Being West Coaster, I have to say the T-word (TANSU). They come in a huge variety of heights, combos of drawers and cupboards, visible and hidden shelving, etc. And they're black holes -- they suck in more than their volume of stuff.

Most people think of the Meiji-era ones with all the hardware, but Taisho (early 20th century) and Showa (mid-century) are much sleeker. Showa-era is essentially Japanese Mid-Century Modern.

They're pretty ubiquitous, but the Expedit shelves from Ikea are cheap and versatile, and would store all your things — except for the television.

My bookshelf is currently holding books, sweaters + shirts (in the translucent boxes made for the shelves), paperwork, my stereo… and everything else. I put the shelves on 3" casters, which worked wonders in terms of opening up the room and making them seem lighter.

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&productId=11499

Ikea has a couple of great sideboards - a friend of mine recently got the Markor sideboard:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=60947&langId=-1&parentCats=15561*15639*15644

It's got a good variety of drawers and cabinets. It's on the more traditional side, but you could change the hardware, maybe paint it. I also like Magiker:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=68721&langId=-1&parentCats=15561*15639*15644

I had exactly the same problem and solved it by ordering a customized Linear credenza/sideboard from R&B. I was able to get a few shelves behind a door, a few filing drawers, and a few smaller drawers for odds and ends. It's multi-functional in just the way I needed and I love it more every day.

http://tinyurl.com/hxd7d

I would go the Craigslist/flea market route. Mid-century buffets are everywhere. We have two (one Paul Frankl and one Russel Wright for Conant Ball) with plenty of drawers and shelves behind doors. We paid $400 and $200, and they hold an immense amount of stuff.

I'm using the true low dresser from CB2 for the very same purposes. It fits perfectly in my very small living area and because it's white it doesn't overwhelm the room. The quality is really good for the price. It's surprisingly solid.

I'm with Lesley -- my bf got a great mid-century credenza off eBay for around $300. The place he used was in town and he just rented a van and picked it up. There was a huge selection online of really great pieces and you can sort them by distance. Some of them were pricey, but there were also a lot of bargains to be had. If you're not an eBay junkie, find someone who is to help you out...

I've thought about going the mid-c route but I am worried about overdoing that aesthetic. Everything in my small place is mid-c. Right now I have what I call my Ikea "place holder." I got it from a neighbor when she moved out. I want to replace it with protein but I'm not sure which way to go. I do like the R&B examples and I want to be able to conceal cds and wires. And I wonder if a mid-c credenza with legswill hold an old-fashioned (vs. the slim LCD) 27" tv (which I will not get rid of no matter how much Apartment Therapy I have - said w/a smile.)

what could be off-topic in open thread? but joan, your tv stand is very cute, very nice legs.

i hated my tv stand so much i got rid of the tv.

I recently bought a Chinese-style sideboard from Room and Board that might be great for what you want: It has three drawers above for storage, and two huge swing-out doors with removeable shelves where you can put files if you wish. My TV is in one of them -- it fits perfectly. And it is the perfect height to serve as a buffet.

Thanks, everyone -- these are great suggestions. I actually started browsing on Craigslist and eBay and found a lot of great mid-century credenzas on there -- not exactly what we are looking for but close enough that it makes me think we should hold out & keep looking for the perfect piece. I LOVE the Zurich from R&B but that's out of our price range. But most importantly, everyone's enthusiastic endorsement of the credenza idea has gone a long way in convincing my husband that this is not a frivolous purchase and will in fact solve some of our storage issues!

I personally think credenzas with doors, not drawers, end up being much more multi-functional, since (to me) they tend to look less like bedroom dressers. I LOVE mine from Crate & Barrel (from a few seasons back).

And they provide great place on or above which to place/hang a TV...

And maybe make sure to use "sideboards" in your search, too.

Also just saw this offering from Chiasso, and thought it a viable option (although it is more limited in its storage capacity than some of the other examples, but that could easily be augmented with storage baskets/boxes beneath the piece).

http://www.chiasso.com/store/Item.aspx?DepartmentId=40&ItemId=47233

I'm finding that a lot of the mid-c stuff has the best of both worlds -- doors (which I agree give a nice clean look) that actually conceal drawers! But that Chiasso table is quite nice....

I have a R&B Zurich (55") that I bought at their outlet in Minneapolis. It works well for storing my CDs, my stereo, and my TV. The only thing I regret about it is that the drawers it it, which are on the bottom row of cubby holes, are made specifically to hold DVDs and CDs. Someday, DVDs and CDs will be archaic. So the drawers are less general purpose. (I guess I'm thinking pretty long term here.) One could open up the drawer space by removing the partitions, though. I haven't investigated how easy it is.

Looking at R&B's website, the Stow may also be an reasonable option. It's considerably less expensive than the Zurich - about 1/3 the price.