As I was navigating through the Pottery Barn online catalog, my eyes caught this new item: a basket (click here) with iron handles sized to be used under a Pottery Barn Ottoman (click here) or on its own. Even though they were on sale, they were still way too expensive. They may have been of good quality and oversized but I knew could get the look for less!
I took out these two baskets that I’ve had for some time – purchased at Michael’s, I can’t remember the exact price, around $ 8.00 each (Michael’s has almost always its entire basket collection at 50% off.) They are perfect for this project as they are rectangular with straight sides. They used to have handles on each side, which at some point I took off with scissors. I almost always take off handles from baskets. This is what they look like now.
And here are the cabinet pulls I got from Home Depot. I couldn’t decide which ones I liked best, so I got two of each, one in nickel and the other copper with a bronze finish. Each costs less than $ 5.00. By the way, Home Depot also had some rectangular cabinet handles that resembled my Pottery Barn inspiration but (1) they had to be ordered online and I couldn’t wait to start my project and (2) they were a little too rustic. I thought that these were the best pick for my house’s style.
With the screws that came in the package (they were two sets of screws, I obviously used the shorter ones), I made a little opening in between the basket weaving, and screwed them easily making sure they were placed in the middle. This is how it looks from the inside.
Depending on how and where these baskets will be used, I can decide on putting the handles on either the wider or shorter side of the basket.
And the fun part begins now. Where am I going to place them? I wandered around the house trying to find the best spot for my baskets:
Would it be next to my sofa, one on top of the other, to accommodate magazines? One for my home decor magazines and one for my husband’s car magazines…
Or on my son’s desk to store notebooks and paper work? One for regular school and one for Greek school?
Maybe in the linen closet to separate sheets sets?
How about the lower shelf of my night stand? One basket is to hold books and magazines, the other for handcream, remote controls, glasses and all the little essentials.
Or in the dining room cabinet, placed vertically with the copper handles? What a great way to store next dinners’ serving pieces, napkins and place mats, as I get prepared towards the dinner day.
They’re also very convenient under the bathroom sink for storing bars of soap, shampoo, etc.
And in the kitchen pantry they look amazing, too!
And the winner is:
I love them in the bedroom. In fact, I’ll make another pair for the other nightstand!
[…] Angelica of My Dear Irene loved the idea of adding metal handles to woven baskets like those she saw from Pottery Barn. Even on sale, those oversized baskets were $95! Angelica got the same look with simple baskets and drawer pulls from the hardware store. From the pantry to the laundry room to the office, there isn’t a place these baskets don’t add function and style. The hardest part of the whole project is deciding where to put them! […]
What a wonderful idea. I am going to have to run and get some pulls and attempt to “update” my baskets. Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
Diane, thank you for your comment!
Great project. You choose my favorite spot!
Thank you Melissa, they are the drawers than my nightstand was missing!
Are these handles more decorative than functional? Will they hold up to weight being in the baskets? Great idea, thanks for sharing.
Michelle, the handles can also be functional depending on (a) how sturdy your basket is – the more, the better! and (b) the content of your basket. I’ve been using them on the nightstand’s lower shelf. The one that holds lighter items (hand cream, remote controls) can be pulled out easily by the handle, just like a drawer! Thanks for your comment! Angelica
You might want to consider adding washers to the inside of each basket before attaching the screws to the handles. It will help to prevent the screws from pulling out of the basket weave when stress is applied. Love the look!
Sylvia, you are indeed correct. Flat washers for stability and cap nuts to make the ends look prettier – I used both in this other basket project – link: http://mydearirene.com/2016/08/01/diy-pull-out-basket-for-the-kitchen-mounted-in-minutes/
Thank your for your comment and for stopping by!