OS suggestions for HM storage boxes please

juliapenguin

Hi everyone.

I've just moved into a tiny furnished flat and need to use all the storage space possible. I have a very nice coffee table which is frosted glass with a silver frame and is like a triple decker sandwich ie top shelf, middle shelf, bottom shelf.

It would be great to put three A4 shallow storage boxes/trays side by side on each of the two lower shelves, as it easily looks untidy if stuff is just piled up on the shelves.

I've had a look on the internet for some ready-made boxes, but can't find anything suitable.

I was thinking about the lids of the boxes we get photocopier paper in at work, or the boxes themselves but cut down to size. Slightly bigger would be nicer, but I thought they would be easy to get hold of.

How could I cover them, to make them look nice and be more durable? I don't sew, and haven't got any outside space where I could use spray paints. If I used wrapping paper, how could I avoid the paper ripping around the edges?

Any ideas would be brilliant. Thank you xxx

Pippad

I use to have a box lid that I used to transport invoices that needed to be checked to and from work. I found that glossy "metalic" paper didn't tend to rip as quickly as "ordinary" paper.

HTH's!

juliapenguin

How did you get it to look neat on the inside? The innards of the box will be visible if the box hasn't got much in it.

Mrs._Irwin

Decoupage? A nice collage of images cut from magazines glued onto the box would be nice and very individual.

LilacPixie

what about using fabric??

juliapenguin

I would have to glue fabric, presumably - have you any suggestions about good fabric and glue to use?

With decoupage, how would I protect the surface? I want the boxes to be sturdy and durable and my OH is a bit cack-handed... Can you paint something like varnish over the top?

jackieglasgow

WALLPAPER!!!! Old stuff leftover which matches your decor or go get some freebies from bee and queue or similar. Sachet of wallpaper paste you could pick up cheaply, I would "flatten" the box out, and cover the sides, making the inside edges nice and neat, either by papering to the point where they meet the inside floor of the box or with equal margins all around, then glue the box back together when dried. Freeish or very cheap and could be made to look quite stylish, could get boxes to match each other quite nicely. HTH Jackie. X

juliapenguin

That sounds like an idea.... Thank you.

Pippad

juliapenguin wrote: »

How did you get it to look neat on the inside? The innards of the box will be visible if the box hasn't got much in it.

I hope I explain this alright:

I put the box on top of the paper and cut out a shape that was able to cover the bottom and the outside and inside sides.

I then cut out a rectangle to cover the bottom on the inside of the lid.

I used a mixture of double sided tape and glue so that you couldn't see the joins or tape!

THIRZAH

I've painted photocopier paper boxes with emulsion paint-it usually takes two coats and you can apply it with a brush so not too messy

beemuzed

What about those rolls of shelf-covering - you just peel back the paper backing and attach. I haven't bought any for years but used this to cover the plain wooden shelves in my pantry so I could just wipe them down.