We're big fans of storage ottomans (and multipurpose furniture in general) and often tout their benefits as toy chests and storage bins, but it hadn't occurred to us to use them as hampers until we saw this photo (above left) in a Real Simple feature about organizing a room shared by two sisters. [And, yes, we did a classic V8 forehead slap.]
The entire Real Simple story, A Children's Room Gets Organized, is worthwhile and full of good ideas, but we are hung up on the ottoman/hamper idea. The girls in the room (and their parents) stand on the ottoman to reach higher items in the closet as well as keep dirty laundry out of sight.
The ottoman pictured is by P'kolino and was one of five we featured recently in Space Solution: Five Great Storage Ottomans. Are we the last ones to think of this? Are you using an ottoman as a hamper? What other unconventional vessels are you using as hampers?
(photo by James Baigrie)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
It looks cute, but in real life, wouldn't it get dirty/smelly?
view LaneC's profile
We use a small stainless steel trash can. We could not find an attractive hamper that was small enough to fit in my daughter's closet. Plus, I was planning to do some cloth diapering, and I thought the trash can would do a good job containing any smells. It's worked great for two years and can easily be used for garbage or something else when our needs change.
view Yolanda's profile
I would be afraid of mildew. My husband used a trashcan for a hamper for a while and with the humidity and if he put anything in that was slightly damp, it'd mildew almost immediately.
view tgray99's profile