Material: Steel, polyester powder-coated | Design: Three tiers, movable middle shelf, leveling (non-locking) wheels | Size: 13.75” x 17.75” x 30.75”
The multipurpose Råskog takes the “best overall” blue ribbon for its endless versatility. “It’s the Ikea cart that’s doing the most in small-space kitchens across New York City,” explains Brittany Nims, associate director of e-commerce partnerships and business development at Vox Media. The “junk drawer on wheels,” as she describes it, has served her as a dumping ground for kitchen linens and cleaning supplies. Similarly, when Gury lived in a tiny Brooklyn apartment, the Råskog gave her much-needed (and cheap) storage space. Jammed with spice jars and rolling pins, she would “roll it up to the stove then tuck it away in a corner, post-cooking.”
There’s a reason it’s a top seller: The Råskog is really a no-muss, no-fuss solution, which I found out for myself when the company sent me one to test. Assembly is easy enough — just a few screws. The tiers are secure and the wheels are steady. I have a hodgepodge of things in mine, including honeys, hot sauces, and almost-ripened avocados.
But you can also use it in a more focused way, like Vanessa Dina, author of The Art of the Bar Cart, who has transformed her Råskog into a martini-making station. In our guide to the best bar carts, the Råskog won the title of “best bargain” with Dina applauding its durability. And for an extra $12, you can buy a cutting board designed specifically for the topmost shelf to have a surface to make your drinks.
Of course, the Råskog is helpful outside the kitchen as well, and has appeared in our archives a number of times. Jeni Aron, founder of Clutter Cowgirl, cited it as one of her favorite dorm-room storage solutions, as it can double as a nightstand (and then work just as well in a student’s first apartment). Strategist writer Lauren Ro used it to furnish her firstborn’s Montessori-inspired playroom, where it holds construction paper, coloring books, and Play-Doh.
