Sunday 22 January 2012

Storage solutions: Muji Drawers and Ikea Flaren Cabinet

Aside from the Muji 6-drawer chests, I am also using a Muji 4-tier stocker for storing part of my beauty stash. This was purchased in Singapore for S$59 (versus 2900yen on Muji Japan.)

The drawers slide out very smoothly without catching or jamming on the slides like drawers by cheaper brands often do. Made of polypropylene, it is very easy to clean. There are no internal dividers.

The ridge on the sides help to prevent the drawers from falling out inadvertently. To remove the drawer from the frame, you just have to gently press the two sides towards each other.

One drawer is used for perfumes.

My Jo Malone colognes.

Lovely samples from Penhaligon's.

Another drawer holds my RMK Christmas Base Kit, a La Mer skincare trial kit and assorted face sheet masks.

Foundations and loose powders, plus Urban Decay's 15th Anniversary palette.

Right at the bottom, I have my stash of Daiso sponge detergent, Ettusais shower colognes, Bioderma Sebium H20 Micellar Solution and other assorted skincare items.

The stocker comes with wheels that can be easily snapped on or removed. As the Muji store at Ion only had the display set left at that time, the staff was kind enough to provide me with a brand new set of wheels.



Another useful storage solution is the Muji PP Case Drawer #7721515 (S$13) which measures 25x33x15cm. (On the Muji EU website, it costs £10.95.) There are no dividers, so it's more suitable for bulkier bath/skincare products rather than tiny makeup items.

The top of the drawer is structured in such a way that these are easily stackable, so you can simply add on another drawer if you need to.

The drawer easily fits Lush's biggest black pots and bath bombs as well as the Body Shop's 250ml long shower gel bottles (laid on their side). You can view Muji's range of drawers in their furniture catalog 2011.


At Ikea, I found this Flaren cabinet which has a more feminine charm to it than Muji's utilitarian aesthetic. I can't remember the price here in Switzerland but it costs £99 on the Ikea UK website.

I haven't organised it properly yet, so everything is still in a bit of a mess.


On the top are an Anna Sui brush holder, loose powder and a gold tin for cotton pads, Lunasol eyelash curler, Guerlain Perles de Nuit Meteorites, Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer plus my fragrance and foundation of the moment (Jo Malone Pear & Freesia cologne and Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle).

The top also flips up to reveal the pull-out drawer, where I keep mostly lip products and cheek stains.

Hope this has been useful for anyone looking for ideas on how to organise their stash!

20 comments:

Emily Chia said...

Just to let u know. the muji drawer is oos... I want to get on Sat but is oos. But I got others... :P I love how Muji drawer can be extendable~

Ai Wei said...

Your collection is amazing! :D
Also, Gong xi gong xi!

galpal.hi said...

I love that cabinet! It really is quite feminine and pretty. It's too bad that I don't have access to either store here.

*Kat*

Anonymous said...

Wow, very enviable stash!! I wish there is MUJI store on west coast USA (I think it's only in NYC?)

Did you bring all the items there from Singapore to Switzerland?? I am in the same situation -- I'm going back to California permanently and I will have to transport similar things across the sea! I hope the cargo won't cost me too much :(

saltvinegar said...

Why are u in Switzerland? How's Cny over there btw? Anyhow gong xi fa chai!

miwitch said...

Ahhh how i wish i can buy it from Japan, (cheaper than in SG!) but it wouldnt be feasible just to ship that 3 or 4 boxes of drawers back. lolx.. I just wonder, with all those bottles and stuffs, the wheels they got there are plastic, can they even withstand the heavy weight?

Haru said...

Hi miwitch,
The price difference between Japan and Singapore is not that great actually, so I would just buy it in Singapore as shipping it is not feasible. Or you can wait for one of Muji's sales, as they occasionally have 10% off sales.

Hi saltvinegar,
I moved here recently. CNY is not celebrated in a big way here though the supermarkets do bring some foodstuffs to coincide with it.

Joanne said...

The storage r amazing...so sad to hear u have left sg:(Will you be back soon or left for gd? I love reading yr blog.

Haru said...

hi Joanne,
I'll be away for a few years at least. Thanks for reading!

Jasmine peaches said...

Hi haru what's the dimension of the Flaren cupboard ?

Haru said...

According to the Ikea UK website, the assembled size is as below:
Width: 39 cm
Depth: 34 cm
Height: 126 cm

Cath said...

I was going to get the (1st) MUJI drawers to keep my children's toys... n_n

Lynn said...

Wow! Looks like you bought a lot of your stash to Switzerland! I would have thought that you'd leave most of them back home. Shipping must have cost a bomb! Good to see that your makeup has a proper place in your new home :D

Beauty Box said...

I love that Ikea Flaren Cabinet...so girly and pretty...!!

I use the small clear Muji drawers to store my cosmetics in my bathroom...

Foxy Frangipani said...

Wow, really gorgeous Flaren cabinet!
I'd love one for my new place too :)
Thank you for sharing..

Bing said...

wow.. would you do a give-away? :)

Haru said...

Hi Bing,
I don't do giveaways on the blog, sorry!

Anonymous said...

Hello, would you consider selling your Ikea cabinet to someone in Switzerland?

Haru said...

I'm afraid not, I like it too much.

daphne said...

Hi, would you be able to advise if the Muji 4 tier stocker frame comes in 1 piece, or can be broken down into smaller frames (say, 2 drawer frame) if required?