In the early to mid-1990s, the Longaberger basket was a popular home design item in America. The Longaberger basket, a national symbol, was associated with picnics, prepared dinners, supermarket shopping, packed fruit baskets, home-baked pastries, and confectionery.
Well-being and comfort are only connected with home and community, but Longaberger baskets still do. Longaberger baskets, constructed of maple and handcrafted, were popular in many houses, but their popularity has since declined. Changing preferences and fashions have left the Longaberger basket a novelty relic, and many live in storage because the current generation has no need for maple baskets in decor or practicality.
In almost every home, there are Longaberger baskets languishing in storage. The Longaberger baskets were made of excellent materials and were excellently crafted to last decades in sturdy condition. For this reason, it makes more sense to repurpose them since they will not simply deteriorate into disuse.
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What to do with those Longaberger baskets
There are many ways to repurpose Longaberger baskets and below are a few.
Paint Them All White
The baskets’ dark maple color may limit your creativity when repurposing them. The global canvas is white. For your living room, foyer, kitchen, fireplace, and bedrooms, stain or paint Longaberger baskets white inside and out.
Their white tone matches your home’s color scheme.
Laundry Hamper
Most laundry hampers today will be made of plastic but if you are still holding on to your Longaberger baskets, turn them into laundry baskets.
Repaint them blue, purple, or even a floral pattern and place one in each bedroom and one in the laundry room. It will surprise you how handy these baskets can be.
Garden Planter
The Longaberger baskets you have in storage will make perfect garden planters for your kitchen garden and your flowers.
Their brown color is an excellent background for this but if you wish you could repaint them to add whichever touch of charm you would like.
Longaberger baskets hold potting mix very well and the spaces in the basket drain water excellently. Plant your flowers in Longaberger baskets on your lawn and allow yourself the freedom to make stunning displays.
Use smaller baskets as hanging planters and create a wonderful kaleidoscope of natural colors on your lawn.
Organizers
Every home needs organizers and time only makes this need grow. Longaberger baskets can be the solution here.
Take out all your Longaberger baskets sorting them according to size and assign each a specific storage purpose. It could be books, table cloths, toys, remote and game controls, chargers, sports items, spices, etc.
Depending on what you assign each basket, paint each basket to match the room or any other preference you may have. The charming pattern of Longaberger baskets will add a beautiful quality to the newly installed organizers and make your home both neater and prettier.
Paint Them Black
Contemporary design may not work with Longaberger baskets because their traditional style doesn’t fit the lines and spaces.
Some black paint or stain may help. Two or three coats of black can almost completely obliterate the typical brown basket look and make them more modern in your home. You can now decorate or store throw cushions, blankets, flowers, books, electronics, fruits, candy, stationery, etc.
This is a DIY project that could be just fun to try. Creating furniture from baskets may seem outlandish but it can be done. Medium to large baskets with an even shape will work best for this project and though it may take some effort, the end product will be stunning DIY lawn furniture that also adds charm and beauty to your patio, gazebo, or lawn. You will need lots of foam or sponge, needle and thread or textile glue, leather rolls, nails, a nail gun, and fabric.
Outdoor Furniture
Make a pocket using fabric, similar to a pillowcase but in the shape of your basket whether a cube, cuboid, or a ball. A ball-shaped bag would work for any shape of a basket if you are unable to fashion any other shape. Place the case in the basket and fill the bag or case with foam or sponge filings and stuff it to the brim making sure it is firm all around. Eliminate as many air pockets as possible so that the case can withstand the weight.
Outdoor Furniture
Allow the case to fill above the level of the basket just to be certain and seal the case. You can use textile glue to reinforce the seal.
Apply the leather to cover the basket all around and secure using the textile glue.
Using the nail gun, enforce the seal using nails but get the right size of furniture nails to avoid destroying the basket.
They should be short and would look more like thumbtacks than actual nails. To finish off, you could add color by painting the basket exterior in a color of your choice.
Make several of these and arrange them around a table on your lawn or porch making a perfect relaxing area for you and your family.
The options above are just a snippet into what you can do with your Longaberger baskets instead of relegating them to storage. There is no end to what you can do to repurpose and reuse your baskets.
Since trends tend to cycle back and forth, we may see a revival of the beloved basket in the future.