Organizing Finds in France

What are these? How could they be used for storage?

My first day in Paris, I went with friends to the Vanves flea market, where I saw these containers. And as the trip continued, I kept finding organizing-related stuff.




This gorgeous piece is the Soprano trunk from Pinel & Pinel; it holds about 480 CDs. I didn't just stumble on this one; I sought out the store after seeing its website online. (Warning: The site plays music at you automatically upon launch.) The gentleman at the store was gracious about letting me take all the photos I wanted.



Here's the Soprano, up close. While the green is lovely, it might not be to your taste; there are many options for both the interior and exterior colors.




And here's the Baby trunk, also from Pinel & Pinel.

While these are gorgeous, they are also —as I'm sure you've guessed — very much on the expensive side of things. The least expensive thing I saw in the store was a slim leather bracelet for 110 euros. Still, it was a pleasure to see such well-crafted storage pieces up close.




I found these mailbox stickers in Rennes, where I was visiting friends; many of the mailboxes had them. Apparently the Ministry of Energy and Environment produced these stickers; residents use them to indicate they don't want any unaddressed mail. The fact sheet (PDF) I found online says: "In 2004, the first year of the initiative, there were requests for 2.6 million stickers. ... More than 70% of sticker users were satisfied with the results of sticker and received significantly less junk mail."




And finally, here's a product I read about in the Air France magazine while flying home. "Since 1997, the French initiative ELISE has been helping workers sort trash and improve recycling in the workplace. This year, Philippe Starck has joined the venture, designing a new line of wastebaskets made of plant-based plastic." Starck's web site says the wastebasets are "coming soon."