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My partner’s most confounding habit is his tendency to leave coffee cups in the bathroom. Another ELLE editor says hers loves to leave mechanical pencils around their apartment. I’m not here to solve these mysteries, but I am here to provide a solution: boyfriend baskets.
For the uninitiated, “boyfriend basket” is a catch-all term that refers to any basket, tray, or other receptacle where you place the things your partner leaves around the house, so all items are in one hidden, yet easy-to-locate spot. In the end, one person gets to have a clear space, and the other always knows where their things are (i.e. in the basket).
And while we are using the term “boyfriend,” because we love an alliteration, please be assured that this can apply to all people and all relationships—married, newly dating, non-binary, queer, messy friend, what-have-you—in which two people are living together while contending with different expectations for cleanliness. As one ELLE editor put it: “I don’t know how anyone cohabitates without baskets.”
Are you “anyone”? Here’s your chance to change your life. Browse below, and then organize accordingly. (Just note that names have been withheld to protect the innocent and the Type A.)
Connected Goods Rudy Pom Pom Belly Basket
One ELLE editor uses a belly basket adorned with knit pom poms, similar to this, to deposit items that end up scattered in her living room. She admits: “The other day I threw his blue light glasses in there loose, with no case, and thought, ‘Maybe I’m taking this too far.’”
She also suggests, and I concur, that these baskets would make a great pick for their ability to decoratively conceal all of the stuff thrown inside.
Open Spaces Medium Bins with Lids (Set of 2)
Another highly recommended variation is a basket or bin with a lid. These are especially useful for containing things often left around a coffee table e.g. sunglasses, pens, floss containers (two ELLE editors corroborated this!), fidget toys, etc.
One particularly brilliant person said they bought their partner an over-the-door laundry basket so their dog doesn’t steal any clothes that have been discarded around the house.
amololo Handmade Rattan Round Basket
Another told me they’ve strategically placed a woven basket in the corner of their kitchen counter. (This basket here is technically a fruit bowl, but would also work for corralling non-edible objects.)
You can also build up to the full-on basket by starting with a simple leather catchall. Wallet, meet your new home.
Think of a basket, as one friend so poetically described it, as “a transitory space between ‘out’ and ‘put away.’”
Or, as another person named it, a “Boyfriend Lost and Found.”
Anthropologie Dolores Hanging Baskets (Set of 2)
One common object that people seemed to regularly fill their baskets with? Mail. An easy solution? Hanging mail baskets right next to the door.
West Elm Multicolored Woven Baskets (Set of 3)
One friend told me she’s taken the approach of having two baskets in one spot to make the endeavor seem more like a group project. “Like, ‘Look, we both have a nice place to put our things!’ But in reality, I have a place to my things and a place to put his things.”
A gentle reminder that not all baskets are brown, woven, and look like they should be holding a hand-knit scarf. Some are made of canvas, adorned with stripes, and durable and perfect for housing scattered remote controls.
But also, if you like brown and woven: we got you.
Mara Hoffman Organic Cotton Baskets
This would look beautiful tucked into the corner of your living room, but it’s also large enough to house an aggressive number of baseball hats.
Open Spaces Medium Wire Baskets
Whichever one you may choose, just know we, the Basket Buyers, are in this together.
Madison is a senior writer/editor at ELLE.com, covering news, politics, and culture. When she's not on the internet, you can most likely find her taking a nap or eating banana bread.
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