We always have a bunch of random stuff on our kitchen table, like bills to pay, vitamin bottles, catalogs, pens, etc. When you want to eat there, you have to shove all that aside to make room. We routinely clean it off, but that is just where this stuff wants to live, so it quickly reverts to its original state. Annoying. We live in a small house with a severe lack of storage space, too.
I had this idea while falling asleep a couple of weeks ago, a plan to keep the stuff handy (essentially in the same place) but off the table top:
Unscrew the table top from the apron and re-attach it with just a piano hinge on one long side. Attach a piece of wood to the underside of the table apron, to form the bottom of a shallow ‘box’, with the table top as a hinged lid. Voila, an under-table storage spot for all that stuff! Have not implemented it, so there may be design flaws I’ve overlooked, but my husband thinks I’m a damn genius for coming up with the idea. ;)