Most of our home storage is made for three kinds of things - soft things that hang up, like coats or kitchen towels, hard things that can be arranged in rows, like DVDs or books, and anything that will fit in a drawer. If you have a guitar, a canoe, or a bicycle, you have a problem - particularly if you live in an apartment.

But the good news is that storage solutions do exist. For instance, there are some superb bike storage systems that will use the wall, or if you have a high ceiling in one part of your home you can use a ceiling rack. Even the simplest of wall hooks stops bikes slipping over or the pedals sticking out - pet hate of anyone who has ever hit their shins on a pedal when they forgot about the bike parked in the hallway.

Guitarists have a huge number of solutions available. Hanging guitars on the wall can be one, but it's as practical when you want to play as a floor stand. The standard floor rack is an A-frame for a single guitar, but you can get multi-guitar racks too. On the other hand, if you have a toddler, or pets, a wall rack will keep your guitar out of trouble.

Shoes are less bulky, but equally awkward. Fortunately shoe racks of all sorts offer a solution. You can get hanging shoe racks that will fit in your wardrobe or behind a door, in cloth or in metal (the latter is a bit easier to clean). Some wooden and bamboo shoe racks are stackable, so if you run out of space, you can just buy another one. For boots, buy boot hangers which will keep them out of the way and stop the sides of the boots getting wrinkled.

If you love the great outdoors, canoe racks will ensure your canoe is stored safely, taking up less space than using a pair of sawhorses. For a sporting family, four-on-a-wall racks are available. For fishing aficionados, fishing rod racks will keep your rods and gear safe out of the way, too.

If you have kids, you'll know that toys are always difficult to keep organized, even if you haven't yet had the experience of treading barefoot on a Lego brick. Throw-and-go is the best approach, with stackable open topped storage bins.

And what about your collection of vintage purses? Not all of us have a walk-in dressing room, but you can choose a place to install a hook board or coat rack or two, and put them on display. Purses at the top, totes at the bottom, and you've got it made.

Some of these storage solutions run into the hundreds of dollars, if you go for a custom-made solution. But often, there's a much cheaper alternative that does the job equally well. Look on Vipon first if you want to save yourself some money - it's amazing what you can find at an extra discount!