Basket Cases: 5 Clever Ways to Repurpose Gift Baskets

If you were a lucky boy or girl at Christmas, you'll have gift baskets just begging to be repurposed. Try these 5 ideas for storage and decoration.



If you were a lucky boy or girl over the Christmas period, you may now have attractive gift baskets and hampers lying around just begging to be reused and repurposed. Whether you've received traditional woven wicker baskets, faux leather hampers or shabby chic wooden crates, don't let these beautiful items go to waste.

To breathe fresh life into your old hampers and empty gift baskets, we've curated 5 fabulous "basket cases" to provide a little design inspiration.

1. Hanging baskets
If you're green fingered, why not fill your empty wicker baskets with flowers and foliage? This is a wonderful project which is very easy to put together at home. Perfect for bringing a little colour and rustic charm to exteriors and outdoor spaces.

Simply string up your empty wicker gift baskets, fill them with compost, plant your favourite flowers then hang them up to beautify outdoors areas. We particularly like the addition of a trailing creeper in the lower basket to add pretty fronds and greenery to your creation.

Stacked baskets full of your favourite herbs also work wonderfully, great for cooking and wonderful for adding scent to a kitchen garden or patio.

 

 

 

2. Stencilled storage

 If you're a hoarder of clothes, shoes, records, perfumes or DVDs, larger gift baskets and hampers make brilliant, tucked away storage, which look pretty on the outside, while keeping clutter safely on the inside.

If you have larger wooden chests or baskets left over from bigger gifts, why not turn them in to beautiful and practical storage? You could even stencil them with their contents (we particularly like French versions: "Chaussures" for a touch of romance and culture). For sturdier chests, pop a couple of pretty cushions on top to provide extra seating.

3. Bathroom baskets

We're in love with these innovative bathroom baskets. Simply hung from towel rails, these are laid-back, repurposed
storage of the most inspiring type.

Customise to taste with your chosen rails and hangers and use to hold all of those bathroom essentials, without clutter. Perfect for those of you who dream of an elegant,  minimal bathroom with plenty of charm.

 

4. Basket bookcase

For avid readers, these basket bookcases are a gorgeous way to store, organise and showcase your favourite books. We love the customised labels, although we think alphabetical baskets would be even better. If you are particularly keen on a couple of authors, they could be given pretty labelled baskets all of their very own.

5. Spice baskets

A well stocked spice collection is essential for any self-respecting home gourmet - and airtight, former gift baskets look so much more beautiful than plastic or supermarket-bought alternatives. We especially like the look of this small, rustic wooden chest, wonderful for laid-back kitchens with a warm, vintage style.

To keep your herbs and spices fresh, make sure you use baskets with lids, or pick up some Tupperware which fits your baskets perfectly. You can even subdivide larger baskets to fit all of your flavours simultaneously. Delicious!