We love how barrister bookcases keep the dust out of one place where it loves to gather: books. But they can do the same job in keeping the dust off of collections of just about anything. And they look oh-so-classy doing it:
Pictured firstly above, we see one used to display a small collecton of framed butterfly specimens. Next, we see a dish collection arranged in a barrister bookcase in a kitchen, of all places. And finally, a barrister bookcase, generally used to hold law texts, turns a complete 180 and stores a shoe collection!
Images: Amy A., Sunset, This is Glamorous
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
Barrister bookcases certainly can look good in homes, and buying them second-hand beats their regular high prices.
Love these. I'd like to get one to store our DVDs & CDs. Beautiful display cases, never run across them though!
Keep on the lookout for law firms that are moving or renovating. I got my 3, 5-shelf 6-footers for free from a firm that needed the space.
I think the kitchen idea makes the most sense! It would be so much easier to keep everything clean, love the way it looks!
I use one on my bathroom for much-need storage. One row holds TP and towels, another 2 have baskets with hair supplies and cosmetics and a strange group of aromatherapy oils I got in Costa Rica. The top holds a stack of white washcloths and my jewelry in white ceramic containers that I almost never open. Looks great, highly functional. They are pretty easy to come by in DC because the government has gone paperless (or largely anyway). As documents were converted to electronics, agencies sold off huge volumes. There was one thrift store in Arlington -- near Clarendon, sunny something -- that had an exclusive contract for them -- $50 per stack for many years. That's where I got mine. I think they are far more expensive now.
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com
What great deals you got. They're very expensive new.
Thanks for this post! I've been trying to find something to serve as a buffet in my rather small dining room and this is actually a fantastic idea!
Wish I could get a big beautiful danish credenza, but they are just too big.
Wow. I have one of these that I just gave a makeover to and I never knew what it was or that it had a name! It was always just referred to as "that weird little cabinet shelf thingy" thank you AT, for I have learned something today.
I've loved barrister bookcases since I was child and saw one (military, standard issue, dark blah grey) in an doctors office.
I don't have one yet, but thanks for the drool inducing pics!
I've been considering buying one for books on my husband's side of the bed since we both are allergic to dust. He's one of those who likes to read about a dozen things at once depending on his mood.
I love them! They're so expensive, though, it took me forever to find a reasonable one. Even then, it was veneer . . . but I sanded it down and I'm painting it now (and replacing the pulls).
When it's done, it's going to hold yarn, organized in a spectrum (gorgeous, and so much more functional than bookshelves sorted the same way!). Super excited!
We've been trying to figure out something for our massive amount of vinyl LPs, and these kinds of shelves look pretty awesome. If we can find some of these deep enough, maybe the stereo itself would fit inside.
I've been seeing quite a few of these on Craigslist for bargain prices. You just have to be willing to sift through the ads (and like jessica604, some people don't know what they are, so they label them "curio" or "cabinet").
When I was looking on Craigslist, I was searching for "bookcase glass" or "cabinet glass," so even if they didn't know what it was but they mentioned "glass doors," I'd see it!
Since they're designed to hold big, heavy law books, they probably would be good for vinyls, too.
negative. your standard sized barrister bookcases will not hold 12" records, the openis aremore like 11.5 deep and tall once you factor in door movement. I've scoured craigslist for years trying to find ones that will hold records, my lack of sucess tells me they don't exist.
LOVE barristers!
I have two sets of these. One just like the photo 1. The other I painted white and is a 4 piece just like photo 2! I love these. Best part is... they were all FREE. Picked them up off the side of the road in Hawaii and Maryland. SCORE!
Oh, my gray two piece unit holds plates, bowls, etc. on one shelf. The other shelf holds my bulk storage items in pretty glass jars.
The 4 piece white unit hold GOBS of cookbooks :)
I just found 2 of these on Craigslist for $10. one of them needed to be glued, but no biggie. I'm using them for my sweaters in the bedroom -- they fit perfectly, and you can see all of them at once!
Love barristers. We have a 4 drawer Globe Wernicke with top and drawer base circa 1910. DW hates the oak finish, but I have no plans to paint it....
We have 7 sets of these available. Check them out on my etsy site and also on ebay.
They do NOT hold a standard vinyl record with the door closed. etsy link in profile.