Have you been sitting around wondering which box is the best box? Probably. Me too. Guess what? I figured it out! This box is the best box: KVITTRA from IKEA (specifically the “red” design), designed by Anna Salander. I’ve been noticing Salander’s name on a lot of nifty IKEA stuff for the past couple of years, but this box is just the best. It’s made of a sturdy cardboard that’s coated with a screen-printed paper. The paper has slightly embossed texture to it, almost like fabric. And the colors! Perfect.
I actually have two KVITTRA boxes stacked on top of each other here. They’re only $9, so I picked up a couple when we first rented the new apartment without really having a specific purpose in mind for them. Last night I finally put them together, and now they’re holding all of my extra buttons, pouches, cables and so on — all of the little things that have sort of just been floating around looking for a place to be stored. I could put them in a closet, sure, but they’re much nicer just sitting on the living room floor.
And yes, there are a few other things to talk about here, like the new rug (!!!), the credenza, the lion head…and the fact that I can’t stop painting walls with that Deep Space paint. I’ll get to all of that soon enough, but I just couldn’t wait to share this box! The best box.
32 Comments
Loove! Now I reallly have to head to Ikea, it’s been too long. And I do need some boxes! Thank you for the discovery!
yes! i have these too, they reminded me of old record storage boxes so have used them for 7″s. looked up her designs on the ikea site and realised i have the black and pink tradklover rug too…
dang, that IS a cute box! going to need to pick one (or 5) up on my next trip to ikea!
Love the boxes, but wow, I am envisioning that rug with muddy paws??? What is your secret for preventing that — share please.
OOOOOO! The rug! I love the rug! I’ve had my eye on a rug like that! Can’t wait to see more!
Why yes, I was sitting around wondering about the best box. 🙂 I love red. I love IKEA. I love the best box. I hope it is in IKEA Australia stores. And I do love that rug … does Bruno get lost in it?
Mx
🙂 Yes, he does!
Is your rug the same as this rug? http://www.housetweaking.com/2013/05/13/puppies-rainbows/ They look the same to me, in which case I suppose the universe is telling me to go out and buy it.
On a more relevant note, I wish there was an Ikea closer to me.
No, it’s not the same rug, but there are a lot of rugs in that kind of Moroccan Beni Ourain style. I’ll blog about it soon, I promise. 🙂
Bought the same box a month or so ago and the first thing I though when I saw it in was: Anna from D16 would love it, haha 😉 I like your style very much and you’ve been so many times an inspiration for me. (ps. do you know this blog/artist http://seventytree.bigcartel.com/? )
Hi Anna! I have the same boxes in my office and love them also. 🙂 That space paint looks good on your walls! Refresing after white on white season.
So cute!! I miss living close to ikea. :(.
Looks like the living room is coming along! I like that crazy animal head thing on the credenza… Can’t wait to see more!
I just saw those boxes recently on an IKEA family blog entry…. super cute! and each size of KVITTRA has a different pattern. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60240097/?query=kvittra+box#/80240096
I need to make the two-hour each way drive to IKEA this weekend to get some of those boxes since they’re pretty and functional.
I love your idea of stacking the two and keeping them out in the open instead of hiding them away in a closet!
Never seen them before and I’m at IKEA all the time :> Love ’em.
You didn’t inherit sfgirlbybay’s former rug by any chance? Anyway, I really love those kinds of rugs. Nice boxes (and sideboard) too!
No — I didn’t even realize she’d gotten rid of it?
I just rechecked and apparently she only moved it to the bedroom, but I just remembered that she had new rugs in the living room: http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2013/04/01/beldi-boucherouite-rugs/
Ma’am, I need to know more about this rug – especially where I can get it!
The credenza gorgeous, by the way!
I’ll do a post on the rug soon, I promise!
aaaaahhhhh! credenzaaaa and ruuuug <3
Why does the closest IKEA have to be 3 hours away? T_T I wait until I have a million things I need from there and then go get it all at once. They better not sell out!
I love that lion(?) head thingy. Seriously love it. I can’t really tell what it’s made of, though? Like it kinda looks like that plastic rope type stuff that those really cool African bracelets/stools/baskets are made of?
It’s made out of vintage sari fabric! I’ll take good pictures and post about it soon. 🙂
I just bought one of these last Sunday. I limited myself to one for now because I was already carrying a ton of awkward stuff and because I plan on visiting IKEA in June when I have guess in town. That really is the best pattern of the bunch. When I first saw it only I knew it was your style.
Oh, spotted a DIY for this style of rug, not long ago.
http://29ruehouse.blogspot.dk/2013/03/diy-beni-ouarain-moroccan-rug.html
Love the box, we had them for a while now at ikea denmark. The best box indeed.
Oh me, oh my – thanks a MILLION for writing a blog post ALL ABOUT a box- no, not “a box” – THAT BOX. I have three of them plus the others one in the series too – the colors and patterns are just truly fantastic and I can really see why you devoted a whole post to that one in particular. (One caveat- my three year old sat on one and the corners don’t hold up well – the top kind of crushed down onto the bottom one and it tore at one corner. I can glue it back but the whole incident made me race back to Ikea to get another one just in case they go out of stock!)
I love those boxes! And I love you because you are still kind to the little word “of” and allow it to exist between “couple” and [noun of your choice] when everyone else in the internet world seems to have suddenly begun to hate that poor little word. <3
Oof! I would never write “for the past couple years.” That sounds terrible! I wonder if those people also speak that way?
Seriously, who ever thought a cardboard box could be so cool! Stinkin awesome.
I would never have guessed these to be from IKEA! Looks great. I love the mix of old and new styles in this picture.
THAT RUG!!! We want to hear about THAT RUG!
Loving everything in this photo! What paint color did you use? Our walnut credenza would look great against it!
Hi Andrea, the wall paint is Benjamin Moore Deep Space.