Best Results Organizing

Readers, as I mentioned last week in the Paper Doll 4th Anniversary post, I’ve been looking forward to spilling the beans on this product’s launch ever since this year’s NAPO Conference and Expo. The new collection  — which I’d previously left unnamed because information about the product was embargoed — even made it into the I Feel Pretty edition of my post-conference recap, albeit with a big

stamped on the post. Since April, friends, fans and Paper Mommy have all attempted to inveigle information about the new line, so I’m thrilled to no longer have to keep my adoration of this product under wraps.

Welcome the Bento Box Collection!

BENTO? YUMMY!

I’ll admit, I was a tiny bit predisposed to liking the product line as soon as I heard the name. I’ve always loved the idea of Japanese bento “boxes” — small but carefully designed lunch box-like tray containers with smaller sub-compartments.

Perhaps it’s the way that a bento box so neatly organizes the food so that sauces or flavors don’t drip onto one another (don’t you hate that?) which has always appealed to Paper Doll‘s sense of order and organization. But it’s not just order, but compartmentalized, aesthetically-pleasing order, that is the apparent goal of the yummy mealtime bento box.

FROM LUNCH BOX TO ORGANIZING TOOL

While Paper Doll was not on Rubbermaid’s research and development team, it seems likely that a combined appeal of aesthetics and functional organization was a main goal in creating the Bento line, and I believe they’ve succeeded. So, without further ado, how about a look at the whole product line?

INTRODUCING RUBBERMAID’S BENTO BOXES AND TOPPERS

The Bento Boxes comes in three color schemes — Paprika,

soft brown and khaki-checked Chadwick,

and crisp Linen —

and four sizes, including the Extra Large (19.61″ wide x 12.68″ long x 9.9″ high) and Large (12.05″ wide x 12.05″ long x 9.5″ high), which are eminently suitable for storing files. Very often, my organizing clients want something practical but attractive for keeping their household paperwork and files, but metal filing cabinets and plastic file crates fill them with woe. Professionals also desire something appealing for their offices, but find little that is neither cutesie nor so leathery that it belongs in a cigar bar. Bento’s clean lines achieve the perfect balance.

The Medium (11.42″ long x 6.22″ wide x 4.9″ high) and Small (5.63″ wide x 5.63″ long x 4.5″ high) Bento boxes are smaller, suitable for storing office supplies, electronic gadgets, remotes and cables, gaming equipment or hobby paraphernalia.

The reversible “topper” lids are available for the Extra Large, Large and Medium Bento boxes, and are made of the same heavy-duty material. The dual design allows the toppers to serve as either trays or lids, maximizing your options. For example, if you use your Large or Extra Large Bento boxes for files, turning the topper tray-style makes a tidy in-box or to-file tray. The toppers can also be used as trays separate from the Bento Boxes, themselves, to keep rooms tidy.

NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE

At first glance, the most obvious “new” thing about the Rubbermaid Bento line is that the boxes are pretty. Yay. But you know that Paper Doll doesn’t care much for aesthetics without function. It has to DO something! And that’s why professional organizers at the NAPO conference were so excited about this new design.

The biggest problem with boxes, even pretty boxes, is that the bigger your storage container, the less order that can usually be maintained. One big empty box provides no opportunity to define separate spaces. I have a lovely storage ottoman, and while I can happily tuck away a blanket or a small stack of magazines, there’s no way to keep the interior from becoming cluttered if I want to store multiple smaller items. Rubbermaid has found a way around the problem so you can organize, and not merely store, the materials of work and life.

FLEXING ORGANIZING MUSCLE

Rubbermaid’s Bento Boxes were created with flex dividers that divide the interior space into multiple sections when needed, but they can be popped (well, the noise it makes is more akin to “Fwapp!”) into place, against the interior walls, when a larger interior space is wanted or the boxes will be nested and stored.

One Large Bento box, completely open? Check. One box with a smaller inset in one quarter? Check. Four equal boxes? Check. The Medium has nifty dividers that allow two smaller sub-sections on each side, with a larger space in the interior.

Since each flex divider can be adjusted individually, the design options, while not endless, certainly give myriad opportunities to those who like to customize the number and sizes of their sub-sections.

STACK ‘EM HIGH

One of the problems we often see with “pretty” design-oriented storage containers is that they stack poorly, keeping you from efficiently using vertical space.

The Bento Boxes, however, can be stacked vertically when in use or nested within one another between projects. Plus, because the Bento Boxes are built to be modular, they can be stacked securely with or without the toppers as lids, offering quick access to items in lower-level boxes.

PHOTOGRAPHIC INJUSTICE

Unfortunately, photographs really don’t do the Bento justice. They are (and feel) much sturdier than they look in photographs. Bento will be in stores in November, so (unless you win the contest) you’ll have to trust me until you can check them out in person to get the full “store, stack, Fwapp!!!” experience.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Too often, we have to choose between function and visual appeal and on the rare occasions that we find the right item that will blend in with our homes or offices, it’s more than we want to spend. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Rubbermaid Bento Boxes are priced so reasonably, from $9.99 for the Small to $26.99 for the Extra Large.

THE CONTEST

The Bento Box Collection is made from sturdy CARB-certified MDF covered in durable polyester fabric. Rubbermaid notes that, “The heavy-duty decorative fabric enables it to remain out in your social spaces while complementing your home’s decor.” Paper Doll thinks the design scheme and style also make the Bento Boxes perfect for home offices and even perking up corporate cubicles.

(Fans of the movie Office Space, don’t you think a Swingline Rio Red Stapler would be best kept safely within a Paprika Bento Box?)

That’s why I’m so excited that Rubbermaid is making available a set of Bento Boxes for me to give away to a lucky Paper Doll reader in celebration of the blog’s four years. Hurray!

The contest is open to all readers with a shipping address in the United States or Canada, and the rules are simple.

1) Use the comment section below to share your favorite Paper Doll post of the past four years and tell us why you liked it. Trouble deciding? Feel free to read last week’s anniversary post to get you amped up. (There are also some helpful recaps in the 3rd anniversary post and the Bastille Day post of 2009.)

2) Tell us which Rubbermaid Bento Box style (Paprika, Chadwick or Linen) you like best, and how and/or where you’d like to use it. For some creative suggestions, check out Rubbermaid’s ideas for entryways, bathrooms, media centers and other living areas.

3) Note your Twitter ID in the body of your submission comment. (If you don’t use Twitter, please provide your email address or some other easy way to contact you online. OnlineOrganizing’s blog system doesn’t allow clickable links in the comments, so remove the http:// from any link you provide.)

The deadline for submissions is Monday, October 31, 2011 at Noon, EST. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced in early November.

Good luck!