Rustic Charm Wicker Storage Basket with Leather Straps

A cube at seat height, which is what makes it more than a basket.

The height is the useful part. Standard footstools sit around 40cm to 45cm, and most sofa seats are 45cm to 50cm. At 51cm this lands at the top of that range, so it works as a footstool, a low side table or a perch beside an armchair as well as a storage chest.

The lid is flat and usable. With a tray on top it becomes a proper surface for a cup and a book, which a domed or open basket never manages.

A cube this size holds a lot. Roughly the volume of two large laundry baskets, so several folded throws, a full toy box or a season's worth of spare bedding.

Allow clearance to open it. The lid lifts off rather than hinging back, so leave room to set it down beside the chest.

Rattan and leather is a pairing with real heritage, and it is why this reads as a chest rather than a basket.

The two genuine leather buckle straps are what change the character of the piece. The warmth of woven fibre against the structured, aged quality of leather looks like a travel trunk, which is a very different object from a storage basket with a lid on it.

They also do a job. The buckles keep the lid secure when the chest is being carried between rooms, which matters on a piece this size when it is full.

The handwoven rattan has the dense, warm quality of properly made wicker rather than the loose, papery weave you find on cheaper storage. It holds its shape when full and it holds its shape when empty, which is the practical test.

And the lidded format means the contents disappear completely. An open basket always shows what is in it, however tidily you fold. A lid is the difference between storage that works in a living room and storage that belongs in a cupboard.

• Genuine leather buckle straps, decorative and functional at once
• Handwoven natural rattan with a dense, well-made weave
• Lidded, so the contents are completely out of sight
• Seat height, so it doubles as a footstool or low side table
• A flat usable lid, which a domed basket cannot offer
• Generous cube volume, enough for throws, toys or spare bedding
• Carries securely between rooms with the buckles fastened
• Earns a place in a room rather than being hidden in a cupboard

Throws, blankets and spare cushions tidied away at the end of the day. This is the most common use and the one the height suits best, sitting beside a sofa where it works as a footstool too.

Toys, books and soft furnishings behind a closed lid. The lift-off lid is safer than a hinged one, with no heavy lid to drop.

Spare linens, pillowcases or out-of-season clothing. At the end of a bed it doubles as a bench for a folded throw or the clothes that never quite get put away.

Towels and everyday clutter, in a well-ventilated bathroom. Keep it away from direct splashing and out of a shower zone, since rattan and standing water do not mix.

Hats, gloves, dog leads and the things that otherwise pile up by the door.

A cube at seat height wants to be reachable. Beside an armchair or at the end of a sofa it gets used. Pushed into a corner it becomes a box.

A tray turns the lid into a stable surface and signals that the chest is furniture rather than storage. It also stops cups marking the weave.

Rattan is at its best against something soft. A throw half-draped over one corner, a wool or jute rug underneath, linen nearby.

The buckles are the detail. Pick up that tan elsewhere in the room, in a timber surface, a brass lamp base or leather-bound books, and the whole thing looks intentional.

A pair either side of a sofa, or stacked in an alcove, reads as a considered pair of trunks rather than a lone basket.

Dust the weave with a soft brush or a vacuum with a brush attachment on low. Rattan collects dust in the crevices and a brush clears it faster than a cloth.

Nothing wet on the rattan. A barely damp cloth on a mark, dried straight away, is as far as it goes. Soaking natural fibre softens and distorts it.

Feed the leather occasionally. A light leather conditioner once or twice a year keeps the straps supple and stops them drying out and cracking. Nothing else needed.

Keep it out of damp. Interior use only, away from a shower zone, a conservatory that gets condensation or anywhere outdoors.

Line it for delicates. If you are storing fine linens or knitwear, a fabric liner or a folded sheet inside stops the weave catching on anything delicate.

What to expect. Natural rattan varies in tone across the weave and the leather will darken slightly with handling. Both are characteristics of the materials rather than faults, and the leather in particular improves with age.

It ships as a parcel rather than a furniture delivery. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Not sure whether it suits the spot you have in mind? Send us the measurements and we will tell you. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right once it is in the room, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

Our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Kitting out a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.