Baskets that fit cube shelving

Cube shelving is the most common storage furniture in UK homes, and basket returns are almost always a measurement problem rather than a quality one.

Cube units are not standardised

They look interchangeable and they are not.

Openings cluster around a common size, and plenty of baskets are made to suit that. But different manufacturers vary by a centimetre or two, and older units vary more. A basket sold as a "cube storage basket" is designed for a typical cube, not for yours.

So measure the internal opening - the actual hole, not the outside of the unit, and not the shelf spacing.

Measure three things

Internal width, between the uprights at the narrowest point.

Internal height, from the base of the opening to the underside above.

Depth, front to back. Cube units are usually shallower than they look, and a basket that is too deep sticks out at the front where everyone sees it.

Then take about a centimetre off each. A basket that fits exactly is one you cannot pull out when it is loaded - the shelf guide covers this for shelving generally.

Soft-sided is the forgiving choice

The most useful practical point.

Fabric baskets squeeze. If your measurement is a centimetre out, a soft-sided basket still goes in, and once it is full it fills the space properly.

Rigid baskets do not compromise. Too wide is too wide, and you are packing it back up.

So for a first purchase on a unit you have not bought baskets for before, go soft-sided - a fabric basket is the type, and the fabric range has more.

Their weakness is heavy contents. A fabric cube full of books slumps and stops looking square, so keep books on the open shelves and put textiles in the baskets.

Handles, and the width they steal

A cube basket needs a handle, because you are pulling it out of a recess and there is nothing to grip otherwise.

But a protruding handle adds to the width. If the opening is tight, look for a handle cut into the fabric or a recessed grab rather than one that sticks out.

Handles on the front rather than the sides are better in a cube, since you are pulling forwards.

How many cubes to fill

Not all of them, and this is what separates a unit that looks designed from one that looks like a stockroom.

Roughly two thirds baskets, one third open. Books, a plant, a photograph, or simply nothing.

The open cubes give the eye somewhere to rest and stop the unit reading as a wall of containers - the same principle as in the styling guide.

Arrange them deliberately

A few small choices make a big difference.

Keep baskets low and open cubes high, or alternate. Baskets at the bottom also put weight low, which matters on a tall unit.

Use the same basket throughout. Mixed baskets in a cube unit look worse than mixed anything else, because the grid draws attention to the differences.

Align the fronts. Push every basket to the same depth. A row where some are flush and some are recessed looks untidy even when identical.

What goes in the cubes

Textiles, toys, craft things, cables, paperwork - anything soft or small.

Bottom row for heavy things and anything children need to reach. Top row for light, rarely used things, labelled since you cannot see in from below.

In a child's room, keep the toys at the bottom - the children's storage guide covers reach by age.

Safety on a tall unit

Worth stating plainly. A tall cube unit with heavy baskets high up can become unstable, particularly where children climb.

Keep weight in the bottom row, and follow the manufacturer's own instructions on wall-fixing the unit. That is a furniture instruction rather than a basket one, and it matters more than anything about the baskets.

Cube units as room dividers

A use that comes up constantly in flats and open-plan rooms.

An open-backed cube unit works as a low divider between a living and dining area, but it only looks good if both sides are considered - the back of a row of baskets is visible from the other room.

Use baskets that look finished from every angle, and keep the divider low enough to see over. A full-height unit used as a divider makes both spaces feel smaller.

What to do with the top

The top of a cube unit is a surface, and surfaces attract clutter.

Decide what it is for before it decides for itself. A lamp and one plant reads as intentional; six random objects read as a shelf that lost an argument.

If it is at the right height, a couple of baskets on top can work - but only if they match the ones in the cubes, or the unit reads as two different pieces of furniture - the styling guide covers that.

Browse shelf and cube baskets, fabric and woven and the full range, with more in the room-by-room guide.

The short version

• Cube openings cluster around a common size but are not standardised - measure yours.
• Measure the internal opening width, height and depth, then subtract a centimetre.
• Soft-sided baskets forgive a centimetre of error; rigid ones do not.
• Fill about two thirds of the cubes and leave the rest open for books or nothing.
• Use one basket throughout - the grid makes mismatches more obvious than anywhere else.

Frequently asked questions

Do all storage baskets fit cube shelving?

No. Cube openings cluster around a common size but are not standardised, and manufacturers vary by a centimetre or two. A basket sold as a cube storage basket is designed for a typical cube rather than for your unit.

What should I measure for a cube basket?

The internal opening - width at its narrowest, height from the base of the opening to the underside above, and depth front to back. Then subtract about a centimetre, since a basket that fits exactly cannot be pulled out loaded.

Are fabric or rigid baskets better for cube units?

Fabric, for a first purchase. Soft sides squeeze, so a centimetre of measurement error is survivable, and they fill the space properly once loaded. Rigid baskets do not compromise, so too wide simply means repacking it.

How many cubes should have baskets in them?

About two thirds, with the rest left open for books, a plant or nothing at all. Open cubes give the eye somewhere to rest and stop the unit reading as a wall of containers rather than as furniture.

Where should heavy things go in a cube unit?

The bottom row, which keeps weight low and makes a tall unit more stable. Follow the manufacturer's own instructions about fixing the unit to a wall, which matters far more than anything about the baskets themselves.