Showing posts with label office storage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label office storage. Show all posts

6/21/2025

ALEX Storage Unit on Castors (White 36x76cm)

This is a closed shelving unit with castors that can be used on its own or attached to any of the Alex tabletops to turn it into a desk. It has only one inner shelf, but it's height is easily adjustable. The door can be placed facing the right or the left side, which comes handy when putting two units together, or simply, when you want to adjust the door opening to your dominant hand.
 
Simple and minimalist in design, this is a good quality, sturdy unit, with lots of depth and storage capacity. In my case, helps me keep heavy ugly-looking office archive boxes out of sight.

I found the unit a bit heavy for me, but I was able to put everything together on my own with little effort. That was until I got to aligning the door hinges. Screwing and placing the hinges was easy, but matching the door's with the unit interior's was a huge task due to the nonsensical closing system. Also, page 15 in the instructions leaflet, where this step is drawn, was confusing to me. Not difficult, just annoying. Hinge cringe.

Although great value for money, the photos are misleading as they make the item look smaller and less deep that it actually is. My home office is in a large room, and this still looks humongous, and in disharmony with the rest of the space. I think it is great for a proper office or for a room that is furnished with Alex items, which would have the same volume. The measurements are given in the product page, but to me the visual volumetric appearance is always preferable; that being the case, I tend to guide myself by looking at the photos and how the item looks in relation to others furniture items. 

The unit can store a lot of weight, so I find the castors slightly week, and they don't have a stop either. 
 
Good value for money, but ain't sure if I'll buy this again. 

DESIGNER Unknown

6/08/2025

SKÅDIS Hanging Hook (White)

These Skadis protruding hooks are terrific to hang anything you can imagine. They can be repositioned easily but stay securely inside the pegboard slots. They're light but strong. So many uses I've given to these to hang scissors, small torches, some art supplies, some painting tubes (those that have a hole at the base for example), keys, utensils and much more. Good quality but pricey. 

DESIGNER Eva Lilja Löwenhielm,

SKÅDIS Container (White)

This container is a great addition for any pegboard. I's great as a pen or crayon holder as it stays in place safely thanks to the well-designed back hooks. It holds tons of stuff and vertically, away from my table, and I can use it with markers, pens, pencils, crayons (these would stain the inside a bit) among other things. Great quality plastic.   

DESIGNER  Eva Lilja Löwenhielm
 

6/01/2025

KMART 3 Drawer Chest (Grey)

This chest of drawers is not only cheap, but also sturdy, spacious and good looking. It's also very easy to assemble. 

I have two of these in my home office and they perfectly fit with my office's Skandi style. The frame is made of metal, the top is bamboo and the collapsible drawers are fabric-like. 
 
I had hesitations to buy this item due to the fact that the drawers are soft and I thought they would not be spacious or strong enough. However, they are! I have tons of stuff in them. The maker advises a maximum of 3 Kilos per drawer but I have two of them holding more than that. However, I put the heavier on the bottom shelf as this acts as grounding for the the whole unit and prevents the chest toppling over. 
 
The top shelf can hold up to 20 Kilos, so I have a heavy-ish letter tray organiser on one of my units. Kmart doesn't recommend putting a TV on this chest, firstly because this unit was not made to place a TV, and secondly because the unit can be easily moved if not fully loaded.  

The maker recommends having this chest wall secured, but I cannot do that in the rental I live in. Yet, the chest is very stable and, despite using it all the time, having it full of stuff, opening and closing the drawers all the time, has never toppled. Yet, I can move it easily. If you have children, secure it to the wall  with the including fittings as, when empty, the whole unit weighs less than 5 kilos and can be easily moved or fall. 

Although I use this chest for office purposes, due to its good looks and large capacity, can be used in different rooms as I could easily fill it with linen, towels, shoes, toys, table linen, travelling light gear, and so on. 

My main disappointment with this unit is that the drawer handle inner side tends to deform and bend outward, making it look cheap (well, it shows it's cheap when this happens). There are no replacements for these collapsible drawers, so, if one breaks, you will have to buy a new unit, which is a bit ridiculous. 
 
I've had this chest for several years and it's still a star seller at Kmart. Despite the heavy use I give it, it is in great condition and still looking good.    

MEASUREMENTS: 72cm (H) x 45cm (W) x 30cm (D)
Storage drawer: 21cm (H) x 40cm (W) x 28cm (D


5/31/2025

RISATORP Basket With Compartments (33x24x11 cm)

This is another Risatorp beauty. I super love this range due to its quality, classy Skandi timeless but modern design, and versatility. This compartment basket is not only beautiful, but has myriad uses. It makes a great office caddy, kitchen or crafts  caddy. Currently, I use it as a bathroom caddy to have at hand my most used items of cosmetics, makeup, perfume and toiletries. Its low height makes it perfect for storage in drawers and small cabinets.    
 
Super easy to assemble.  

Not fit for outdoor use.

DESIGNER  Wiebke Braasch,
 
 

SKÅDIS Clip

These clips are almost flat and hook into any Skadis pegboard easily. I don't find them as useful as other hooks and Skadis accessories as these are designed mostly to hold paper. That being the case aren't as versatile, or at least to me, as other hugs and clips. However, they are still great to have important pieces of paper on display: bills to pay, or photos, or leaflets for an event, or your own painting or drawing, inspiration images for your inspiration board, postcards received, and so on. 
 
DESIGNER  Eva Lilja Löwenhielm

5/30/2025

VATTENKAR Desk Organiser (White, 33x21x43 cm)

I really love this organiser. Organisers of this sort are a wonderful replacement for renters who might not be able to use a wall pegboard but want something similar but portable. So easy to carry around the different rooms of the house, or to put in the car and take it away. 

The Vattenkar is a multifunctional organiser that perfectly works as work caddy, and as craft or sewing station. The central pegboard is great as I can use different Skadis accessories and hooks to create different storage layouts. I like the caddy's two sides as I can put the prettier side facing the viewer and the back side with the uglier storage items facing the wall. I haven't used the elastic band yet as I devoted this to crafts not to books or my laptop. 
 
This organiser is easy to assemble as it has just a few pieces that click in together; the instructions leaflet is also easy to follow. I had this in my wish list for a long time because, despite the measurements being clear n the product page, I wasn't sure how much space or how much space would occupy. Having had this for a while now, that the item is a bit bulky and heavy even when empty. Not a beautiful looking storage solution, but a very practical one; and you wouldn't believe how much stuff I can fit in.

DESIGNER Anna-Maria Nilsson 

IKEA 365+ Square Food Storage Basket (14x14x10 cm)

These square baskets are cut and have a wonderful clean design. They look like part of the Risatorp line due to its mix of white epoxied mesh and bamboo lids. I love the way they look, that they can be stacked, and that the lid seals the container perfectly. aled. Handwash only, of course. You cannot put anything liquid in it and I personally would not store food in them. Wiping them with a damp cloth is enough. Every single IKEA 365+ product storage that I bought about 10 years ago, I still have it in good conditions. So I expect the same from these mini baskets.
 
DESIGNER Unknown

5/20/2025

SKÅDIS Round Hook (19 mm)

I had read so many negative reviews about these hooks that I hesitated to buy them. The main complaint from customers was that they're really difficult to insert and that they can damage the pegboard. Well, after getting them, I found them to have a child-like sort of insertion system. I wonder why schools don't teach puzzles and basic mechanical stuff to children so that they can become functional adults. Breaking the board with these is so difficult, like you have to have your wires all messed-up and the strength of a bear to insert them in the wrong way. They come with a little handy leaflet that explains how to insert them. But the design is so intuitive that you don't really need instructions... unless you do. 
 
These are my favourite hooks for the Skadis pegboards to be honest. Easy to insert, easy to reposition, and they hold plenty of different things and they occupy just one hold on the board, not two or three as other hooks do. They are strong, too, I love them to store my washi tape rolls, but I can hang so many things from them, like scissors, laces, anything and everything.


DESIGNER Johanna Jelinek

5/19/2025

TJOG Storage box with lid (dark grey, 25x36x15 cm)

I have all my home office storage sorted out with KIKI K storage boxes, which are made of sturdy hard carboard covered in linen. Unfortunately, they don't make them any more. It's impossible for me not to compare the quality and craftsmanship of these with this TJOG box. This Ikea storage box looks beautiful, classic and elegant. It comes flat but it's really easy to assemble. However, the cardboard is not sturdy or stiff enough to me. I couldn't find the maximum storage weight allowed on the product web page. I have put a bit of weight on the two I have, but the heaver is on the bottom. The other one I filled mostly with paper that doesn't weight much. 

DESIGNER Ikea of Sweden

SKÅDIS Container with Lid (White)

These containers are designed specifically for Ikea Skadis pegboard system. They look beautiful, are made of good quality plastic, so much so that the translucent container looks like glass. These are a bit tricky to use because their hanging and opening system is not the best. Unlike the other hanging container, which is perfect, this one's hanging hooks aren't on the container but on the lid. Besides, you have to get used to sliding the container into the lid, not the other way around. It doesn't make sense to me because, this way, it's ease to drop the bottom and its contents or, otherwise, as I do, you need to be super conscious of how you open and close the container. Personally, I would not use it with condiments or spices.
 
DESIGNER Eva Lilja Löwenhielm
 

4/17/2025

JORDBORR 3-Pack Multicoloured Snowflake Self-adhesive Hooks

This is such a cool playful set of hooks. They're self-adhesive, so there is little installation needed. They are quite large and bulky in a way, and hold up to two kilos. I bought them to hang some items from the sides of my large Raskog trolleys (which have a slightly rugged texture). I followed the installation instructions, left them overnight, and started using them next day. They are cute and I can hang up my large headset, some art rugs, and small items that I would otherwise have to store in drawers. They're versatile, because I can use this in the kitchen and the bathroom as well.
 
DESIGNER Willy Chong 

3/02/2025

RISATORP Desk Organiser (White, 50x16x17 cm)

I was after this Risatorp desk organiser for months. First, it was a bit too pricey, then it wasn't delivered to my postcode. I was really excite when I was able to get it. 
 
I felt an immediate attraction towards this piece and design. The killer minimalist white epoxy and caramel bamboo colour combo, the mesh, the simplicity, the originality, the roundness, the floating legs. My eyes still spark when I look at it. 
 
It's longer and heavier than I expected or the product photos make you think. You'd need a long large desk for this organiser to look right on your desk. Otherwise, you might want to place it on the top of a shelf. The inside is compartmented, so this allows you to devote different spaces to different stuff.  I've put some of my crayons in recycled glass containers, a small pen holder with my most used markers and pencils, a small  square tissue box, a tiny tin box with my meds, hand cream, and a few other things, and there is still room for little items. 

Assembly was easy overall, but I had difficulty screwing one of the legs strait. 

DESIGNERS A-M Nilsson & A Wallgren.

3/01/2025

LENNART Drawer Unit (30x34x56 cm)

I have three pieces of this Lennart drawer unit at home. I bought them because of the sweet clean simple design and great price. I can put these units under my desk or forming a mini console against the wall. I use them to store A4 notepads and loose paper sheets, acrylic paints tubes and inks. Despite its feeble appearance, this unit holds a lot of stuff and weight, 5 kilos per drawer, and a bit extra on the top. 
 
Personally, I'd buy a different drawer unit if I wanted to store office documents or have it in a home office that receives visitors. However, this unit is great for arts and crafts storage, especially if you're on a budget and you expect paint splashes to fall on it. Said differently, I wouldn't cry if this got ruined by my paints.
 
Assembly is easy, and the resulting unit is light, cute and compact.  

I suggest reinforcing the drawers base with thick cardboard to make it stronger. 

DOWNSIDES
  • > The unit only has castor on the back legs. It had been great if it had it on the four legs. They are OK to move the unit, by lifting the front and rolling the back. Yet, if the drawers are full, they aren't the best rolling castors.
  • > The front lowest side has a lot of empty space that could have been used to place another drawer.   
  • > The back crossbar doesn't properly protect the drawers rear. The bar is meant to act as a stop for the drawers not to fall off backwards, but the crossbar is a bit too thin and on the short side; shorter than they should be, I think.  
DESIGNER Jon Karlsson.

TROTTEN Storage Unit on Castors (White, 35x47 cm)

I have two of these and I was going to buy another two when the product was discontinued in Australia (still available in other countries' Ikea). 

The versatility of the product, how easy is to tuck it away and the many rooms I can use it in, make it a perfect storage solution for my home. I can use it as office storage, which is what was designed for. I can also use this unit as a sofa coffee table in my living room to keep a water bottle, mugs, glasses, napkins and other coffee/tea tools easily tucket away. I can use it as bedside table to store my pyjamas, sleepers/ugg boots, and a light throw). I currently use it as an office storage box with materials that I don't use often, and I've put an Eket cube with door on it, and they look fabulous together.  
 
The Skandi style is minimalist but eye-catching. The bamboo lid is excellent quality, very thick, sturdy and good looking. The shell is metallic, coated in an elegant matte antique-white epoxy. It's easy to carry around by hand if I don't put much stuff inside; otherwise, the castors do the job. Despite it's apparently wobbliness, this unit can securely hold tons of stuff inside and on top of it. The castors are also excellent, and roll smoothly.
 
The main downside of this unit was the tricky assembly. The instructions leaflet is good. You have to click in the different panels together, align them properly, and then insert the castors' screws perfectly as these are the only thing that hold the structure together. Getting all perfectly aligned without the structure falling apart was difficult. The unit looks less sturdy than it is. 
 
DESIGNER Francis Cayouette

2/28/2025

EKET Cabinet with Door (White, 35x35x35 cm)

I like the simplicity and elegance of the Eket line. Having a cube with a door allows me  to store and hide ugly-looking stuff from work, study or art making. The cube is made of a wood-like conglomerate, which you can clearly see on the individual panels inner sides when assembling them. It's sturdy material but light. I can move the cube around easily with my bare hands. The white matte paint and the overall design result in a neat elegant storage solution. The door has a push-opener integrated, and opens by making a bit of pressure.
 
This Eket cube can be hung from the wall (you'd need to buy the wall fittings separately), can be attached to another Eket cube (you'd need to buy the joining fittings), used with legs (ditto) or on its own. I own two pieces, which I use separately, resting on top of two Trotten storage units with castors (now discontinued) of the same size and the ensemble looks like water for chocolate.

I found the cube easy to put together. However, the instructions leaflet wasn't the best as includes instructions for other Eket combos and models. Linking and clicking-in-and-down the side 'knobs' was easy in theory. However, despite pushing down the panels like a champion, I couldn't make them click down fully. That being the case, I had to use a small hammer (protected with a thick fabric kitchen towel) to do that. 
 
DESIGNER  Jon Karlsson.
ASSEMBLY LEAFLET that came in the box is not available on the website any more.

HARVMATTA Letter Tray (Anthracite, 32x25x32 cm)

Like the rest of the Harvamatta series, this tray is both practical and stylish. It's quite large and you'll need a bit of space to place it. (I think it fits inside a Kallax cube). It's also a bit heavy (about 4.5 kilos); most of the weight comes from the individual trays as the outer shell is quite light.

I use this letter tray to declutter my desk and other surfaces in my home office. I store papers that I haven't classified yet (e.g. letters, postcards, receipts),  printing paper, and current documents that I want to keep at hand (e.g. medication prescriptions, medical referrals or certificates, bills to pay). The  trays are sturdy and hold A4-size paper pads, small sketchbooks, small items of stationery, and phone chargers. In a way, this letter tray is a mini-shelving system. The individual trays can be pulled out for convenience and their cork lining and outer curved flap prevent anything from sliding off and out.

Assembly is easy. The only difficulty I found was clicking in the last piece of the outer shell. 

DESIGNER Eva Lilja Löwenhielm.

HARVMATTA Box with Lid (Anthracite, 24x35x6 cm)

This box is the largest in the Harvamatta box set. I can easily store up to A4-size documents, stationery, unused painting brushes, colouring pencils and pastels, among other things. They're a bit pricey, but also good quality.

The box is very elegant and minimalist, with a hint of formality. I love the contrast between the metal anthracite colour and the cork lid woody colour. As they are so stylish, I can leave them in full view even though they might contain a lot of crap that, otherwise, would be cluttering my office. These boxes pile on each other perfectly, and they look great on top of the Harvamatta letter tray.

The main downside of the Harvamatta box line is that they don't have any closing or securing system. On the one hand, this favours easy piling on each other. On the other hand, if the box falls down, you'll have its contents all over the place. I would have loved these boxes having some sort of vintage-like wired closure or fasteners; even a tight closure like those that pickle traditional jars have. 

DESIGNER Ebba Strandmark.

RÅSKOG Small Trolley (white) with NORRÅVA Lid (28x38x61 cm)

I have two taller larger Raskog trolleys, which I love, but I needed something smaller (this is 61 cms tall instead of 77 cms) to tuck it under my desk when not in use, and to place it beside during my painting sessions without obtruding the area.  

The  antique-white epoxy coating is beautiful and goes perfectly with the Norrava bamboo lid. Besides, the epoxy coating  is easy to clean from paint splashes and stains.
 
Despite its small size and lightness, this trolley holds a lot of stuff. I place my brushes holders on the top shelf when painting, which I remove when not in use and place the bamboo lid. It's true that the lid protrudes a cm or so over the edge, something that didn't happen with older models. Yet, I don't see this as a big issue. On the shelves underneath I keep different painting media I often use (gesso, basic paints, palette ceramic plates, wipes, painting tools, gels, etc.). Although I use this unit for my painting needs, this trolley is perfect for kitchen and bathroom storage when the space available is limited.  

The trolley is easy to assemble thanks to the very clear instructions leaflet. The castors are great quality and roll beautifully in all directions; they can be locked in case you want to use it as non-movable storage unit.
 
DESIGNERS Nike Karlsson & Ellen Hallström.