Trend Alert: 7 Canvas Bins for Books and More

I first came across canvas book bins at Beams, one of my favorite Japanese shops. Since then I’ve been on the lookout for more and am happy to report that the canvas catchall–a trend going strong in Japan–seems to be slowly making its way to the States. Designed for storage but with handles for lugging, the totes work well for stowing books and magazines–and, as a DJ I was happy to discover, they’re also perfect for records. 

Above: Raregem of Japan’s Canvas Magazine Holder is available at Book/Shop of Oakland, California. The canvas is woven on a Belgian loom that was brought to Japan in the 1930s and is doubled over on the top and edged with a canvas band to give the shape structure. It’s 15 inches wide, 11 inches deep, and 10 inches tall; $125. Book/Shop is a Remodelista favorite; read about it in our post The New Bookstore Model.

Above: Crate & Barrel’s Rectangular Canvas Bin with Leather Handles, 18 inches wide, 12 inches deep, and 11.5 inches tall, is $39.95.

Above: The Tembea Book Tote, made in Japan of a super-high-quality canvas, is the first of these that I came across via Beams. Tembea has done totes for Beams, Monocle, and Hickoree’s Hard Goods, among others. This one is available via Tembea in a range of colors; it comes in small and medium for ¥8,800 ($73.65) and ¥9,800 ($82).

Above: Steele Canvas of Boston–a company we singled out in the Remodelista 100–makes this durable Steele Canvas Storage Bin on wooden sliders. It’s 19 inches wide, 15 inches deep, and 13 inches tall and is available in five colors; $129 at Urban Outfitters.

Above: Serax’s Set of Three Canvas Baskets work for laundry as well as for books. The set is €56 ($61.26) from Lili’s.

Above: The Crunch Large Tote from Umbra is cotton canvas with a laminated liner. It comes in several sizes and colors; this one is 13 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 10 inches wide; $13 from Umbra.

Above: Lands’ End makes a bin that you can personalize if you want. The Extra-Small Canvas Storage Tote comes in four different colorways; it’s 10 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 9 inches tall, and is currently on sale for $12.99.

Go to our Storage & Organization posts for more ideas, including Marine Canvas Water Buckets as Bathroom Storage and the Object Lessons: The Classic Canvas Tote. On Gardenista, learn how to make a Waxed Canvas Tote.