I usually like to focus on products that are brand new to the market, but these colorful multifunctional buckets from the Japanese housewares company Hachiman Kasai, introduced nearly 20 years ago, just stopped me in my tracks at the last New York Gift Fair. Made of polypropylene with a corrugated texture, the buckets come with a handle and lid that make it easy to be used for storage as well as for a small stool for children to sit on or for short moms to get down the pasta from the top shelf. The buckets are also great for washing up or general outdoor work — there is a small hole in the handle designed specifically to hold a hose so you can easily fill it up. They come in five colors and three sizes (8, 10, or 20 liters), so you can find the right bucket for the job. There is a reason they still sell these after nearly two decades.