As a mum of 7 you can imagine that storage space is at a premium at our house! Everything is replicated more than in your average home - shoes, school books, socks, mobile phones and so much more.
I try so hard to be organised but I also like my home to look nice - I love stylish furniture but it doesn't always meet the storage need.
I had noticed that my favourite stores have started stocking beautiful storage units featuring wicker or rattan baskets. I have a well-known weakness for these materials. I even keep the crisps in a vintage wicker shopping basket and the children's hats in old picnic baskets. I'm glad to see it's obviously now the latest on-trend style.
I found this gorgeous rattan five-drawer rustic brown Abaca storage unit on the Rattan Direct website and immediately fell in love with the design and colour. Actually I was a bit torn-the unit comes in a three drawer design too and I wonder whether to choose two smaller or one large unit.
I plumped for the bigger unit and found to my delight it fits exactly in a previously pretty much useless space in my hallway. It's not where I planned to put it but after unwrapping it excitedly just inside my front door as soon as the courier delivered it I parked it as a temporary measure until my other half could move it and decided it looked great there.
I couldn't move it myself by the way because this is one solid bit of furniture! The sturdy frame is made from solid (sustainable) hardwood and the spacious baskets are already proving very useful.
We've allocated one for my son's school books. He can load and unload his rucksack at each end of the day without any books being lost in his bedroom.
Another drawer has my daughter's precious watercolour equipment in, keeping it separate from the general arts and crafts stuff we have in a bureau for everyone to help themselves too.
Another drawer has electronic gadgets, ideally placed for me to do a quick check that none have disappeared upstairs at bedtime. Yet another drawer has Pokemon cards - every time I find a stray one when I'm vacuuming or tidying I chuck it in there for the rightful owner to claim. That collection is coming along quite nicely already.
So you can tell I am very happy with my new furniture. Any downsides? Well the children said it had an odd smell when it arrived. Hmm. It's made with natural products and rattan and wicker will occasionally smell a bit, especially if damp. It was a wet day and anyway the smell soon dissipated.
The drawers are not always very easy to pull out. This is because it's a rattan basket not a true drawer. The children are getting the hang of it. I like that each basket has two handle-holes so you can lift the basket completely out and take it to where you want to use the contents.
A word about the delivery service. I was extremely impressed with this. I had an email telling me when my order was due then a follow up message from Panther logistics experts advising me of my delivery slot.
I then had follow up messages on delivery day telling me what drop number I was and what drop number they were currently at. There was even tracking via a map for me to check the lorry's location. This was updated every couple of minutes.
The unit was very well packed and came assembled with the drawers in situ. There were some marks on the top but I believe this is part of the charm of the furniture rather than damage
So many people who have visited my home since it was delivered have commented on the furniture, admiring it. It's described on the website as conservatory furniture but I think it would suit pretty much any room in the house.
Even if you don't require storage (although who doesn't need extra storage?) it's worth a browse on the Rattan Direct site as they sell lots of other pieces of lovely furniture for the home and garden. The sofas in particular are gorgeous!
Delivery is free and you have a range of options including next day and weekend delivery options., Products have a five year guarantee and customers can choose an interest free, Buy Now, Pay Later options if they spend over £500. There is a showroom in Bolton if you are local. The January sale is still on if you are quick!
Disclaimer: I received the 5-drawer Rustic brown Abaca storage rack (RRP £149) free for the purposes of this review. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.
I try so hard to be organised but I also like my home to look nice - I love stylish furniture but it doesn't always meet the storage need.
I had noticed that my favourite stores have started stocking beautiful storage units featuring wicker or rattan baskets. I have a well-known weakness for these materials. I even keep the crisps in a vintage wicker shopping basket and the children's hats in old picnic baskets. I'm glad to see it's obviously now the latest on-trend style.
I found this gorgeous rattan five-drawer rustic brown Abaca storage unit on the Rattan Direct website and immediately fell in love with the design and colour. Actually I was a bit torn-the unit comes in a three drawer design too and I wonder whether to choose two smaller or one large unit.
I plumped for the bigger unit and found to my delight it fits exactly in a previously pretty much useless space in my hallway. It's not where I planned to put it but after unwrapping it excitedly just inside my front door as soon as the courier delivered it I parked it as a temporary measure until my other half could move it and decided it looked great there.
I couldn't move it myself by the way because this is one solid bit of furniture! The sturdy frame is made from solid (sustainable) hardwood and the spacious baskets are already proving very useful.
We've allocated one for my son's school books. He can load and unload his rucksack at each end of the day without any books being lost in his bedroom.
Another drawer has my daughter's precious watercolour equipment in, keeping it separate from the general arts and crafts stuff we have in a bureau for everyone to help themselves too.
Another drawer has electronic gadgets, ideally placed for me to do a quick check that none have disappeared upstairs at bedtime. Yet another drawer has Pokemon cards - every time I find a stray one when I'm vacuuming or tidying I chuck it in there for the rightful owner to claim. That collection is coming along quite nicely already.
So you can tell I am very happy with my new furniture. Any downsides? Well the children said it had an odd smell when it arrived. Hmm. It's made with natural products and rattan and wicker will occasionally smell a bit, especially if damp. It was a wet day and anyway the smell soon dissipated.
The drawers are not always very easy to pull out. This is because it's a rattan basket not a true drawer. The children are getting the hang of it. I like that each basket has two handle-holes so you can lift the basket completely out and take it to where you want to use the contents.
A word about the delivery service. I was extremely impressed with this. I had an email telling me when my order was due then a follow up message from Panther logistics experts advising me of my delivery slot.
I then had follow up messages on delivery day telling me what drop number I was and what drop number they were currently at. There was even tracking via a map for me to check the lorry's location. This was updated every couple of minutes.
The unit was very well packed and came assembled with the drawers in situ. There were some marks on the top but I believe this is part of the charm of the furniture rather than damage
So many people who have visited my home since it was delivered have commented on the furniture, admiring it. It's described on the website as conservatory furniture but I think it would suit pretty much any room in the house.
Even if you don't require storage (although who doesn't need extra storage?) it's worth a browse on the Rattan Direct site as they sell lots of other pieces of lovely furniture for the home and garden. The sofas in particular are gorgeous!
Delivery is free and you have a range of options including next day and weekend delivery options., Products have a five year guarantee and customers can choose an interest free, Buy Now, Pay Later options if they spend over £500. There is a showroom in Bolton if you are local. The January sale is still on if you are quick!
Disclaimer: I received the 5-drawer Rustic brown Abaca storage rack (RRP £149) free for the purposes of this review. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.