Winter 04

The Basket Capsule Collection: Choosing Floor Baskets

Hi, I’m Erin. I traded twenty years in fashion for a life of slow craft. A dialogue between the past and present, my studio Underwater Weaving honors the techniques I learned from my mother growing up in Maine. Explore our handmade world of baskets, weaving kits, and creative gatherings here.

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My collection of Baskets in the Brooklyn Studio. I swap them in and out of different rooms, wear them, and test them.

On this week’s episode of The Basket Capsule Collection, (Wha?) I’m centering the conversation on the why behind the buy—the over and under of what makes a piece relevant and worth investing in. Today, we are talking about the foundation: The Floor Basket. Note: We’ll be using our studio baskets and antiques to illustrate the process of choosing one. Of course, there are other places to find baskets, and we encourage supporting local makers or investing in vintage where possible.

Let’s Take it From the Top

Broadly, there are 5 questions you could ask yourself before creating a basket capsule collection for your home, and I propose they might be the same questions you would ask yourself before purchasing an item of clothing. They are: 1. Can I style/ use this piece in at least 3 ways? 2. Does it suit my style, life, and daily activities? 3. Does the materiality and scale add interest to an outfit or room? 4. Does the peice have a good story? 5. Can I envision it helping me create beauty and good memories?

Based on asking myself these questions, I have come to use 5 baskets in my own home and life. They are The Floor Basket, The Wall Basket, The Table Basket, The Tote Basket (to more broadly mean Market Basket or any Carrier), and The Tray.

5 questions. 5 baskets. Here’s a Video. Got it.

Note that the basket types are often interchangeable, and you want them to be: For example, an oversized tote may be a great floor basket, and a long table basket can be displayed on the wall or fit under the bed as a floor basket. Also important is seasonality- If you can envision your floor basket intended for blankets used for blankets in winter, traveling in the overhead bin for spring break, at the beach, and at the grocery store carrying your Thanksgiving meal, you’re in business. This will come back again and again, so here’s an example:

1 Basket 9 Ways

The Big Shopper Basket can be used interchangeably as a sleek floor basket, market basket, storage, travel tote, picnic basket and bike basket throughout the seasons.

Bottoms up

So a good capsule basket does a lot of things, okay. But not to get carried away, the core purpose behind a floor basket is typically to hold the beautiful overflow of our daily lives— rumpled throw blankets, children’s stuffies, firewood, extra pillows, or, to hold a tree, in the entryway for umbrellas, and specifically, for me to hold and transport items from my studio to weaving workshops. A great floor basket grounds a room visually, has some heft, and brings nature indoors.

When you are ready to invest in a floor basket as part of your capsule, here is the audit I recommend running through to ensure you choose the perfect anchor for your space:

1. What does the room want?

Before looking at dimensions, check in with the energy of your space. If your living room feels chaotic, you might want something that matches the energy but hides the clutter—in which case, maybe an oversized, sturdy striped basket is what you need. If the room feels a bit sterile or cold, your space is craving warmth. Try something low to the ground and darker. Maybe you just want something as decoration. Try playing with contrast and color- a dark wood may look nice with a Natural rattan, or maybe you can enhance the mood with the novelty of Midnight.

Floor Baskets matching energy: A Striped Tote in a colorful room, our oversized New Gloucester at the farmhouse, Large antique baskets stored on beams, The Oversized Bounty in my living room, my grandmothers basket hiding a hole in the floor, A towel Tote on the porch, The T-Striped Towel Tote with branches in winter, The Long Stem Pack in a quiet stairwell, The Striped New Gloucester in a dark paneled room with a kid!

2. Don’t underestimate scale

The mistake I would really try to avoid is buying a floor basket that is too small. If a basket is going to live on the floor, it needs to be generous enough to hold its own next to your furniture. If your space is small, a giant floor basket may actually help you as beautiful storage- maybe the shape can fit under the bed, but also on the table or wall, like the Long Bounty. Look for pieces that feel intentional.

3. Consider the basket’s role in your life

A true heritage piece is never static. Think about how your basket will move through your life. This goes back to what I was illustrating above. Could you carry it from the kitchen to the picnic? Will it eventually transition to the mudroom to hold winter gear, or the porch for summer beach towels?

More Floor: The Big Shopper, The Bounty, The New Gloucester, The Bounty, The Stair Tote, The Towel Tote

Okay, ultimately, a floor basket chosen with this much intention transcends storage—it becomes a hardworking anchor that beautifully holds the story of your home and hopefully the stories of your grandchildren’s home. You can find our collection of floor baskets here or make your own here.

What else am I eating?

In addition to a main meal of floor baskets, I’m injesting Stone Fruit jewelry, making Tassel Key Rings, searching Oddly Shaped Mirrors, wearing Silky Pants, tying ties, using brass pushpins for mood boards, reading The New Antiquarians, line dancing in A. Emry Flats, and filling my husband’s vase explorations with stems.