Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be incredibly chaotic. And as you add presents, decorations, and guests to the festive fun, clutter can multiply and take over your house. That’s why storage is key.

As Ideal Home’s resident organisation guru and storage obsessive, I’m a big fan of pretty-but-practical storage baskets that help you store (and sometimes hide) those items that you don’t want on show. But I’m also a HUGE fan of whimsical Christmas decor. So, when I spotted new Christmas-themed storage baskets making the rounds, I knew they were made for me.

From storage baskets shaped like Christmas puddings to adorable penguins and trees, these are the magical buys I’m snapping up right now to get ahead of Christmas clutter at home. After all, if my prediction is correct, these will sell like hotcakes… or should I say hot chestnuts?

While I’m obsessed with these adorable festive storage additions, I also appreciate that other Christmas storage needs to be practical. That’s why I’ve recently snapped up some practical storage for my Christmas tree, wreaths and baubles, too.

Everyone’s favourite laundry basket has had a glow-up this autumn. The Joseph Joseph Tota 2 Laundry Basket (£120, Joseph Joseph) has had a couple of clever design upgrades that make sorting your washing even easier and more efficient – and no, you don’t have to sacrifice the sleek design of the original.

The Joseph Joseph Tota Laundry Basket has been a favourite amongst Ideal Home editors for the past few years now. Its original design won over our hearts, as not only can you separate lights and darks, but each section has handles, making the whole process easier.

Now, the Tota 2 has these key features, but it has also upgraded its lid, fixing perhaps the basket’s only pain point. Here’s everything you need to know.

This year, we’ve seen the rise of the pretty laundry basket, and the Joseph Joseph model remains one of the best-looking laundry baskets you can buy. Its sleek, compact design and neutral colourways blend seamlessly into your utility room and bedroom ideas. The Tota 2 is no exception.

At first glance, the two models look very similar. The difference is in the material and the new lid design upgrade. The plastic used for the original lid has been swapped for a luxe felt that matches the side of the laundry basket.

The other upgrade is that the lid now cleverly docks onto the side when in use. So instead of floundering around for a spot to perch the lid while you’re lifting the laundry out to take to the washing machine, you just tuck it onto the side where it’s always at hand.

‘I’ve had my tota twin laundry basket for 3 years; it was an expensive purchase, but so worth it. It neatly tucks away in the corner of my bedroom and speeds up laundry day as all my colours are pre-sorted. My partner has gone through 2 laundry baskets in the time I’ve had mine, and it still looks as good as the day I bought it,’ says Rebecca Knight, Ideal Home’s Digital Editor.

‘However, if I were to buy it again, I’d opt for the Tota 2 Trio (£130, John Lewis) so I have an extra compartment to separate things that need special washing care. I’m also very jealous of the new lid holder feature on the new and improved model!’

I’ll admit that Tota Laundry Baskets are expensive. Rebecca snapped hers up on sale, but does say it is worth it, genuinely streamlining her laundry routine. To further level up your laundry routine she also recommends pairing it with the Hold-All™ Ecru Collapsible 35L Laundry Basket (£37.50, Joseph Joseph). It is one of the best space-saving laundry baskets as it folds completely flat, making it easy to stash down the side of your washing machine or tuck behind the Tota laundry basket when not in use.

If you’re looking to overhaul your laundry routine, here are a couple of other clever buys to help simplify the process.

If you laundry routine is due a refresh, the Joseph Joseph Tota 2 is a serious contender for a more streamlined experience.

Lavazza’s shiny pod coffee machine, the Tablí, solves the biggest problem with single-serve coffee: excess waste. Now available via John Lewis for £133 (down from £199.99) this machine is the first of its kind on the UK market to feature no casing and no waste – just 100% coffee within a clever pressed tab.

I tried this machine out at Lavazza’s pop-up in central London to see this new technology for myself. I went in sceptical but came away impressed by every detail I learned about this new coffee system.

If you’re a lover of the best pod coffee machines but keen to cut out the waste that comes with the process, I think the Tablí is bound to impress. Here’s why.

As Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor, I’ve reviewed a lot of pod coffee machines over the last five years. One complaint consumers often have about this type of machine altogether is the hassle of getting rid of empty pods.

While there’s more availability to recycle them now (thanks to schemes like Podback), Lavazza’s aim was in creating this machine was taking the responsibility out of the hands of the customer and instead making something that doesn’t have any waste parts to be discarded of at all.

That’s where the star of the show, the clever Tablí tabs, come in. Each one is made with 100% pure coffee, according to the brand, and yet has somehow been formulated into a slim, robust puck that acts like a normal pod once its inside your machine.

Once your coffee has dispensed, what you’ll have left at the end of the process is just coffee grounds – no other waste. These can be disposed of via your usual food waste bin, compost bin or onto your plants that love coffee grounds to promote their growth.

I think this genuinely faff-free process will be of huge appeal to anyone who is looking to upgrade their existing pod machine. I’ve tried a few Lavazza machines before – I think the Desea might be the perfect entry-level coffee machine – and the coffee quality itself is stand out too.

These new pods – or tabs as you should really call them – are presented in gorgeous new packaging (which you can see via the Lavazza website), with an array of blends available.

Of course, given that this is a system that hasn’t been done before, if you do decide to invest you’ll be locked into this specific system. Lavazza’s subscription system is pretty inviting, with options that vary depending on how much coffee you drink, but it’s not as easy as just picking up any old Nespresso-compatible pods in the supermarket.

If you’re a person who cares about cutting down on pod waste however, or would value the 100% coffee taste that comes with these clever tabs, then a subscription might be a small price to pay for an upgraded everyday experience.

The tagline for the Tablí is ‘the future is 100% coffee’. And given how well thought out and executed the system seems to be, it’s easy to imagine this being a much-imitated new machine. Could you be swayed to switch to the Tablí?