At 62, My Friend Asked About The Basket I Had Stopped Seeing
A Letter From A Reader
AT 62, MY FRIEND ASKED ABOUT THE BASKET I HAD STOPPED SEEING
My friend Helen has known me long enough to open the right cupboard for the mugs without asking. She has also known me long enough to say things other people would politely keep to themselves.
We were carrying tea through to the sitting room when she stopped in the bathroom doorway.
“Have you still got that basket?”
I knew which one she meant. There was only one thing in that room that could reasonably be described in that tone.
The cream plastic laundry basket. Although cream was becoming a generous description.
I had spent more time choosing the tea towels than the thing I put them in.
The rim had split along one side. It was permanently a little too full, so whatever went in last sat on top of everything else in plain view, wedged into the corner beside the radiator.
There was nothing dramatically wrong with it. It held clothes. That had been enough for me to keep postponing the decision to replace it.
Until Helen noticed.
Helen had a point
We sat down with our tea, and I found myself explaining why I hadn’t bought another one.
There were plenty of perfectly sensible reasons. Or rather, there was one: I hadn’t got round to it.
“You choose everything else,” Helen said. “Why does that get an exemption?”
I laughed, but later that evening I went back and looked at the corner properly.
I didn’t want to redecorate. I didn’t need another cupboard. I wanted a laundry basket that looked as though I had chosen it with the same care as the things in the rest of the house.
That was how I found the collection at Lisbury London.
I looked through the flowers and animal patterns. Then I reached Pearl, the Shell Shine basket, and went back for a second look.
Sea turtles among shells and coral, with blues running from pale sea colours to a deeper blue near the bottom. There was plenty to look at, but the whole thing felt calm.
I have always liked those colours. Given a choice of towels, a throw or even a mug, I somehow end up with blue. Here was something practical that would fit the things I already owned, rather than give me an excuse to replace those as well.
Still, I read the practical details before choosing. I wasn’t replacing one awkward basket with another simply because this one had a better picture on it.
My daughter noticed the colours first
When the parcel arrived, I opened it on the bed. The cardboard stayed where it fell, the packing paper went everywhere, and I sat the basket on the duvet to have a proper look.
My daughter, Louise, came round that afternoon.
“That will go with your blue towels,” she said.
Not “Why have you bought a laundry basket?” Not “Where is that going?” Just recognition.
That was what pleased me about the design. It wasn’t an attempt to make my house look like a photograph in a magazine. It fitted the things I already liked.
She was right. I had been looking at the turtles and the little details around them. Louise had immediately pictured it among the things already in the house.
The lighter colours at the top kept it from feeling too dark, and the deeper blue gave the pattern something to settle into. It reminded me of the colours I always stop to look at by the sea, without making the room feel as though I had suddenly decided on a theme.
Eventually, I carried it through to the bathroom, into the corner where the old one had stood. A rolled towel went on top while it waited to be put away, and I could see exactly what Louise meant.
The three details I looked for
A pattern can catch your attention, but a laundry basket still has work to do. These were the details that mattered when I read the description.
One: it is designed to stand upright, even when empty. After dealing with the old basket’s split rim, that was high on my list.
Two: the quilted cotton-poly fabric is described as easy to wipe clean. Something used around the house needs straightforward care. The canvas carrying handles were another practical detail. Follow the care instructions supplied with the basket when cleaning it.
Three: there are three sizes. Small, Medium and Large, so you can choose for your own space. Measure first. A lovely basket is rather less lovely if it blocks the cupboard you open every morning.
There was another possibility, too. Clean towels beside the dresser, or a spare throw near the window. I had bought it with the bathroom in mind, but the colours would work elsewhere without my having to rearrange everything around it.
About the price
The Medium Pearl is £37.95, with Small at £34.95 and Large at £41.95. I checked the measurements before deciding; I wanted a nicer basket, not a new obstacle in the corner of the bathroom.
The listing says the baskets are made to order, so colour, pattern placement and dimensions can vary. It is worth reading the current delivery, care and returns information before ordering, just as you would with any other purchase for the house.
The turtles caught my attention. The colours were what made me picture it at home.
If we were having tea
I wouldn’t tell you that a basket will transform your life. There will still be washing. There will almost certainly still be a sock missing.
But I might ask whether you have something at home that you keep straightening, moving or hiding simply because you have got used to owning it.
If you have an old laundry basket you keep meaning to replace, take a look at Pearl. You might find something you would much rather have in that corner.
It doesn’t have to be broken before you’re allowed to choose something you like better.
Helen came round for tea. The useful part of the visit happened before we reached the sitting room.
I’m glad she said something.
Margaret