The Best Way to Use Our French Market Basket (Besides Toting It)

Over the winter when I was headed to the Southern Hemisphere on vacation, I scoured the internet to find the perfect French basket beach tote. Luckily I found one (that we now sell in the Food52 Shop!) that fit the bill.

The bag caught my eye for a few of reasons, the first being the name of it (who doesn't want to be more French?). The second was the dual strap aspect: It looked super sturdy, with genuine leather straps in two different lengths. I was planning on lugging this bag beach to the beach, packed with water bottles, books, and the whole shebang—having two strap lengths for that journey would be game changing!

The third reason was, admittedly, that French market tote bags are all over the internet and style world right now. I can't open Instagram without seeing someone toting one of these.

With all of these things going for the bag, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized yet another use for it, having arrived home from vacation.

I live in a tiny one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and my queen bed takes up 80% of my bedroom. Throw in two dogs, a boyfriend, and enough clothes and shoes for an army, and there's very little space left for things like bedside tables.

After getting back from the beach, where I'd used the my tote the entire time, I was very sad to pack my it away under the bed until summer came. So instead, I converted it into much-needed bedside storage: Nowadays, the bag sits happily next to my bed taking up very little space and still holding all the things one needs in the middle of the night. My lotion and books are never more than an arms reach away.

As for a glass of water? I just use a bottle now.

The only problem with this solution is now that summer is here again, I want to use the bag around town! I guess it's a good excuse to buy the matching market backpack, too.

Backpack or tote? Tell us your favorite kind of satchel to take to the market, in the comments.