I Think You Should Have a Metal Locker in Your Home

In need of more storage? Try Mustard Made’s colorful cabinets.

March 21, 2024 10:46 am
Mustard Made Midi Locker in Olive Green on a yellow background with circles.
The Midi in Olive Green.
Mustard

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Storage in New York City is hard to come by in our atypically small, pricey apartments. In my best attempt to maximize space, I have hung shelves, built bookshelves and purchased under-bed storage (I’m a fan of this set from Open Spaces), yet still find myself in dire need of more: More closets to keep linens, more bins to store electronics and cables, more shelves to display bags

The constant influx of material goods (courtesy of this job) has led me to purchase the first piece of affordable storage I found. In the past, this has been $20 shelves from Target and an $80 bookcase from Amazon. Both were suitable in the short term, but as time went on and I became more interested in curating an aesthetic for my space, these snappy purchases felt thoughtless and ill-fitting. They didn’t even afford me much storage space either, and not to mention, a random assortment of items were out in the open on display. My space still felt extremely cluttered and pretty aimless in design. 

What has helped in both of these departments? A Mustard Made locker

Mustard specializes in old-school-style lockers with a modern twist. Yes, think back to your high school hallways, but instead of drab, depressing slabs of bronze and silver metals, the female-founded brand offers bright, colorful lockers available in a variety of sizes.

Choosing from three different styles — The Lowdown, The Midi and The Twinny — I went with the middle option, a not-too-big locker that still provides ample storage space. The brand notes this size is ideal for storing children’s toys, pantry items or miscellaneous items you don’t want out in the hallway (shoes, umbrellas, etc.). And that is exactly how I use my Mustard Made locker, as a means to hide a bunch of random shit: candles, greeting cards, baskets full of beauty products, sex toys. Anything I don’t have an immediate place for or want on display gets shoved into the locker. 

There are two adjustable shelves inside The Midi, creating three large sections to place items in. With a height of 47.3 inches, a depth of 15.7 inches and a width of 33.5 inches, this locker can fit a surprising amount, and does so sleek- and discreetly. So if you’re concerned that a bulky piece of metal is going to hold court in your home, fear not, these lockers manage to blend into most interior design aesthetics (there’s a whopping 12 colors to choose from), while still acting as unique pieces of decor. The entire body is magnetic and even includes locks and two keys if you want to secure your belongings. Plus, the locker has a wide enough top that I can nicely display my record player, candles, a couple of framed photos, a trinket dish and more. 

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Assembly of the Mustard Made locker was also a notably seamless process. From a 70lb wooden bedframe to a Wayfair bar cabinet with extremely hard-to-screw doors (they’re still a tad lopsided), I have had plenty of exasperating experiences building furniture solo. But besides my two-level coffee table, the Mustard Made Midi was the easiest piece of furniture I’ve assembled. Despite a slight issue getting the top piece securely situated on the main frame, the process was intuitive, in large part due to a serviceable how-to video that’ll help you build your locker step-by-step, and took at most a half hour to construct. 

So whether you’re looking for a spot to conceal your kids’ innumerable toys, a secure cabinet to store office files and supplies, or just a nice-looking piece of furniture to exile your clutter to, there’s finally an effective, design-forward (but most importantly, fun!) storage solution for any space in your home. 

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