Heh, I have a guest room where you look at very colorful shelves with fabric. Which I try to keep as neat as possible, since the room in small. Everything must be able to be put away to leave room for the bed if guests are here.
Purging is a very good idea, as I have found I will never have enough room to keep absolutely everything. I have rarely regretted purging. My rule is if I have not laid hands on it in at least 1 year, then I really didn't need it anyway. Things do accumulate and I have to re-purge after a time. I found an excellent book, Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter by Carolyn Woods - this book inspired my last purge and organization and I cannot tell you how happy I am with what I accomplished. I think it would help you a lot.