Good Questions: What is This? and Where Can I Get One?

Dear AT, a month or so ago on designsponge, this cabinet was featured. it is incredible; i am gearing up to restart my etsy store and this is a perfect way to store my paper, fabric and assorted craft supplies. i wrote to grace and also to the owner of the actual cabinet, but no one can tell me anything about what it is, how old it is, what the style is called and (most importantly) how i can scour boston craigslist to find one for myself! any advice you have is really appreciated; i've been told it's midcentury but that's as far as i got.

thanks,
adwoa

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: boston(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)

Here is the original post from designsponge. Anyone have any ideas?

Comments (14)

Looks like something that was fairly common in the 40's.

Look at flea markets, garage sales, etc.

I am not dissing it, by saying this, because it is nice and handy, but many diaper drawers have the same openings, so maybe you can find one searching baby furniture.

It looks like an old retail store fixture, from when items were kept behind the counters. The cut-aways let the clerks see what was in the drawers without them having to be labeled. It's cute, but my house is way too dusty to have fabric, yarn, etc. stored open to the air.

maybe a linen chest? where you could see the linens without opening the drawer? I can't think of any reason why there would be cutouts besides that...maybe a printer's chest?

I was thinking maybe it was for medical use. But then again it looks like a dresser too. So I would go with some sort of baby furniture as well.

It looks like a lingerie chest to me.

I was thinking the same thing... it looks like something you'd find in a retail store. Kind of like the drawers underneath the display cases.

My father has a music chest similar to this. Each drawer contains the music sheets of various composers.

If you click through the links, you'll see that the owners of the cabinet in this picture purchased theirs at Sage Secret Antiques. It's not something that Pottery Barn sells. You might want to call Eliza Werner, the owner and see what she has to say about it. (all the specs, etc.)

Otherwise, my suggestion is get one custom made :)

This looks like an updated version of a Victorian collectors cabinet. The collectors cabinets have similar drawers that were originally meant to store butterflies and such things. My guess is that this is an updated version from the 40's or 50's? I'm not sure how accessible these Victorian cabinets are in the U.S. but I know that they were fairly cheap at the auctions in the UK. Mostly because no one has a use for them anymore!

Take a look at the Stanton drawers - I've had them for several years, to store small things in my home office. Quality is adequate, price is cheap and they fit in lots of odd spaces. Might work for your needs.

http://www.homedecorators.com/search.php?search=stanton&x=0&y=0