I’ve been looking at minimalist kitchen bins a lot recently. I was sourcing one for a client’s kitchen, loved what I found so much that I bought one for myself too!
Because it can be hard to find a kitchen bin that doesn’t cramp the style of your kitchen – they can be big, bulky things that no doubt get in the way of everything. They’re often left as a bit of an afterthought when designing a kitchen. You can easily integrate them into a kitchen cupboard – usually under the sink – but with today’s world of deliveries and excess packaging, that doesn’t always allow enough space for all your recycling needs. What you need is a multi-functional solution that slots neatly into your kitchen and blends in with the style of the space. It ultimately needs to look the part. Plastic can look tacky and cheap, stainless steel can rust over time and be a nightmare for little sticky fingerprints. Appliances now have all sorts of fancy gadgets and sleek finishes, but there’s not many options for the mundane, everyday kitchen bin. But this trusty sidekick is so much part of our everyday that I don’t think it should be forgotten or left by the wayside.
All images: courtesy Brabantia, featuring the Brabantia Bo bin.
So in today’s blog post, I’m rounding up 10 of the best designed minimalist kitchen bins out there. They tick all the boxes for function, with removable inner buckets and different compartments for various types of waste. But they’re also simple in style and elegantly understated, so you don’t mind having them out on display in the kitchen.
1. Menu Pedal Bin, £150-320 for 4l-30l, Really Well Made – a sleek design created by Norm Architects with a powder-coated steel body and mirror-polished, stainless steel lid, available in black and white
2. Joseph Joseph Intelligent Waste Totem 60 litre, Amazon [affiliate link] – separate your waste and recycling with ease with a 36l general waste compartment and 24l multi-purpose drawer for recycling
3. Brabantia Bo touch bin, £130-£179, John Lewis (shop the low version here and the Hi version here) [affiliate links] – a beautiful, space-efficient design, partially made of recycled materials, that can be fitted with or without legs
4. Touch top bin, 40l, £50, John Lewis & Partners [affiliate link] – a simple design with a fingerprint proof lid and a soft close mechanism, comes in five colours
5. simplehuman stainless steel kitchen bin, 45l, £140, Habitat [affiliate link] – A stainless steel rim holds the liner securely and neatly in place and because there is no internal bucket, the bin’s capacity is increased by 25%
6. Brabantia Sort & Go bin, 25l, £36.99, Very [affiliate link], smaller versions available on Nordic Nest (3l, 6l and 12l) – A neat design with a large handle for easy carrying and emptying, comes in various size and three colours
7. simplehuman 45l pedal bin, £80, Dunelm – this rectangular pedal bin features an innovative ‘liner pocket’ for fast liner change
8. Vipp pedal bin, 30l, £339, Skandium – designed in 1939 by Holger Nielsen, this sturdy bin has become a classic, with a place in the design collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York
9. 2 section recycling bin, 60l, £80, John Lewis & Partners [affiliate link] – features two removable inner buckets, both 30l each, available in three neutral colours
10. GoodHome Kora brushed anthracite metal & plastic pedal bin, 30L, £46, B&Q – part of a range of bins that fit neatly together to provide a complete waste solution
My favourite out of all the minimalist kitchen bins I found, and the one we chose for our own kitchen, is Brabantia’s stylish Bo bin. The reason I like it so much is because it doesn’t look like your traditional pedal bin. With the sleek black legs, it reminds me of our Samsung Serif TV in the living room next door to the kitchen.
Available in eight contemporary colours, two different heights, and with or without legs, it’s super versatile and wonderfully functional. On Brabantia’s website you can design your own Bo, choosing from a range of inner compartments to transform your bin from one compartment to two or three. I chose the white version with legs as I thought it would be so much easier to clean underneath the bin – the bottom of bins can get so sticky and dirty with everyday grime.
Made in Belgium, the Bo bin is also made from 40% high-grade recycled materials and is Cradle-to-Cradle® Certified on Level bronze, meaning it meets strict requirements for the (re)use of materials, renewable energy and social fairness. So top marks to Brabantia!
But tell me, which of these minimalist kitchen bins catch your eye?
