(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
It's like an expert quilter's sewing basket and a high-rise beam welder's lunch pail had a baby and I'm obsessed. The Toyo Steel Cantilever Toolbox blends practical storage with a kitschy vintage vibe.
The box is made of thin sheet steel with a brick-like pattern texture and minimal branding. The steel is coated in a variety of bright colors, so you can color-code your storage, just like in Stardew Valley.
The box opens by pulling the two hinged top handles away from each other, which pivots hinged steel bars on the short ends of the box, lifting and spreading the upper tier of the storage box. That upper level storage, like a balcony of compartments, has customizable dimensions. The small silver dividers are slotted into cuts in the walls, so you can decide how big you want the compartments to be. Make space for pens, scissors, or a variety of smaller supplies. The dividers that aren't in use have their own storage spot at the end of the shelf.
Below the balcony of bounty, there's the lower, large, open storage space. It's deceptively huge. It can fit a stack of five A5 notebooks, and still have space at one end for some bottles of ink or other gadgets.
The whole box itself can hold a sizeable stationery collection. While it's perfect for storage, it's maybe not too practical for transport. It would work, but the steel box, when fully loaded, is a bit heavy. It also doesn't latch, though there is a small hole where a string or wire could be tied. While gravity holds it closed, and carrying it by both handles keeps it shut, if it were to tip or fall, it's going to be messy. There's also no padding inside, so it won't work well for very delicate items.
I can, however, think of a whole handful of hobbies that would benefit from this fun and clever organization. The only thing stopping me from collecting one of each color is the price. At $155, it's pretty pricey. It is extremely well made and well thought-out, so I won't say that it's not worth that price. It's just a lot for a box. You can buy regular toolboxes in similar styles for much less, though they don't have the same vibe.
Toyo does have a lot of other, smaller boxes as well, which could be a good place to start. There's a whole ecosystem of storage in this line, and it all looks fantastic. I've swapped mine between stationery storage, knitting storage, my dollhouse building tools, and toiletries, and I liked it for all of them. I can't make up my mind, which might mean I need five of them. The only thing saving me is that I also can't make up my mind on the color choices.
(This product was purchased from Dromgoole’s at regular price.)
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