2/28/2025

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.

CITRONHAJ Salt & Pepper Shakers (8 cm)

This set is made of glass and stainless steel and the screw top can be open to refill. They can be used to store any spice, not just salt and pepper. The cap has two rotating sliding blades under which there is a set of small holes and a large aperture.

I don't use this set on my table as it looks cheap and not especially elegant. I use them in my kitchen when I'm cooking and only because I  don't want to dispose of them. In all honesty, I won't buy any more of these to store any spice as the cap sliding blades aren't fasten enough and  they open easily at random. Besides, the holes are too big and not many, so I cannot properly get the right dose of spice. 

Although I paid very little money for them, I got what I paid for. I don't recommend them.

DESIGNER Friso Wiersma.
 

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. 

AVSTEG Knife Holder (23 cm)

This knife holder looks great in the photos, due to the combination of Ikea's classic metal epoxy white metal and bamboo colours. Something I love. However, the product looks less stylish and refined, even cheap, in real life.  The box airing system prevents mould from forming inside if you store the knives wet inside, but it's also a nice design touch.
 
I have it on my kitchen counter, and I have a good amount of different knives stored them. The materials aren't strong and I think that the design isn't good. The holder wobbles a bit due to the fact that has some legs and a mobile tray that rests on them. That is, the bottom tray is not fixed but loose, so it tends to slide off easily. It was designed to catch dripping water if you put them wet in. But, who would do that? I don't at least. Why not making the base solid and fixed just with some perforated holes? Why not making the holder more stable and strong? I bought this product when it was first released, so it wasn't as cheap as it's today, but I was totally disappointed. I have this holder in use, and  serves a function, but I would not recommended it.  
 
DESIGNER Zhelin Lian.

1000 PUBLISHED REVIEWS


 
 
Hi there lovely strangers! 
It's celebration day today: 1000 reviews published on this blog.  I feel like the Goddess of Reviews today, to be honest. I've gone through a long road that has taken me from from A to Z, to infinity and beyond. May the force be with me to continue this self-imposed task.
 
I started this blog many years ago as a repository for all the reviews I was publishing on different online platforms, mostly food and travel sites. The blog has grown organically to include most of the reviews I publish online, most of them on Amazon, including those rejected on different platforms because they were unfavourable to the product or service reviewed, those that I toned down to prevent rejection on those platforms, or those that I don't feel like publishing on online platforms because my real name would be shown. 
 
 
 
My reviews are honest and reflect my experience with products, services, online retailers, hotels, and so on. My aim is to be helpful to those who read them. I'm still too busy at work to engage on social media or to moderate blog comments but, believe me, I appreciate your visits more than you think. Thank Youses!  

 
 (I created all images in this post with Ideogram and Bing Image Creator) 

FEJKA 3-Pack Artificial Succulent Plants (6 cm)

This set is overall pretty, and the plants look great from afar. However, the size is tiny. The 'plants' part lacks colouring detail, which would make them look more natural. I was expecting the set to have the colours shown in the product page photos, which are way more realistic; however,  my set looks all dark green without any realistic touch. The pot is made of plastic. I would have been OK paying a bit of more money and having a more realistic plant design and a ceramic pot. Yet, you get what you pay for. DESIGNER Unknown.