Every now and then we just have to hand it to Ikea, for doing simple things better and cheaper than everyone else.

This time we're thinking of a $2.99 magazine storage bin they call Knuff.

We happen to own many Knuffs ourselves -- about 15 to be exact, and we use them to organize paper of various kinds: appliance manuals, odd photos, clippings, project files, and yes, magazines.

They line up neatly on our bookshelves, restoring visual calm to the workspace with their neat plywood spines and rhythmic circular cutouts.

But we like the graceful curve on the side so much that we also sometimes rotate one ninety degrees, letting it hog shelfspace like a highly promoted novel in a bookstore, the better to be noticed.

$2.99 at Ikea.