I have a few pet hates.  One of them is the pedal rubbish bin (with flip top and swing ones coming in just behind).  I’ve never met one I like yet;  I hate the way the lid never raises completely and if it is in the kitchen you always end up with half the food scraps on the floor or the lid or smeared down the side as you couldn’t get enough access to the interior.  I also find that the pedal inevitably stops working and you end having to lift the lid with your hand, further compounding the problem if you have sticky greasy fingers.

So I’m always hunting around for lovely wastebaskets and bins without lids, even for the bathroom, where I guess the sticky greasy thing doesn’t necessarily apply (but I just can’t get past my dislike regardless).  This piece fits that brief perfectly.  It’s a breeze to put stuff in, and empty, but its slightly hooded top manages to conceal the cotton buds and tissues unless you are looking down into it directly.  Fabulous design.

It was actually made in 1981 for Gedy, an Italian bathroom accessories company.  The designer is Makio Hasuike and it was part of a larger range called “Roberta”.  Hasuike has been Milan-based since the late 1960s.

This one is in great vintage condition with an inevitable slight yellowing to the ABS plastic.