Any suggestions for those bits that just don't go anywhere?

[Smumten]

Keys. Purse/Wallet. Bits of paper. Playing cards. I like a tidy home but then I don't want to go filing away everything into boxes or drawers. This is an inane request but, having just bought my first flat, I'm after some ideas and how I can make those habitual dumping grounds a bit less messy.

There's a drawer in every kitchen dedicated to those odds and ends.

We have a sideboard instead of a tv unit so random shite goes in the drawers there.

Used to be the kitchen drawer.

Think about getting a scanner, and scanning paperwork into it - then shredding it?

If you don't let the shite build up, you won't need to move house as often to keep pace with it :)

Kitchen drawer.
For odds and ends.

I have bowls dotted around the house for those niknaks!

I have just put a nice wire cutlery tray that we had spare in the sideboard drawer to separate crap.

little IKEA drawers

We have an older version of this. Mine is 2/3 of the size and still pretty big so it may be OTT for your needs. We eventually decoupaged it.

Actually you said not drawers didn't you? In that case get a couple of nice bowls/baskets for keys. I like to bring one back from holidays, or fair trade gifty places often have nice ones.

Thanks all! I'm erring more towards the basket idea

But if you won’t do drawers or boxes, they will just have to sit around, which you don’t want either.

We have this standing desk that has ended up as a hall stand and is perfect for collecting everything. It’s pricey to get for just that purpose, but you could look for something similar. Or do a few all mounted drawers, shelves, and hooks in one place.

We have a random shit drawer.

We also have the mini drawers for receipts, kids name tags (for those oh no DD can't go to school in a new coat with no name tag moments), and travel cards type thing.
DH has a drawer in a tallboy for his junk.
I actually keep my purse permanently in my handbag or my work bag which live on our bag rack (we have two coat racks, one for coats and one for bags), my keys on a magnetic key rack, and although our dining table gets covered in crap, papers are in theory filed as soon as they are read (be it recycling or properly away).