Are your bags crowded into your closet or strewn about the house? Here are some new ways to organize bags and purses that make handbag storage creative and practical.

Give purses their own shelving unit.

If you have the space, a unit like this in a closet or bedroom can keep bags neat while displaying them as nicely as a store display. Every time you pick a purse for the day, you’ll feel a little like you’re shopping.

If you don’t want to take up a ton of space with shelves or cubbies, one answer is to hang bags vertically.

This is a good way to make use of a closet door, but it can also be employed on a narrow strip of wall, perhaps beside a dresser or in an oddly-shaped room.

Protect bags inside bags designed to store bags.

Okay, they don’t actually have to be printed with cute designs; if your purse came in a soft cloth case, that’s a good choice too, and you can buy or make these as well. But if you gravitate towards humorous home decor, these bag bags are the way to go.

A space-saving idea that can be used in a clothes closet, a hall closet, or just about anywhere else:

String up your bags on a curtain rod. If placed on a wall, you can add a lot of personality to a room with an interesting choice of rod and finials.

Re-purpose a wine rack.

If you’re not storing bottles in it, a wine rack can be an unexpected home for smaller handbags. Magazine racks, shoe holders, and other types of organizer can also often be reinvented as a place for purses.

Transform bags into art by arranging them on the wall.

This works especially well when the room gives you a sort of “frame” as the staircase does here. But even a plain old empty wall can provide a canvas for your prettiest bags.

Bulletin boards aren’t just for papers.

Smaller handbags can be hung up on them, either alone or with other delicate accessories (headbands and ribbons would look nice.) This creates a girly and crafty display, and the options as far as colors and added bits of sparkle are practically endless.

Similarly, coat trees aren’t just for coats. Using one for bags instead has the added benefit of showing off, rather than covering up, the coat tree’s design. This also goes for those horizontal strips of pegs, often found on the back of children’s doors, and any other piece of furniture meant to hold outerwear.

Use a cabinet 

Some might think a cabinet is perfect for china or collectibles, but bags can also get the fancy treatment when you showcase them in their own piece of furniture. Alternately, if your bags stand up on their own, place them on top of a chest or cabinet instead of the decorative items more often displayed there.

Use the bottom of a shelf.

When you install a shelf for books, knick-knacks, or anything else, don’t neglect the space below it. Bags, unlike scarves or coats, can be hung only a few feet from the floor for a handy and surprising optimization of space.