Cotton Rope Storage Basket with Lid

Open shelving looks best when the untidy half of it is hidden, and a woven basket does that without the hard edges of a plastic box. This one is built from coiled cotton rope, stitched in a continuous spiral so the sides hold their shape while staying soft enough to sit against a wall or tuck under a shelf without scuffing paint. The natural fibre reads as texture rather than as storage.

The lid is the useful part. Most rope baskets are open-topped, which means whatever is inside is still on show from above - a problem on a low shelf or a coffee table. Here a fitted lid closes the whole thing off, so cables, cotton wool, remote controls, hair tools or half-used packets simply disappear until you need them.

At twenty-five by sixteen centimetres it is sized for a shelf, a bedside table, a bathroom worktop or the corner of a kitchen counter rather than for bulk laundry. Cotton is a forgiving material to live with: it does not crack, chip or discolour, and a light vacuum or a brush down is all it needs. Keep it out of standing damp so that the fibres stay firm and the sides do not soften out of shape over time.

• Coiled cotton rope basket with a fitted removable lid
• Dimensions approximately 25 x 16 cm
• Soft-sided - will not scuff walls or furniture
• Holds its shape without a rigid liner
• Suits shelves, bedsides, bathrooms and worktops
• Brush or vacuum clean; keep away from standing damp