Splitters; not quite ideal, but may be the easiest option
Update: Apparently, splitters are better than I thought. They allow completely collapsing widgets on one side of the splitter or the other, as long as the child widget sizing policies allow it.
Widgets should be better able to make use of available screen space. For example, depending on screen size:
Possible solutions:
Update: Apparently, splitters are better than I thought. They allow completely collapsing widgets on one side of the splitter or the other, as long as the child widget sizing policies allow it.