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DIY industrial wire mail baskets

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DIY Industrial wire mail baskets from a $5 cleaning caddy
 I’ve been hard at work on a makeover of my brand-new study nook space. You may remember that last time you saw it, it looked like this (there it is on the left – that blank empty space with wires hanging out of the wall):
Well, I can reveal that it’s looking quite different now! I’ve been painting, assembling Ikea units, hanging shelves, and generally turning the study nook into an area that’s both functional, organised, and OH so pretty! I’ll be revealing the completed space tomorrow (fingers crossed that I get it all wrapped up in time) – I am SO stoked with how it’s looking already!
For today, though, I wanted to show you one of the DIY projects I undertook to makeover this space. I really wanted to use some industrial-looking black wire baskets as mail sorters, but I found it incredibly difficult to source anything that was slimline enough to mount against the wall.
So I decided to make my own.
I started with this plastic-coated wire caddy found at K-mart for $5-something. I bought three as I wanted to be able to sort my mail into incoming, action needed and bills.

 

It had the perfect dimensions for storing mail (I took a couple of long envelopes with me to be sure) but it looked like, well, a cleaning caddy. The white coating made it look cheap and utilitarian instead of industrial and cool.
But that was okay. I knew I could work with that. Enter: black spray paint. I used this Rust-oleum paint + primer, which meant I didn’t have to prime the baskets first. Plus it adheres to metal and plastic – perfect! I chose a matte black finish.
And here is the spray-painted basket! Bit of a difference, right?

The next step was to hot-glue-gun some chalkboard frames to the front of each basket. Once again I had a lot of difficulty sourcing these little frames. There are some lovely ones on Amazon…

…but at the time I wrote this post, they only shipped to the U.S., not Australia. (Note: they now ship to Australia if you want to save yourself some hassle!) I considered making my own with some pieces of wood and chalkboard paint, but I really wanted the frame effect and that is a bit beyond my basic DIY skills. Then I found these lovely little frames at a local store! They were $4.95 each, so not cheap, but considering I got the baskets for next to nothing I figured it was worth it. And don’t they look fantastic?!

 

Here they are with some labels written on in chalk:

This is the vertical configuration I’ll use when I mount them on the wall, except with some more space in between:

All in all this was an incredibly quick and simple transformation and I couldn’t be happier with the results! These little baskets have exactly the hip, industrial feel I was after.

I’m feeling more organised already at the mere thought of no more mail strewn over our benchtops.

DIY Industrial wire mail baskets from a $5 cleaning caddy

Want to skip the hassle? You can now buy slimline industrial wire baskets quite cheaply on Amazon:
Option A

Option B

Update: You can see the reveal of my completed office space here!
Here’s a little sneak peak of how it all came together…
And while you’re here, don’t leave without your free gift! This book is for any mum who’s ever wished for a more organised, more creative life at home with kids. Well, it’s time to stop wishing and make it happen! Join over 6,000 subscribers and grab your completely FREE copy by entering your email address below.
Wishing you a house full of sunshine!
DIY Industrial wire mail baskets from a $5 cleaning caddy
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Lovely comments

  1. I was just loving on those baskets and click over to see you had a post on how you made them! Pinning that one to remember. Looks awesome, Karen!

  2. I was just loving on those baskets and click over to see you had a post on how you made them! Pinning that one to remember. Looks awesome, Karen!

  3. I can&#39t believe this transformation! These look so high-end. It&#39s the sort of thing you can find at affordable prices in the US or even in Melbourne, but I can never find rustic looking or industrial style things like this in Sydney. I&#39m so glad you posted this. I&#39ve got plenty of these stock-standard white baskets. Now I have a way to make them look super-cool!

  4. I can't believe this transformation! These look so high-end. It's the sort of thing you can find at affordable prices in the US or even in Melbourne, but I can never find rustic looking or industrial style things like this in Sydney. I'm so glad you posted this. I've got plenty of these stock-standard white baskets. Now I have a way to make them look super-cool!

  7. This is an awsome post… i came here from YHL a while ago and have been checking in since and am loving your style, I too have been on the lookout for wire baskets such as these in Aus but never came across them (my dream is for our Target to be stocked like the US Target). I didnt know you could get rust-o-leum at bunnings!!!!! after reading soooo many blog posts about a quick spray paint and things coming up amazing i was always crushing over this type of spray paint, so needless to say, next stop… bunnings!

  8. Yay, welcome Charlotte – always nice to meet a fellow design-loving Aussie! I totally agree on all counts – I too am obsessed with U.S. blogs and am always feeling pangs of jealousy at the things they can come by so readily that are just about impossible to find here. It was a happy, happy day when I discovered Rust-o-leum at Bunnings! 🙂 They have a smallish range of colours, but better than I expected. And yes – the pictures of the U.S. Target stores make me drool….!!! Amazing! So glad to have you here.

  9. This is an awsome post… i came here from YHL a while ago and have been checking in since and am loving your style, I too have been on the lookout for wire baskets such as these in Aus but never came across them (my dream is for our Target to be stocked like the US Target). I didnt know you could get rust-o-leum at bunnings!!!!! after reading soooo many blog posts about a quick spray paint and things coming up amazing i was always crushing over this type of spray paint, so needless to say, next stop… bunnings!

  10. Yay, welcome Charlotte – always nice to meet a fellow design-loving Aussie! I totally agree on all counts – I too am obsessed with U.S. blogs and am always feeling pangs of jealousy at the things they can come by so readily that are just about impossible to find here. It was a happy, happy day when I discovered Rust-o-leum at Bunnings! 🙂 They have a smallish range of colours, but better than I expected. And yes – the pictures of the U.S. Target stores make me drool….!!! Amazing! So glad to have you here.

  11. LOVE IT! This is EXACTLY what I am looking for to store my mail!!! Do you remember what section of Kmart you found these in?! I&#39m hoping my Kmart has them!

  12. Great – so glad you like them! 🙂 I found them in the aisle of home storage products. There were lots of different types of caddies, some for kitchen, some for bathroom. A Kmart worker should be able to point you in the right direction. 🙂

  13. LOVE IT! This is EXACTLY what I am looking for to store my mail!!! Do you remember what section of Kmart you found these in?! I'm hoping my Kmart has them!

  14. Great – so glad you like them! 🙂 I found them in the aisle of home storage products. There were lots of different types of caddies, some for kitchen, some for bathroom. A Kmart worker should be able to point you in the right direction. 🙂

  15. This is exactly what I&#39ve been looking for. i&#39m so tired of mail spread all over our house. Great idea!

  16. This is exactly what I've been looking for. i'm so tired of mail spread all over our house. Great idea!

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  23. I&#39ve been looking all over for wall-mounted baskets to use to sort mail and I&#39d all but given up. This has inspired me to try again and just make them myself. Awesome!

  24. I've been looking all over for wall-mounted baskets to use to sort mail and I'd all but given up. This has inspired me to try again and just make them myself. Awesome!

  27. Just found you through your guest post on i heart organizing – and am headed to the store to get materials for this project right now!! Thanks for the inspiration, can&#39t wait to discover more on your blog!

  28. Just found you through your guest post on i heart organizing – and am headed to the store to get materials for this project right now!! Thanks for the inspiration, can't wait to discover more on your blog!

  29. I just discovered your blog after looking for wire mail baskets, although your eBook looks familiar, so maybe I have come across you before. It’s so good to find an Australian blog that talks about sourcing items from stores that I know and can access, instead of American stores. I look forward to checking out your website! I think I am gouing to have to make my own too. Thanks for sahring!

    • I also love that you are Australian, so I know I can source the same stuff as you and that I don’t have to worry about postage and dollar conversion rates. Thanks for showing your study nook – I can’t see the link to the rest of it but its helping inspire me. I’m off to Kmart and Bunnings to attempt something similar. Thank you 🙂

  31. Love this solution, Karen! Do you mind if I share this in my upcoming email course?

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