I've been using the IKEA shoe boxes and the Container Store shirt box (used both types of boxes for my different bags) for over a year now, and I just went to IKEA to get 40 additional ones to
fully replace the Container Store shirt boxes I have.
A few things about the Container Store's shirt box that I personally found annoying/not ideal for storing leather bags after testing it out:
- A bit too big, even for jumbo so takes up too much wasted "extra space" in the back and side of the box - which means I have to dig/reach in far to get my bags out and it takes up a lot of space on my shelves - space I can use to store other bags
- Very heavy to lift in/out of (I store my bags on the higher/top shelves mostly)
- Most importantly, the door for the box does not allow the bag to "breath" because it's a sealed plastic window - this is the true concern as I want to ensure the leather can breath so the bag does not dry out/quilts won't flatten out - I was afraid that this heavy box with the window/door closed would be more suffocating than the original Chanel box that the bag came in with, which defeats the purpose of proper storage... I had to keep the door open for these boxes the whole time I had them and I'm just tired of it.
I change my bags EVERYDAY and often MANY times a day so this is a HUGE deal to me, and I have extremely low tolerance for inefficiency
I'm no fun when I'm grumpy
I included picture of my silver jumbo inside the IKEA storage box with plenty space left (I store my chain in the dust bag pocket and flip it to the back of the bag when storing). I also included the website link for reference in case you guys want to check out the dimensions and views.
The IKEA shoe boxes are IMO PERFECTION for the following reasons:
- They protect your bags with plenty of structure (much more than necessary) but not "rigid" and still lightweight
- The window/door is made of mesh so it BREATHS and allows you to see through to easily tell which bag is inside (they come in many colors but white/light colors are easier to see the interior and peek at which bag they stored)
- The size dimension is PERFECT for ALL my Chanel bags (my largest ones are jumbos); 2 mini's can coexist harmoniously
- Plenty sufficient space for even jumbos with just enough left over all around the bag (not crowded/touching at all - you see it close to the edge of the box in the photo because the dust bag is not "tight/flushed" against the bag) - no waste of space on my shelves (yay more bags!). it's really annoying when I had to "reach deep/far into the box" to take your bag out if the box is too tall/deep/big with extra unusable space that served no purpose
- The door open/close by a strong Velcro strip which is easy to get in/out of, especially compared to the little loop that I had to use for the container store container door
- The door also has a white "pull strap" to make it easier for you to pull the box out of/up or down from the spot/shelves or just to carry it around (don't worry the Velcro will hold)
- The back (opposite side of the door/window) has a diagonal zipper - While unzipped the box can fold flat for storage when not in use.
- They are just under $8 for 4 of them - which is just crazy
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40300285/
Yes, I store my Chanel bags in $2 IKEA shoe storage containers... I'm in the process of figuring out how to get some Chanel hardware attached to the pull straps on these boxes and decorate them
If you are an IKEA executive tracing the unusual spike in sales activity back to this post, please feel free to reach out to me for more product improvement collaboration ideas, and do not hesitate to send me more of these wonderful storage boxes as I am powerless against new Chanel bags:lolots: