One Thrifted Old School Basket Is Great For Kitchen Decor And Storage (With A Rustic Look)

There are some items that always seem to be in high supply at the thrift store. You'll probably be able to find some cute little teacups to use as kitchen scoops, and their accompanying saucers make for some darling refrigerator magnets. Baskets are also known to abound, and the woven wicker variety fits right in among more rustically fashioned kitchen designs. They also have plenty of applications for organizing textiles or utensils, holding any wires or cables that you might need for your countertop tablet or television, or just looking pretty.

There are a couple of things that you'll want to look out for before you bring home a new-to-you basket. For one, you want a tight, intact weave, not a whole DIY project that'll leave you having to learn how to recane the darn thing. You'll also want to really inspect it for dust and debris; your vacuum attachments are likely no match for a basket's nooks and crannies. And keep an eye out for multiples, even if they don't exactly match. One basket might give an incidental, country-style touch to your kitchen. Two or three will look sharply styled and cleverly intentional.

Many people would benefit more from curating items out of their homes (read: donating, trashing, or recycling) than by bringing more stuff in. So it helps to really think about how you might actually use those new things. If you have and hate clutter in the kitchen, then congrats; that cheap, clean, and good condition wicker basket perfect for organizing odds and ends is going home with you.

The easiest way to use said basket is to take the clutter, neatly pop it in, and gaze upon your organizational works. But those cheap finds are also great for storing and displaying your prettiest cloth napkins, whether they're simply folded into squares, or arranged in all kinds of fancy ways. Likewise, a wicker basket is perfect for holding your higher-use cutlery (the low cadence stuff will just collect dust) and other tools that might not fit into drawers and cabinets. It's also a prime place to stack your lovely fresh produce that doesn't end up in the fridge. And it probably goes without saying that, should you tuck your basket into a cool, dark place, it will also be a terrific holding place for foods that seek that famed space, such as potatoes and onions (just not together).