My dear pal, David Staskowski, shared this smart ‘use what you have’ pot rack idea. You remember David, don’t you? He was the clever ‘Ask David’ columnist from the late, great magazine, Metropolitan Home.

Plus, here’s a suggestion for storing your pot lids from my book, Downsizing Your Home With Style:

Hang your lids over the pot handles to keep them together and save space.

I love lists. I make a list every night before going to bed so I can sleep better. It really helps.

The List Producer blog has posted my 10 Most Common Decorating Mistakes, in case you need a reminder and want to fix up your home in hours, without spending any money. Check it out:

http://www.listproducer.com/2011/10/20/10-most-common-decorating-mistakes/

Over the last decade deep wall units that once held boxy televisions have become passé as people have switched to flat panel screens and smaller media cabinets. Many older entertainment centers with pocket doors have been converted to provide closed storage or adjusted to accommodate flat panel televisions on pedestals or on wall-mounts.

Bookshelves made to accommodate an older television

This morning I read an article in TIME magazine about the latest victim of advanced technology – the bookcase. Apparently, a lot of people who have switched to electronic readers no longer need physical bookshelves so IKEA plans to release a new version of their classic bookshelf, the Billy. The newest Billy will be more shallow and have glass doors geared to storing accessories rather than books. (Note to IKEA: Please offer a practical frosted glass version of the Billy, too, for all the not-so-pretty things everyone seems to have.)

The original Billy bookcase

Will beloved hard covered books and lovely bookshelves become obsolete?

While I think it’s smart of IKEA to stay on trend, it’s probably safe to say we won’t be seeing people tossing out their beloved hardbacks and bookcases en masse just yet. Well, at least I’ll be keeping mine for a good while. What about you?

When TJ MacDermott, and I began working on his master bedroom after redecorating the rest his Upper East Side Manhattan apartment, it was clear to both of us that his elliptical exercise machine had to go.

Do you have a big exercise machine that's not earning its keep?

The behemoth was taking up way too much space since he hardly ever used it, so I suggested TJ donate the apparatus to a charity.

Last week he sent me an email to let me know he’d come up with another idea: He’d donated the machine to his neighborhood firehouse! “They came and took it away, and it’s satisfying to know that it’s being put to good use.”

Let's help our heroes stay in great shape.

If you’d also like to donate any of your unused or under-used exercise equipment, TJ recommends contacting your local firehouse. If you live in a big city, check to see if the Fire Department has a Fitness Office.

TJ also came up with another great solution. He wrote: “By the way, do you remember that aircraft carrier of a desk?  It’s thick, solid teak and huge, so a carpenter could re-use the wood to construct the built-in desk you suggested for my dressing room. Use what you own indeed!” Pretty clever, that TJ.