apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Sorry, I don't have an answer, but what is that one in the picture? It's quite nice.

it's from pottery barn, i believe. see below link.

http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpcfurhofcab%7Crshop%2Fshpcfurhofcab%7Crshop%2Fshpcfur%7Crshop&pkey=cfurhofcab&gids=p6942

Well, duh, I see Maxwell already asked that...

Thanks, lala! I may start saving my pennies for it.

Before you go buy more furniture, clean up your stuff! here are my steps:

1. Ruthlessly go through your stuff and recycle the stuff you don't need.

2. Do it again. It's less painful the second time.

3. Scan stuff you need into PDF and archive them on a CD.

4. Get a tiny little box for the few things you have left.

If you're really limited on space, than get rid of the stuff, don't buy more furniture for your stuff. It's hard at first but it will make you feel better! :-)

I love Bisleys. The Container Store sells their pedestals for cheap (I think I slightly cheaper version of their standards). Their lateral files are fantastic but pricy. You can get them in tons of colors.

Have you been to The Container Store? You might find a workable alternative there. They carry the Elfa system, which has drawers that can be used as file drawers with the attachments they sell (the depth may not work for you, though). If not, just go there and look closely at EVERYTHING; I've been happily surprized with several things I've found there by doing it that way.

I have a quick front door/rug question..I've fallen in love with a new rug for my entry way, but the pile is too high and I know the door will catch on it...is it pretty common to trim doors in length to make them shorter to accomodate this? Sorry for the newbie question, but any suggestions are welcome! Julie

First of all, if you're the kind of person who hangs onto paper, so be it - no amount of finger-wagging is going to make you change, and at best scheduling an annual tossout (say after tax time) is going to probably be the best us packrats can hope for.

Secondly, I obsessively searched for a filing cabinet myself after moving from an apartment that had probably nine linear feet of built-ins to one with none. DWR used to have some gorgeous Italian units but they're gone, and the Bisleys were in fact the best I could find in metal - the full line is available through Two Jakes in Williamsburg. (I bought mine at the ContainerStore though).

There are also tons of shallow cabinets at HomeDecorators.com but most are wood or hideous wicker; still, the Wuchow line in red might be worth considering.

If you don't mind an industrial look you could also try open Elfa baskets, I think some of their drawers accomodate files. You could also check out Sonrisa for a vintage (if pricey) option. Good luck!

eeeck:
Have you had any experience with the ones from Home Decorators? I have their catalog, and a lot of the "file options" look attractive, but I wonder how they'd hold up under constant use. I was thinking I could get rid of my second-hand white metal four-drawer lateral file cabinet in my bedroom if I could follow a bit of Adam's advice and then put the rest of the files into two smaller 2-drawer file cabinets that might serve as bedside tables, and a low bookcase under the window by the closet. That would free up a wall for a nice dresser or something where the big file cabinet is now. But I'm worried that the Home Decorator cabinets would fall apart, or have those annoying side rails that are supposed to fit into a little slot but keep falling out.

Kristyn, are you really going to FILE stuff i cabinets? I mean, it's no good having a file drawer if you won't put stuff in there. depending on your kind of work, what I like to do in my office is have multiple magazine files that I can sort things by project in and then put them on my credenza or bookshelf. I use my file cabinets for longer-term storage (and for that matter, you could use boxes).

JulieW,
I think it's common, but the ease of doing this would depend on door type (wood, metal). I've heard of it at least being done on interior doors, not sure of exterior...you don't want drafts or anything either. I'm no expert, but maybe try calling a carpet place just to see what they say.

Don't buy a file cabinet, it won't work for you. You're a stacker and we stackers don't really work well with file cabinets. Trust me I've tried. Plus the flat top will give you more places to stack stuff. Try to take a look at how you work and what you work with. keep a small spot to keep the books you are working with off the desk but near at hand when you need them again. MAybe work out of a project box and clean the desk up when you quit. Or if you are like me and have tendency to just stack, go through the stack get rid of the obvious stuff that needs to go and put the maybe stuff in a box. Then after a while get rid of the box. shred stuff with personal info and scan into the computer the stuff you know you will need later.

Or buy another desk for yourself only, cover it with a tarp when you aren't working at and tell your husband to get over it.

i'll say it again (and it isn't because I spent another thousand buying speaker and componant stands), but botz has nice office stuff:

http://www.boltz.com/productinfo.asp?item=314&deptcode1=528

I'M A STACKER TOO! But I've changed my ways. I Agree file cabinets are no good. But an ACCORDIAN EXPANDING FILE FOLDER changed my life!! Mine has separate sections for bills, receipts, medical info, travel, etc. and a couple sections you can personalize. It takes very little room.

1. Everything in the mail goes into a large wicker basket until I have time to sort through it - magazines go into a magazine holder which gets sorted once a week.

2. When I go through mail/pay bills - I put the stuff I need to keep in the accordian sections. If I'm lazy it stays in the mail holder till I have time. This way nothing gets lost or piled up on my desk.

3. At the end of every year I empty the accordian - keep what I need for long term stuff (insurance, mortgage), separate what I need for taxes, and toss what I don't need.

4. Be careful with backing up to CDs. Besides the fact that I dont know how you could keep up with scanning everything...CDs are not reliable long term - if you feel compelled to do this back up to a drive. Seems like a lot of work though.

Good Luck!!!

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?ts=1148588563881&prodCatType=0&storeId=10001&productId=10153&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&cmArea=FEATURED:SC1:CG15:DP1458

How about something with "cubbies" in which you can keep your stacks? Then you can easily just toss stuff in the appropriate cubby.

http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpcfurhofshv%7Crshop%2Fshpcfurhofshv%7Crshop%2Fshpcfur%7Crshop&pkey=cfurhofshv&gids=p5989

If you're a stacker, maybe you just need a way to sort the files out of the way. Levenger has "project boxes" that you can add drawers to (or not):

http://tinyurl.com/jtww6

I was going to recommend Levenger's project boxes as well. They are the closest thing to the cubbies that House and Senate offices have on the desks. I love those; for me, all workspaces are downhill after those.

barrister bookcases helped my brother

maybe they can help you too

I bought a cheapo one manu. by Sauder but the Sonrisa ones are metal.

In real life I am a information coach - qualified as a librarian with a minor in records management.

1. everything has a lifespan including paper. Throw.
2. your most important records are debtors & creditors - keep a list of who owes you & whom you owe offsite in case of fire. Also tax related records.
3. DO NOT print stuff from the Web. Store on your drive. (select all - copy - paste into WP). My Canon scanner included software for saving as PDF (part of the print routine) which I do for pictures, maps, graphs etc.
4. DO NOT SCAN - tried this now have stuff in format that can't be read on new computer.
5. If you still want to keep cuttings, write on them why - so you know when they are no longer useful.

The trouble with filing cabinets is they proclaim themselves for what they are, they are hideous, cannot be repurposed, and require pulling out a drawer of heavy paper to access the back. That means they are really twice the depth to use with the drawer open than shut.

As computers have developed, I find I am keeping less and less paper. My life may be havoc but my hard drive is TIDY. I copy and paste articles into a Filemaker Pro database I designed where they are tagged, auto dated, annotated - whatever. Very long articles, PDFs or pictures are stored separately in lots of folders, but item titles are in the database with tags. Spotlight or Konfabulator are good HD searchers.

When only paper will do, I use lateral filing in ordinary cabinets, with wallet style folders all in buff colour (Avery) with Avery's alpha-numeric labels along the side. I don't use different coloured folders because you always run out of a colour. A plain coloured label works eg blue (home) green (biz) yellow (clients) orange (info) black (archive). In the past I have used the side tab folders but they are very expensive, and my paper holdings turn over. This system is somewhat casual for a big organisation, but OK for a SOHO.

I hand write the name of the file on its cover, and when I cull the contents, I write the date on the folder so I know when I did it.

If using Avery wallets you need any cabinet with an internal measurement of 380mm or 15 inches deep ***with the doors closed***, and the right space between shelves. Ikea's Docent are hog-ugly but exactly right.

As my cabinets were going in my kitchen, and I had a window & table to deal with, I ended up having a kitchen place make up cabinets for me. I went to a place that supplies the building industry, so they were much cheaper. Can send Kristyn pics & measurements if she likes.

I also ended up buying some Docent for the living room, and used a laminate preparation product prior to painting them & changed the handles. Looked so swish I bought 2 more & will do them in the spring. Bonde are nicer, the doors hang on the outside (giving room for side tab folders) but the sizes didn't work for my space. Consider going to 6 or 7 feet high.

It is Friday 26th 11 pm here. Will check back tomorrow to see if Kristyn wants pics.

All hail Deb of Oz....organization goddess!

I am but a mere mortal, trapped in the endless cycle of clutter and messiness. Can I rise above and achieve information management nirvana?

All kidding aside, it sounds like a great system, but one that takes a lot of time and effort to keep in order.

I have a file cabinet from Home Decorators that I think is really good looking (it's shaker style, so just really simple). We use it as a bedside table (on one side only, since it doesn't have the all important drawer for things you need in bed), and it's held up well. I agree with the commenters who've suggested that a file cabinet really works best for longer term storage, although you can use a "To Be Filed" file folder to cut down on the piles. Then you don't have to do the more time consuming categorizing/filing as frequently and it cuts down a lot on things getting shuffled around and lost. I like knowing that if a document is important enough to keep, there's only one place to put it and one place to look for it when I need it.

Hi Jane, I actually have not purchased file storage from HomeDecorators but did get a steel and wood dining table that proved to be very sturdy and has held up fine; if you live in the NYC area, sometimes you can see items that appear to be identical to the ones in the catalog at Straight from the Crate.

I do agree better desktop organization can help a fellow "stacker," although there are limits to this solution as well. I have a couple of overloaded in/out style trays but find it is much easier to locate things without upsetting the entire pile with those vertical file sorters.

Or if you have enough height clearance, you could consider getting a couple of those Sapien bookcases from DWR. They are reasonable, chic and each can hold a mega-stack!

I was always used to file cabinets but have had to switch to accordian files because of space constraints.

I do keep documents in 2 cardboard file boxes inside a trunk; I wish I had file drawers to use with my desk as I find this the best solution for me. The accordian files get so heavy as I fill them with bank statements and such--though I do put them away in the file boxes at year's end.

I think I'll try the idea of magazine files to keep my projects separate. That seemed very good.
Yet if all else fails, I'll buy some cheapo lateral files at Staples or such and then decoupage or paint them.

> 4. DO NOT SCAN - tried this now have stuff
> in format that can't be read on new computer.

I must disagree. The builtin scanning software that comes with Windows will scan to .jpeg which is pretty much universal. You can also buy scanning software to scan to pdf (again, pretty much universal).

Any ideas good looking large albums for storing CDs? I am looking to toss my jewel boxes and get consolidated. Thanks!

may be a few years late but for anyone reading this i just saw a beautiful file cabinet at officemax in an aqua blue color - it had two drawers and was $39.99 - they also had it in white.....i believe it was called the soho file cabinet