Super Easy Charging Station | Home in the Bay

Friday night means… charging batteries so I can shoot two weddings this weekend! Ok, not the most exciting thing in the world, but it always used to be such a headache and an eyesore to track down enough outlets for all the chargers. I finally put together this super simple charging station, a.k.a. basket, which not only keeps everything in one place, but also keeps it out of sight.

DIY Charging Station - Basket with handles

The basket is from Pottery Barn’s lidded “Havana” line. I just happened to pick up two of these because they were having a sale when I walked by, but the most important features are: it’s big enough to hold everything (17″ x 12″ x 8.5″), it has handles on the sides which make it easy to route the wires through the holes, and it has a lid so I can hide the contents.

Speaking of contents, in this bin I have:

  • A power strip
  • Canon battery charger (for my 5Ds)
  • Sony battery charger (for my A7s)
  • An awesome Titanium 16-bay AA charger (buy on Amazon). Seriously, this was life-changing instead of charging batteries 4 at a time all over the house. And don’t you love my rainbow eneloops? They were supposedly limited edition, but I just found them on Amazon.
  • My cable modem & router, which are also things I’d like to hide away.
  • I also like these velcro cable ties (Amazon) that just help to keep cords organized.

DIY Charging Station - Basket with handles

But here it is, all tucked away! And also a little glimpse at my DIY end table. More on that guy in a later post.

DIY Charging Station - Basket with handles DIY Charging Station - Basket with handles

I also got the smaller version of the same basket (13″ x 8″ x 6.5″) for all my computer cords at my bedside. This one is decidedly less organized, but I don’t actually need to open it to charge batteries the way I do in the other one. It contains a power strip, my Macbook charger, my Dell laptop charger (yes, I use both), my cell phone charger, and my iPad charger. The power strip goes in through the handle in the back, and the cords come out the handle in the front! Perfect little charger station, and it took all of five minutes to set up.

DIY Charging Station - Basket with handles DIY Charging Station - Basket with handles

If you follow my instagram, you’ll know I’ve been on a home decor kick lately. I love these little organization hacks and simple DIY projects, so I’d love to hear your best tips! You can look out for more from me too.

Anna Wu is a wedding a portrait photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area but available to travel worldwide. She combines a “fine art” aesthetic with a candid, photojournalistic approach to weddings. Follow her adventures on facebook or her website


    Part 1: Super Easy Charging Station | Home in the Bay