Real Solutions: How to Use Baskets as Side Tables

Every home is filled with unique design puzzles. Here's where we share real solutions—design success stories in the homes of Food52 staffers and contributors (and you!).

Today: We're so inspired by these side tables that Shopbando's founder, Jen Gotch, spotted at a shop in Berlin.

Side tables can be a pain. In a tiny apartment, something that takes up a whole square foot with hardly a consideration for storage seems a preposterous indulgence, and in a larger home, the need for them can feel endless: beside every couch, chair, and lonely stretch of wall space. Without any, a rainy night in with a good glass of Cabernet Franc isn't quite as relaxing: Where are you going to set it down that's close enough that you don't have to get up, and far enough that you can't kick it over unintentionally?

In either case, shopping for a sufficiently attractive but modest side table isn't always easy (or top of mind). Enter this brilliant solution from a shop in Berlin, as captured by Shopbando's founder, Jen Gotch, wherein wire baskets are flipped over to act as display tables. You could top one with a cut-to-size piece of glass (any custom framing store should be able to get you one in the right size for a sensible price) or a few large art books that can act as a stable surface. Draped with a piece of fabric or topped with a piece of plywood, they're a cool and creative way to add pedestals without breaking the bank—and when you tire of them as tables, flip them over, stuff them with blankets or books, and slide them onto a shelf for storage.

What other creative storage solutions are you loving? Let us know in the comments!