Etsy Find: Felt Storage Baskets

Made from high-quality, ultra-thick and sturdy industrial felt, these handy baskets from The Felt Store are great for containing clutter. Use them to hold your bedside or living room reading stash, yarn and other craft supplies, desk accessories, or even bread or fruit on the dinner table. Above: Large Felt Storage Basket With Handles, $90

Gray Felt Table Basket, $15

Lined Felt Table Baskets, $25 each

Medium Storage Baskets, $65 each

Check out all of The Felt Store's Etsy offerings right here.

Cool Stuff: Rustic Rolling Bins

I spotted these wooden storage bins on the U.K.'s Rose & Grey, and thought they were great. You could use them to corral kids' toys, stack clean towels in the bathroom, hold files and paperwork in your home office, or put them to use in any number of other household settings.

But at £55 (about $90) a pop? Not so much. Though I'm not crafty in the slightest, even I think it would be simplicity itself -- not to mention a whole lot cheaper -- to make something similar on your own.

A quick eBay search turned up hundreds of vintage wooden crates, for instance, or you can find them at just about any flea market. Heck, you probably have a couple already sitting in your basement.

Then just pick up some screw-on casters at your local hardware store or home center and voila -- a set of handy, utilitarian-chic rolling bins for a few bucks apiece.

Cool Stuff: Working Class Studio Fabric Bags and Boxes

Re-Gift line just in time for the holidays. They
are perfect to stash under the Christmas tree with a big pretty bow, and
after use, they can be used as home storage boxes. The fabric bags can
also be reused as lunch totes, knitting bags, kids totes and so much more.
Why waste a bunch of paper wrapping gifts when you can use and re-use
these boxes and bags for years to come!

Add panache to gift giving and style to storage with this elegant
collection of collapsible fabric-covered boxes. Available in several
rich colors and striking patters, Re-Gift fabric boxes can be used (and
reused) as gift boxes, colorful home storage containers, or chic accents
to your living and work space. Great for holiday and year-round use,
boxes include a coordinating hang tag ideal for gift labels or content
identification. Pattern design by Ben Morris (professor of fashion, SCAD).

Fabric Bags : Re-Gift
Add panache to gift giving and style to storage with this elegant
collection of collapsible fabric-covered boxes. Available in several
rich colors and striking patterns, Re-Gift fabric bags can be used (and
reused) as gift bags or stylish totes. Each bag is made of durable
natural cotton and features a reinforced bottom for added support. Bags
are available in three sizes: bottle, medium and large. Pattern design
by Ben Morris (professor of fashion, SCAD).

Cool Stuff: Orla Kiely for Heals

London-based design darling Orla Kiely's brand-new furniture pieces for UK home furnishings chain Heal's have been making their way around the blogosphere over the last few days. And for good reason -- Kiely's femmed-up, midcentury-inspired chairs, tables, and sideboards are seriously cute.

Unfortunately, with the current exchange rate they're also seriously out of reach. The Cupboard at top, for instance is 1,395 pounds (or about $2,474), while the Dining Chair and Occasional Table above are 250 and 495 pounds ($443 and $878).

But I was clicking around on the Heal's site admiring them, anyway, when I saw that Kiely has also designed some great bedding, bath linens, and office storage items for the British retailer. And those wares, at least, are actually reasonably affordable:

Flower Blossom Print Bedding, 28 to 85 pounds ($50 to $151)

Large Storage Box, 40 pounds ($71)

Multi Stem Embroidered Towels, 6 to 26 pounds ($11 to $46)

Scribble Stem Print Bedding, 24 to 85 pounds ($43 to $151)

Sadly, Heal's won't ship outside of the UK. But maybe you have an extra-nice British friend who could post a packet off to you or smuggle over a bit of Orla goodness on his or her next visit? (Jo-Anne, David, and Amanda: Yes, I'm talking to you.)

Check out the entire Orla Kiely collection for Heal's right here.

Design Dilemma: A Round Coffee Table with Storage?

More Ways to Waste Time reader Kara writes, "I have high hopes for a multipurpose coffee table to replace the one I have now, but have thus far failed in my mission to find a piece that fits all my criteria:

1) Round in shape
2) Modern in style
3) Lifted off the floor somewhat so my rug isn't completely hidden underneath
4) Firm enough for a tray with drinks and food, but soft enough to kick up my feet
5) Storage for blankets and remotes

Any perfect pieces come to mind?"

Kara, that is a really hard list! I spent some time searching, and came up with a few options that meet most of these criteria, but couldn't find one that met all of them.

Here are some modern (or at least contemporary) round coffee tables that won't totally obscure your rug and that offer storage:

Imfors Coffee Table, $129; Strind Coffee Table, $139; Stockholm Coffee Table, $179, all from IKEA

Danish Modern Round Table, "Buy It Now" for $140 on eBay

Genoa Coffee Table and Concord Coffee Table, both $170 from Target

Panier Tables, $314 each at HiveModern

Tonic Coffee Table and Ginger Coffee Table, both $399, and Prairie Coffee Table, $299 from EQ3

Metropolitan Coffee Table, $349 from Pottery Barn

Sax Coffee Table, $1,295 from the Conran Shop

Rosewood Coffee Table, $2,800 from StellarUnion (My favorite, hands down. But that price? Ouch.)

If you're reasonably handy, you could make a padded top for one of these to provide softness for kicking up your feet. It wouldn't be too hard: Just jigsaw a circle the same size as the table top from a piece of plywood, cut a piece of foam to match, wrap batting and fabric around the wood and foam, staple-gun them down, and attach the whole thing to the top of the table with strong Velcro strips.

Or you could get a large round ottoman to use in place of a coffee table, and store your blankets and remotes in a side table with drawers or in an attractive basket next to the couch.

I really like this Giant Moroccan Pouf, $1,250 from Tazi Designs, for instance. (Though it isn't raised off the floor like you want.)

Of course, the perfect solution would be a large round ottoman on legs, and that has a lift-off top revealing hidden storage. Unfortunately, I can't find anything matching that description that isn't super-traditional.

Readers, any ideas for Kara? If so, please post a comment and share them!

eBay Find of the Day: MCM Dresser and Desk Set

I love the white louvered drawer fronts on this matching midcentury desk and dresser -- they lighten up what could be a dark and slightly heavy style, and add a lot of verve.

The Formica-and-wood set was made in Sweden, and its compact size (the chest is 31.5 by 30 inches, while the desk measures 46 inches wide by just 18 inches deep) make each piece really versatile and great for a smaller space.

Current bids: $21 for the desk and $12 for the dresser. (Hurry -- the auctions end Monday evening, August 4.)

Cool Stuff: Design Glut

Clever, witty, and useful products from Brooklyn-based Design Glut (aka industrial designers and Pratt grads Kegan Fisher and Liz Kinnmark). Above: Hookmaker glazed wall tiles with integrated teacup and hook, $30 each

Egg Pants cups, $20 for two

Suicidal Tendencies brass cigarette holder, $140 (perfect for sending a not-so-subtle message to the smoker in your life, eh?)

See all of Design Glut's offerings at Supermarket.

Cool Stuff: OHIO Design Print Furniture

Wowza.

This series of printed furniture from San Francisco's OHIO Design isn't brand-new -- the small firm has been producing it for a couple of years now -- but it's new to me, so there you go.

The pieces are created from FSC-certified oak, walnut, or maple, which then has photographic images printed directly onto it.

Here's the "before."

And here are the "afters."

The folks at OHIO will even do custom designs with the images and wording of your choice. The four-door credenzas are $1,475, while the four-drawer dressers cost $1,745.

Check out the company's entire line of print furniture -- as well as its other "organic modern" pieces, like the simple but beautiful Blocky Stool, above, $190 to $260 -- right here.

(Via Home Rejuvenation.)

Cool Stuff: Summer at IKEA

I slipped, you guys. Despite my resolution to lay off the IKEA crap once and for all, I bought a whole bunch of stuff there yesterday.

I know it will all fall apart in a few months, and I suspect that it was probably made with toxic, non-sustainable materials by obscenely underpaid workers in Far East sweatshops. But I stopped in to pick up a bunch of Ribba frames so I could finally hang my growing collection of Etsy prints, because those are the only simple white frames I've found that I can afford to buy in mass quantities.

And, well, my resolve to drastically limit the amount of IKEA in my life fell away when I saw all the happy, super-cheap new summer stuff and other recent additions at my local Swedish superstore. (And yes, today I feel hung over with guilt -- but not so much so that I didn't spend most of the morning moving things around to make room for my new scores.)

Sommar Cushions, $8 each

Sommar Paper Tablecloth, $3. (There are so many different ways you could use this large roll of fairly durable laminated paper: wrapping a lampshade, lining dresser drawers, staple-gunning it over a worn table- or dressertop, mod-poging it to cabinet or closet doors ...)

Sommar Food Domes, on sale for $1 each

Sommar Cloth Bags (a little Orla-ish, no?), $8 each

Sommar Gardening Bags, $3 each

Sommar Hanging Planters, $13 each

Sommar Picnic Blanket, $30

Sommar Throws, $13 each

Greno Cushions (I like the yellow), $20 each

More Greno Cushions, $6 each

Hemon Rugs, $15 each

Flyn Ofelia Curtain Panels, $45 for three

Hjordis Fabric, $4 a yard

Knubbig Lamp, $17 or $9, depending on size

Pjatteryd Wall Art, $70

Tripp Storage Tins, $3 a set

Jutanas Decorative Figures, $20 for a set of five

Trollsta Sideboard, $349

Ange Chair, $129, and Hejka Chair, $139

Oh yeah, and they finally have that Egg-like Karlstad Swivel Chair ($329) that I lusted after last summer, when it was only available at overseas IKEAs. Not loving it so much in person.

I didn't actually buy all of this stuff, mind you -- but I bought some of it.

Damn you, IKEA.

(How do you all feel about the Blue Behemoth? Great for deals on fun, disposable decor -- or poor-quality environmental and economic scourge? Post a comment and let me know.)