apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love the zen-like natural atmosphere... great flooring!

Let's not forget that they are nearly impossible to clean once they get dusty. No thanks.

As much as I love natural materials, wicker baskets are a pain in the neck for most purposes. I like to have one in the car for impromptu shopping, though, one for picking herbs in the meadows, and we have a beautiful sturdy one for hauling logs. I would not risk them for laundry - love my silks and stockings too much.

I love baskets! They really can add a lot to a room and provide nice storage too.

When they get dusty you can just toss 'em in the shower.

i like them as well, but i have two dogs that think anything that is left on the floor is fair game and can be used to hold them in a tent like way. mind you...one is a pitbull and one is a portugese water dog mix. not the type of dogs that normally go into baskets.

I love Joe Hogan's work. Had the honor to see a few of his pieces in person here:

http://www.ashesandmilk.com/blog/sofa-chicago-2008/ireland-national-craft-gallery/

What can be stored in them though? The one in that shot is empty. Unless you can rig a cat bed out of one...

Great natural look with the flooring and stripped wood though...

The best basket source I've found? Fred Meyer. No kidding. I bought matching gray-toned, natural-looking woven baskets for under $20 each, and I use them for everything. I like to roll up towels or blankets and store them end-up in baskets.

Let me second the suggestion to toss a dusty basket into the shower, or in the sink and hit it with a sprayer. You're not soaking it, you are just rinsing it off. I've done this every basket I ever had and they came out just fine---even the ones that were painted or sealed in some way.

Here are about 20 companies that sell and ship baskets all across the United States.
http://db.mydesignsecrets.com/product/view/77

The RAM (the museum in Racine, not the Gay Treasure on Halsted) had a gorgeous basket exhibition last fall.

That narrative rang true -- my mom also had wicker baskets when I was younger, and I loathed them for all the same reasons. I can see them working well in other peoples' homes, but they'll never be welcome in mine...!

Oh no! No no no. My mom hoarded baskets that got piled in closets and scattered all over the house, in spite of her otherwise excellent taste. One giant empty neutral basket in an empty room looks great, but in a real home that thing would like a dump site.

I have a beautiful one that I keep on the bottom shelf of a bookcase near the door. Junk mail that doesn't require shredding goes directly into it.

I love wicker baskets, even despite my mom's hoarding of them. I keep it to two square ones that fit under my coffee table, one in the closet for hats, and one large pedestal basket that I got on a whim at Ikea and still haven't found a use for. I don't have a particularly dusty apartment, so that isn't really a factor.

One good idea that the florist at my usual flower shop gave me was to create a planter garden in a basket. Simply line with plastic (the bag that they wrap your big bunch of flowers or tall plant to take home is my favorite to use), add some large rocks in the bottom to give drainage, and fill with dirt and plants!