Our days of plastic milk crate furniture have long since passed, although we do use them for storage. Great for record albums, books, and any number of other small items, we found these interesting makeovers that we think are great graduated versions of the plastic standard...

We came across these updated versions of the milk crate over at happy mundane, one of our favorite sites. The Cast Metal Milk Crate Organizer is our favorite, as it gives a bit of implied permanence to a piece of "furniture" that has traditionally symbolized transition.

We also love the Trompe L'Oeil Wooden Milk Crate version, which has a more playful feel to it, especially with the printed warning on the side that the plastic originals carry. Both the metal and wood versions are available at Urban Outfitters.