping of several small vases hides individual imperfections while creating a sculptural effect.

Get eight more tips on how to use jelly jars, sugar bowls, coffee mugs, and more to eliminate clutter.