Between the nostalgia, the symmetry and the compartmentalization that card catalogs offer, they have recently jumped to the top of my 'to find' list.
I've become quite fond of old library furniture lately. I scored myself a nice yellow book return cart with the masking tape scribed 'returns only' still on it. It sends me straight back to elementary school when I was a library volunteer.
So now that I have the return cart I am on the hunt for some good 'ol card catalogs to make into something spectacular. Here are a few inspirational makeover ideas I've been tossing around as of late:
1. Turned into buffet table. Here are the step-by-step instructions from Dream Book Design.
2. Made into a hideaway bar. From Apartment Therapy.
3. As drawers of a desk. From Matthew Fairbanks.
4. Crafted into a credenza. Check out the tutorial from Oakland-Avenue.
5. Used as a coffee table with an industrial twist by adding casters. From stegersaurus31 on flickr (licensed for use under Creative Commons).
(Images: as linked above)
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What do you do with all those deep little drawers? They look cool but that is about it on a practical scale.
I want one for all my craft stuff, I have a huge box full of different buttons, snaps, ribbons, etc that would easily be organized in something like this. It would be good for all the things most people have in their junk drawers: stamps, batteries, pens, thumbtacks... I don't know if there is a buffet table's worth of drawers though, I just want a regular sized one.
Liz Lemon has on in her apartment on 30 Rock and I always saw it in the background and though it was neat. Northwestgirl is right, a small one would be great for all those tiny craft supplies, and even nuts and bolts and nails!
The drawers are really great for pens! Some of them might be wide enough to fit bottles of spices, too.
Function + Form
Not Form over Function
I have a large collection of Tarot decks. The drawers are big enough to hold all. It the largest decks.
@MSCHATELAINE, in this case it is Function = Form. Unfortunately the function is obsolete and the form remains. What to do with it?
It's on my wish list.
Always thought it was a cool look but too thought 'what the heck do you store in it' until I read NORTHWESTGIRL comment. That would definitly work for me.
I've been wanting to get one of these for years now but unfortunately since their popularity exploded, so have costs everywhere on them. Doesn't matter where you look. Should have just begged for the one from my high school.
I find my table super practical! (I'm the last photo.) I keep coasters, chargers, sewing notions, tools, and office supplies in the drawers -- anything small, basically, works great because you don't have to look in a very large area. They're also perfectly sized for CDs or old Nintendo game cartridges.
We made the first buffet shown (thanks AT for the shot out) and although there are many drawers it is quite functional. We keep bottles of wine, table runners, serving utensils for dinner parties, crafting supplies, furniture pads, napkins, candles and other small pieces in the drawers. Ours in our dining room so it is nice have a place for all the little things we use for dinner parties.
We have actually made a few of them with different finishes (for those of you who dont like the painting of wood, here is a dark stained one http://www.dreambookdesign.com/2011/12/card-catalog-turned-buffet.html).
@DUANE HILL, All I can think of is the Friends episode with the apothecary table.
"Look, look -- it says that it holds 300 CDs"
"Just like the apothecary tables of yore"
I bought six old card catalogs (original cards included) from a nearby library and had a local woodworker create a base and top for me.
Check our our Card Catalog Media Center
Now we have this huge 100 inch wide beast sitting in our living room and we LOVE it.
I scored one years ago when a local library was changing over to the computerized card catalog. Didn't anticipate how heavy it would be! Had to take all the drawers out to move it, and even then, it's a beast.
Mines chock full of all kinds of crafting goods. It's so, so much better than the small plastic totes I used to hide in the closet.
Inspirational! I love #1 and #4 and #5 the most. Those legs and casters are spot-on.
I would have NO trouble at all filling up all those little drawers...
Noooooooooooooo
SUCH a cliche now. This is right up there with vintage typewriters and antlers.
MAKE IT STOP!!!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my library card catalog!!! and there are lots of uses for it! I currently use it for all those pesky accessories like scarves, mittens, jewelry, keys, pens etc etc etc (aka almost anything you would find in a junk drawer or mud room. When we move to our new house here in 2 weeks it will go into the kitchen as a spice and utensil holder until the kitchen can be redone, then it will find a new life as craft storage! Now granted, at its current stage of life, I cannot seem to fill all the drawers, but I know I will have no problem when it becomes part of the kitchen and then the craft storage!! I've also seen people use it for wine storage. I've put a few bottles of wine in mine and they fit amazingly well!
I found a small 6-drawer unit at an antique store, put some simple legs on it and use it as a side table for the living room. The drawers are PERFECT for remotes and coasters.
The larger card catalogs would definitely stretch the imagination for usefulness, though there's just something about them I love...the library feel, maybe? Idk.
I love the look of these. I'm a library so there is no surprise. However some of these are more practical than others. My favorite is the gray console one. Not too too many drawers.