Non-Fiction Living: Kleenex Boxes

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Kleenex Boxes

I never really thought much about Kleenex boxes until recently. Jeremy and I are always careful to keep them in stock. We are a family who needs a lot of facial tissues.

When it comes to shopping for facial tissues, we are extremely brand conscious. We will only buy Kleenex. We get the plain 2 ply ones without lotion added. This is the brand we have always used. Unless they go out of business, it is the brand we will always use.

I have not taken on sponsors or advertising for my blog. The Kleenex people aren't paying me to write this. They are not sending me free facial tissues.

The Kleenex boxes are in almost every room of our home. Some rooms have two boxes. In spite of the fact that there are Kleenex boxes virtually everywhere, we've never bothered getting those decorative wicker boxes to dress up or cover up the boxes. It seems too fussy for this family. We are not a family that feels afraid of a little cardboard.

That said, Kleenex boxes looked very boring for quite some time.

There were these two designs I remember from not long ago. One was this foiled look. I remember that it came in a silvery looking foil motif and a golden bronze. I never liked this. It seemed both glitzy and old person-ish in a bad way.

Then there was this blurry, water-color design that was around forever. It looked like faded wallpaper or photography. It was vaguely romantic. It was not my style. Anemic is a word that comes to mind for that collection. You could choose from wishy-washy pink, beige and blue.

The best thing I can say is that the boxes became invisible after a time.

Very recently, Kleenex boxes became noteworthy. I am a person who notices and likes certain repeating patterns on fabrics, wallpaper, throw pillows and rugs. Sometimes I look at repeating patterns just for the sake of looking at them. I love the aesthetics. I started to feel the same way about the new Kleenex boxes.

Kleenex box design got an upgrade. Kleenex boxes are having a renaissance.

I noticed that new Kleenex boxes looked great in our newly renovated apartment. They were suddenly modern, whimsical and warm. When selecting Kleenex in a store, I became mindful of coordinating the boxes with certain rooms.

I started to study the phenomenon of cool Kleenex boxes and went to a variety of stores to look at the stock. I did not confine myself to admiring only Kleenex brand boxes. Puffs, Target, Rite Aid and other store brands have gotten in on the action.

It seems like facial tissue box designers are having some fun. One of my dreams is to use my own artistic side and love of patterns to pursue fabric or wallpaper design. But if the facial tissue people are looking for the next big thing, I'd be happy to throw my hat in the ring.