Storage | Put away (nicely) your bric-a-brac

Impossible not to have noticed them: they are everywhere, these little plastic crates that come in an array of pastel colors. Not only does their Scandinavian look make them aesthetically pleasing, but they also work wonders for storing — or hiding — all of our odds and ends. We spoke to decorating experts who love it, and who tell us about their favorite uses.

Sophie Ouimet
The Press

“They are very fashionable these days, a lot of people use them,” says blogger Maca Atencio, who has several of these storage baskets in her home and in her studio, two very colorful universes. Before they could be found here, she had discovered them on a pre-pandemic trip to Barcelona and slipped a few into her suitcase.

It may be a pandemic effect, precisely, but many people seem to want to clean up their business, notes for her part Stéphanie Hébert. “We are all in the era of organizing our homes, of putting things in order,” says the co-founder of the Baba souk online store. And these bins make the experience really enjoyable. Afterwards, there is a kind of satisfaction: in addition to cleaning and organizing our things, it’s visually beautiful, ”she notes.

These crates aren’t just pretty, they’re also versatile. With a little imagination, they can be used in almost every room. Here are some ideas for adopting them in the house.

In the office (or studio)

“It’s perfect for clearing the surface of small objects lying around, such as scissors, stapler, pliers, paper clips, envelopes”, enumerates the founder of Baba souk, while specifying that the small size is ideal for this type of storage. The baskets come in three sizes: small, medium and large.

Precisely, in the boxes of medium format, we can fit an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet, she points out.

And for labeling freaks, you can also insert a small paper card in the front to write down what is there.

If you have more creative work, like Maca Atencio’s, these crates can also come in handy. In her studio in Saint-Henri, she uses them in particular to store — and transport — her art materials. She gathered the tools there like measuring tapes, X-Acto type knives, paint… “I put them where I can see them, and if I have to use them, I take out the cash register,” he says. she. Also, you can put quite a heavy weight in the big ones, so it’s perfect for carrying gear. These crates are indeed equipped with handles which facilitate their transport.

In the pantry

Maca Atencio recently had a lot of fun revamping their pantry using the medium-sized crates.

She particularly likes the fact that they can be stacked on top of each other to save space. Not to mention that when not in use, they can also be taken apart to store them flat.

For Stéphanie Hébert, the beauty of these crates in the pantry is to be able to group together objects that would otherwise end up jumbled together: spices, plastic containers (and their lids), measuring spoons … “It also adds a bit of color,” notes the co-founder of Baba souk.

In children’s rooms…

These cute boxes can be very useful in our children’s rooms. We can thus put small toys and objects that would otherwise lie around the room… without seeing the mess behind. “It seems that the children like it to be beautiful colorful bins, it makes them want to. Also, for parents, it’s fun to see it all tidied up! adds Stéphanie Hébert.

… and elsewhere in the house

At home, Maca Atencio has also slipped two of these baskets under her bed: one contains her shoes, the other her bags. Ah, and in the bathroom, she puts her essentials there. “I realize that I use them a lot! she says laughing. I never realized how much fun I had with these crates. »

* Please note that the bins are currently sold out in the online store, but the stock will be renewed soon.