Three Ways to Use Baskets in Your Home
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Looking for a way to add texture and warmth to your home, without spending a lot of money? Baskets are the number one décor item I recommend for this. They’re versatile, come in lots of shapes, sizes, and styles, and you can almost always find them at the thrift store—bonus!
Baskets are literally thousands of years old. They actually pre-date pottery and stoneware. Our ancestors knew how useful they are—I do wonder if they used them in the ways that I’m going to share with you in this post??
Now, nothing is new under the sun and I’m sure you’ve used baskets in your home, in the same ways that I have, but I always think it’s fun to see inside other people’s houses and how they decorate. It’s never a bad thing to have lots of inspiration, since you never know when you will get that urge to create in your home.
I go in spurts with doing bigger projects in our house, but always seem to be putzing around with décor—moving things here and there, changing around vignettes and moments for completely different looks. Right now, we have a few bigger things we’re working on, but also a few smaller edits I’m making to freshen the house for Spring, with a focus on style and function.
Baskets are something that I look for everywhere I go. While it’s fun to see them at major retailers…think Target, Walmart, TJ Maxx, and Anthropologie, I really love finding them at the thrift store! The prices are so much better there, although, they are on the rise. Plus, it’s possible to find so much more unique pieces! I’m an enneagram 4 and being unique is a big deal to me. I love finding items that no one else has and baskets from the thrift store are right up there on my list.
Since we love baskets so much, let’s chat about how you can use them in your home. I have three ways I want to share with you, even though, there are many more ways to use them, I’m sure.
This is the big one I want to share with you, and it might be the one way you haven’t thought of or tried yet! One of my favorite ways to use a basket is as a light shade or cover! There are lots of fancy and designer versions of woven light covers and shades, but you know I’m too cheap for that…so Im’ma make my own.
I’d had the idea rolling around in my head for so long to have a giant basket pendant light, but knew I had to find just the right basket first. A couple of years ago (might be three, honestly…where does time go?), I was at a pop-up vintage market and stumbled across the most amazing basket that I knew was going to be the perfect light shade!! It was maybe $35, which wasn’t a thrift store bargain, but that price is still so much better than buying anything retail and the basket itself is so amazing…I didn’t even question buying it. You can read all about my DIY Basket Pendant Light project HERE.
Last spring, I wanted to give the ceiling fan in our living room a new look. I had recently thrifted a great basket that I wanted to use as a light shade for something and knew it would be perfect for this little makeover. Unfortunately, I didn’t do any sort of a tutorial for the project (oops, bad blogger), but it’s really so easy.
The basics of the project were to remove the shade and then cut a slit in the bottom of the basket to slip over the light sockets. The basket I used is very pliable, so it was easy to maneuver. If you use a basket with a more solid bottom, you may need to attach with wires or brackets of some sort. The only other part that was on our fan, not sure if it will be on yours, is a small circular piece that threaded into place over the motor housing. This went back on, once I put the basket on, and helped to keep everything in place. That’s it…seriously so easy!
The one comment I got from a lot of folks when I shared this project was worry about the basket being a fire hazard near the light bulbs. I can totally appreciate this, but it’s really not an issue. The bulbs don’t touch the basket at all, plus we don’t ever leave the fan or the lights on when we’re not home. It’s all actually for look at this point…which means maybe we should switch it out for just a nice-looking light fixture. I smell a project!
A little plant lingo for you…
Plants come in a plastic nursery pot and are pretty happy in them for at least a year after you get them…sometimes even longer. The nursery pots aren’t very attractive, though, so you’ll probably want to put them into something a little nicer. That’s where a cache pot comes in. It’s basically anything that you can slip the plant and nursery pot into. Baskets are perfect for this! All you really need to do to them is make sure you have some sort of a tray in the bottom to catch extra water that might leak out from the bottom of the nursery pot.
There is no limit to the possibilities of basket and plant combos. There are so many different sizes and shapes of baskets that you’ll surely find one that is perfect for any plants you might have. Who knows…you might even find a basket that’s so amazing, that you’ll need to buy a new plant to put in it!
The design of baskets is perfect to complement the green of plants. They add warmth and texture, without taking away at all from the plant itself. Sometimes, ceramic or plastic pots (especially if they’re colored) can compete with the plant instead of letting it show off
Nothing earth-shattering here, but I always think it’s good to have a reminder of things once every now and again. Baskets are such a stylish way to corral and store lots of different things! Depending on what size of items you have, there is a basket for everything!
Aside from the warmth and texture a basket can provide to a room, I also like them because the look a little more polished then just having a tote or bin sitting out. There’s nothing wrong with those things, but I do think a basket looks more sophisticated and is a more stylish storage option.
I use baskets all over our house to corral things that I don’t want just strewn about. As you can see here, I have one in our laundry room that holds our wool dryer balls and one by our entryway table for magazine storage.
I love to add elements to each of the rooms in our home that are functional, but still look good. One of the biggest things I can emphasize to you is to make the spaces in your house, work for you. Decorations are nice, but they can quickly start to make rooms feel cluttered, without intention. Baskets can help to bridge that gap, being both nice to look at and serving a purpose!
As I mentioned before…I’m not telling you anything new about baskets…except for maybe using them as light shades, but it’s nice to have a reminder now and again! You might even have some baskets already that you’re not using or that you could be using in a different way! Have one that could work, but it seems out of date? Give it a makeover! You can find a post I shared about that HERE.
If you’re looking for more DIY and home decor inspiration, I’ve joined several other talented ladies this month on Instagram who are sharing their own projects as well!
The Junk Parlor
Sometimes you find a plain cabinet that could use a little something. And adding a First Aid Cross to a cabinet is about the easiest thing to do! Check it out!
Faux Your Eyes Only
Do you enjoy taking vintage items and turning them into something beautiful?? Then this DIY Shabby Chic Style Glass Cloche is the perfect DIY for you!!
Lora Bloomquist Create and Ponder
How to easily make DIY pine cone succulents that look real.
Southern Crush At Home
Create a show-stopping spring front door wreath with this fun and easy project. This DIY wreath is perfect for welcoming in the new season!
February Guest Hosts:
Custom Southern Co.
Ever wonder how to repurpose ornate antique light globes or domes? I will show you one simple option here!
R7Reclaimed
Skip the work of scrubbing on those old stained and dirty glass bottles. With a few strokes of paint turn those antique glass jugs into modern and sleek jugs for holding preserved or faux stems in your decor. Check out this fresh mantle decor update with just a few strokes of the brush.
I hope I’ve inspired you to look at baskets in a new way! I know they’ve long been a home decor standby, but they really can be so functional and stylish! If you decide to try any of the ways I shared to use a basket, or maybe you have a new way I didn’t suggest, share to Instagram stories and tag me! You can find me on Instagram at @hilaryprall.
Want to set a pretty table for Thanksgiving, but don’t want to spend a lot of money? Shop your local thrift store! I always make it a fun challenge to myself to look for the perfect decor for holiday tables when I’m shopping secondhand. I thought I’d share mine with you this year, to help inspire you to do the same.