TRAY depot

Almost any room could benefit from having a tray or two to rein in its various effects—including the home office. (And should you lack a designated office, a tray can actually double as a portable desk.) A tray with high sides will contain laptops or iPads along with receipts and other ephemera, here stashed in sleek pouches and pencil cases. Handles are convenient for carting the tray around the house, and the tray can be used anywhere from ottoman to bed. What’s more, it can be tucked away on a shelf or inside a credenza when the workday is done.

DRAWER STORAGE

Fishing through a pile of office supplies for a paper clip or sticky note is time wasted, especially when it’s easy to keep your drawers straightened: Sort all the odds and ends into standard-issue drawer inserts or dividers—or with individual vessels that are pretty enough to leave on the desktop while you’re working. These brass-and-linen containers nestle together to keep from sliding around. You could also put an underused collection of small bowls to work to achieve the same organizational bliss.