Stackable storage cubes are a simple technology, yet they are the building blocks -- literally! -- of any storage cubes furniture approach. They are the foundation to quick and easy furnishings and decor that double for storage and organization in the busy, budget-conscious home!
These useful furniture modules come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and materials to help you design exactly what you want and need in practical, fun storage and living space.
Basic Modular Storage Cubes
The most basic, fundamental storage cubes you use around your home are the modular, stackable storage cubes usually made of some form of wooden or wire frame covered with a plastic or plastic laminate, shaped and dressed up to look boxy. The engineering and appearance are simple, but the flexibility for home furnishings and decor is amazing.
Remember the "old-fashioned" and trendy home decor of milk carton stackables from your student dorm days of the 1970s and '80s? Those were the ancestors of today's stackable cubes like today's Foremost Modular Open Cube Storage System (individual cubes sell for about $25 at a good online merchant like Amazon.com), a typical basic modular storage cube system.
Or -- you can find a wide number of really campy, attractive looking stackable milk crates, even some "real-life" milk crates, apple crates, and other small plastic or wooden stackables. They'll add authentic charm to your home and may well be what you're looking for as a foundation for your storage cubes furniture and decor needs!
Wire Stackable Storage Cubes
For a minimal approach, and some excellent prices, many wire stackable storage cubes are available to build room dividers, closet organizers, just about anything you need to fit your home decor and stacking storage needs. An excellent example of a quality wire stackable storage cube system is made by Neu Home, manufacturers and distributors of hundreds of home storage and organization products, featuring four storage cubes and connectors, and sells for around $40-$50.
Wire stackable cubes are sturdy and reliable. The basic wire structure is usually coated with a smooth epoxy or plastic surface. Consumers enjoy the portability and durability (offering as much as 10-15 years of quality use) of the wire cubes. Most are sturdy enough to be used as small tables, even bookcases. If you have cats or other small pets, they'll even double as animal perches or aquarium stands.
Plastic Stackable Storage Cubes
There are a wide variety of shapes and materials of plastic stackable storage cubes, ranging from interconnected shelves and bookcase configurations to simple cubes and even triangular shaped cubes made to snuggle into the corner of a room. Most plastic cubes are either plastic laminate shaped around a hollow frame, or solid sheets of plastic that either are fused together to form a cube, or sometimes fit into slotted frameworks.
A company called "Honey-Can-Do" sells a beautiful little 3-cube stackable plastic storage unit useful for placing in a child's bedroom or play area to help organize toys, clothes, and books. It sells for around $20-$25 on Amazon.com. It may not be as sturdy as some other choices for really heavy books or smaller children who might try to stand or sit on it, so caution is needed -- as with anything you use to create storage and decor in a nursery or in a kid's room.
Fiberboard Stackable Storage Cubes
A very popular brand of stackable storage cubes comes in three sizes and is made of "furniture quality fiberboard," i.e., pressed wood that's sturdy enough to support the weight of an adult and tough enough to last for years in any storage cube usage. The most popular type of fiberboard stackable storage cubes is by an innovative California company, Mobile Edge. Their "Sumo Lifestyle Collection" features eco-friendly personal carrying cases, laptops bags and backpacks -- and a very useful set of folding fiberboard storage cubes with the brand name "Sumo by Mobile Edge." These cubes come in four sizes -- 18-inch and 14-inch for storage, plus 6-inch and 4-inch mini-cubes for desktop decor. They are a bit pricey, but offer outstanding durability and strength. They sell for between $40-$50 for the two large storage sizes. (And they all come with a cute "Sumo" logo on them.)
A word of caution: There are many fine fabric storage cubes and collapsible storage cubes available online and in retail stores of all sorts. Be aware that such cubes offer excellent storage options -- but generally aren't suitable for stacking because of their softer, flexible nature. They're, well, COLLAPSIBLE. Just a bit of a heads-up.
Start the foundation of your storage cubes furniture and furnishings in any apartment or home with the versatility and economy of stackable storage cubes and build your practical -- and well organized! -- dream house from there.