Key Boxes

The world is divided between those who invest in a key box for inside their home, and a key safe box for outside the home. The point of both is to keep your keys safe – though the latter are also extremely useful in the case of an emergency where you lose or lock your keys inside the house. Key boxes for inside the home however have to meet a fine balance between being super practical and useful, and looking stylish and chic – presenting your keys in a way where you won’t forget to hang them there, but not somewhere so obvious that an intruder could simply walk away with them. Like we say, there’s a fine balance.

The structure and design of a key box

When it comes down to structure and design of the box itself, the key box tends to be a wall mounted box – sometimes with a door, sometimes simply open sided – made up of small hooks which provide adequate space for multiple sets of keys. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the box is hung to a safe and easy to use height, with most retailers providing safety brackets to ensure that the box is hung securely and safely. Another consideration regarding the design of the box is how the actual hooks themselves are arranged. Many of our members come to us asking how they can overcome the issue of the hooks not allowing enough for room for their keys with all the keyrings and keychains they attach to them. In this case, we recommend opting for one of the key box sets from DIY retailers which give you the option to attach your own hooks – allowing you to assign space based on how long your keys are and how much space there actually is. Then there’s the usability of the design. Does the door open easily, and clip shut with a magnet or latch? If it doesn’t already, consider installing one to ensure that the box doesn’t swing open at random. Do the hooks come labelled, or do you want to label them to ensure that the different keys for different rooms and appliances in your home remain organised – another thing to strongly consider if you are the kind if person with lots of sets of keys. And then we come to appearance and finding a box which doesn’t become an eyesore.

Choosing a key box which is aesthetically pleasing

The challenge with adding any kind of practical implement or item to a living space in your home, is selecting one which blends well with the décor of the room and doesn’t stand out as an eyesore. Key boxes are highly functional and as such as often find that some of the DIY retailers in particular award function over style – offering boxes which are large and solid, or else metal in their structure. These may be sturdy and durable, but they aren’t likely to blend in well with the aesthetics of a family home. Our favourite key boxes are a mixture between quaint and simple, using neutral colours or else unvarnished natural wood, with small wooden or copper hooks. Little handwritten note signs can be attached to the inside above each hook, and the door – if there is one – is often fitted with a glass panel so that you can see exactly what is inside. In short, the key box is a feature based on practicality but which needs to blend in in order to match the décor and present the high level design flair which so many of us are keen to emanate in our hallway. For the best selection of stylish designs, head to homeware and home accessory stores.