It's not impossible to use the ceiling. I'm lucky in that the old part of the house has beams ( although I doubt if they are all the original ones ). I put some thin slats across them and it makes a good place to store / display spears.
I don't really have a choice as the ceilings are so low there is not a lot of wall space anyway.
Admittedly it can cause a crook in the neck and anyone much over 6ft tall has to stoop, but beggars cannot be choosers !!
I have seen beams added to ceilings by screwing them to the upstairs floor joists so it can be done almost anywhere. ( Aesthetics and the "Other Half" permitting of course )
Dom - Good luck, it appears you have your work cut out for a while.
Roy