apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Those drawers look to be about the size of cassette tapes, so if you had a squillion of those, maybe you could put them in there alphabetically and label the drawers? But as far as how it looks, I think it's best to leave it as it is.

I don't know the dimensions for the drawers but depending on the size, it would be fantastic for collections: rubber stamps, tarot cards, your secret stash of action figures, Christmas ornaments, small office supplies, etc. Personally, I like the oak look; however, an ebonized stain that would let the wood grain show through would make it look "modern." Lining the drawers with felt might be cool. Felt comes in so many colors and is inexpensive.

I would leave the door on: it maintains the integrity of the piece.

If you're not concerned at all with preserving the piece - and really, there's a hojillion like it out there, I'd take off the door and paint the whole thing a super bright, glossy color, like safety orange or canary yellow.

I think a darker stain or some glossy black paint and spray the drawer pull/lable holders silver to give a stainless look. And I would definitely take off the door.

Ditto the felt. You can get enough to do that whole piece for 3 or 4 bucks at any craft store (Michaels, Craft Warehouse etc). Save yourself some work and get the peel & stick kind. ;->

If you're going purely for looks, I would lose the door.

If it was mine, I would remove the hardware, sand it and stain it a rich espresso color. Not paint. Stain. This will give you a nice modern look while still letting the grain of the wood show. Then re-install the hardware.

Minwax makes some really nice espresso stain that you can get at Home Depot for about $5 per quart. I'd probably buy two quarts for a piece that size. I've used it before, it's good stuff. If the wood is soft, you'll want to pre-treat it so the stain will go on evenly, but that looks like oak so I doubt you'll need to pre-treat it.

It's really not hard at all. Just takes time and patience (be sure to use two or three coats of polyurethane when you're done). There's water based polyurethane that isn't nearly as toxic to be around as the old oil based stuff.

If you keep the door, think about replacing the center panel with some old looking glass, the kind that distorts a little bit but not too much. A glass shop will cut some to fit and it's a lot cheaper than you think, I'd guess less than $30 depending on how fancy a glass you get.

Anyway that's what I'd do if if were my piece. It could be made to look really nice in my pinion. Not that it isn't fine already but you said you wanted to change the look...

Good luck and post some pictures when you're done, this stuff is fun to do.

Instead of destroying a great peice of furniture that doesn't quite fit your style, why don't you sell it to somebody who would really appreciate it as is. There seems to be quite a demand for things like that and I suspect somebody would pay a pretty penny for it. Do some research on ebay and craigslist to decide how much it's worth. With the money you make from the sale of the cabinet buy a modern looking peice of furniture that better suits your needs. Now everyone is happy and you don't have to waste time trying to refinish a peice when it really isn't right to begin with.

Those pieces are in huge demand these days, awesome find!

You could use it to store are sorts of nick nacks or as an organizer for any sort of office or hobby (i.e. a painter could store brushes, a seamstress threads and fabric, house pencils and office supplies, etc)

As far as making it modern - I might sand it down real good and apply a stain to it. Benjamin Moore has some great opaque stains you could use (I might do a white or a black or any color really) then give it another good sanding to give it a little aged or worn look - more lived in. The next part is what most people forget when doing refinishes - apply a wax to it (try a natural bees wax). You rub it on and buff it off like you were waxing your car; That step will give it a professional quality and some added protection.

As far as the door is concerned - I would definitely keep it, I might take the middle panel out and replace it with glass so you could see the beauty of the drawers even when the door is shut.

Again, you are super lucky to have found that! Way to go and good luck!

it's a great old oak card catalog cabinet. it's not supposed to look modern. why not sell it for a couple hundred dollars and buy what you really want.

Heres what I would do...

First I would remove/leave the outside door off permanantly to expose the smaller drawers. I would then update the whole unit to a 4 drawer dresser by the following:

1)Pull all the small drawers out

2) Make each of the horizontal rows its own drawer (total 4) by cutting the each of the 3 openings into 1 space for a new drawer.

3)Make ( or have made) 4 new drawers that matches the original wood as close possible

4)Instead of putting new pull hardware on the new large drawers, I would use the entire original fronts/with pulls from all of the original small cubby faces.

This way it gives the illusion of being an old timey' card catalog but, is actually a fully functional dresser.

Pretty cool huh!? WISH IT WAS MY PROJECT.

I personally love the look of the card drawers so i would remove the door. I would also stain it a dark brown or ebony and leave the existing hardware.

My mother just refinished a similar card catalogue. Her friend is a librarian at the local grammar school. When the library switched to an electronic system they got rid of all the wonderful solid wood cabinets. My mom uses it to store her sewing notions. She had to attach wood to the bottom of the drawers and remove the pin that runs through from the front to the back of the drawer. This project took her a while but she is really pleased with the results. Her friend also kept a card catalog. While my mother kept her cabinet the original blonde shade, her friend stained her card catalogue a rich mahogany. Both stained and unstained pieces look beautiful and provide terrific storage. I would love such a cabinet to store all my natural curios (e.g., shells, skeletons, rocks).

i actually have a card catalog myself. i use mine for holding art/sewing supplies. you can see part of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pintuck/439883792/

if it were me, i would either remove the door and refinish it in a different color or just leave it as is, or simply leave the door open.

the most interesting thing about the piece is that it is a card catalog...so that aspect of it, i believe, should be shown off somehow.

I think either stain a very dark espresso, almost black low shine finish, or a pristine glossy glossy white( like a spray lacquer)
I think the door is part of the charm of the piece, keep the old hardware but maybe have it chromed!!
BB

Jen- You could easily turn this into a jewelry armoir. Add felt to the cubby interiors. I wouldn't remove the door, but perhaps you could add hooks on the inside of the door for necklaces, scarves, etc. And then staining the wood to a much lighter or darker tone could modernize the piece.

Oh! Please don't remove the door. Yes the drawers look cool, but it's part of the piece! As ebrown said "it maintains the integrity of the piece".

Sell it if you don't love it/need it.

Talk about a coincidince - this just showed up on my local Craigslist :

http://portland.craigslist.org/yam/fur/341398571.html

This one is larger and doesn't have a door. I know the antique lovers here will flip, this one is in great condition too.

Drawers = spices/tea packets, odd kitchen utensils, rolled up cloth placemats/napkins, tapered candles, small/tall vases...

Leave it as is, and rent the movie "Wimbeldon." The main character has a great apartment featuring one of those old card catalogs . . . it looked very, very chic.

it is supposed to look like a card cabinet, if you mess with it, it will not look good. whats so great about it, is that it what it is, and is instantly recognizable let alone nostalgic.

oh gosh, please don't stain it. those things are lovely as-is, it would be a tragedy. ok maybe not that bad, but bad. I love those, i wish i had one for my craft supplies.

Please leave it be and sell it if you don't love it. I am sure it will find a good home.

Nicole, ColumbusOH, and Erinorea got it right. Unless this piece has deep sentimental value (in which case you wouldn't want to alter it), you should sell it to someone who will appreciate it and have a use for it. Take those funds and apply it toward a piece that has the aesthetic and practical qualities that will actually serve your home.

Please leave it as is. Jako is right. If you don't have nostalgia for it, at least respect the historic significance. It is a wonderful piece. Sell it and buy something glossy is that's what you love.

Is should be if. What's that great Wender's movie about the angels in Berlin, hanging out in the library? The first one. Libraries are sacred.

Kate (NC)-
you are thinking of Wings of Desire, I could watch it over and over

It's funny because I am a librarian who worked in the last days of the card catalogue and I can say that I have never (and I've worked in a lot of libraries) seen one quite like this, with the outside door. It's really nice and I would leave it as is. I concur with those that say if you don't want it sell it to someone who would like it, it has great charm.

The drawers were perfect for cassette tapes back in the days when those were ubiquitous, but alas, they do not hold CDs. I know people who keep all the kinds of things that others have mentioned, and you won't have any trouble finding someone to take it off your hands, I think.

Wow great piece. I would leave it as is.... except change the hinges on the outside door if you can -making the door open all the way to lean against the sides like tv cabinets do. That way you'd keep the original design but still always have a view of the great little drawers.

I agree with what others were saying about lining the drawers with felt. Great idea.

Card Catalogs sale for a lot of money on Ebay. I've been checking them out for future reference. I plan on buying one after I finish grad school and move out of my fourth floor walk up apartment and into a house.

I know someone with one of these = they use it as a wine cabinet.

LEAVE IT

I agree--leave it as is. If you take off the finish and paint, there's no going back, and if it's going for a lot on craig's list NOW, it will only grow in value (provided the original finish is intact). I think it looks lovely.

UPDATE!

Hey everyone, thanks for all the comments. I did a little research on the piece. It's actually a stereograph (also known as stereogram) cabinet and not a normal card catalog cabinet. the small metal plaque on the cabinet door says it was made by the Keystone View Co. (although what year I am not sure.)

"The Keystone View Co. in Meadville, Pa. By the 1920's it had become the largest publisher of stereographs"

I appreciate the feedback. Seemingly the overwhelming consensus seems to point to leaving it as is. I have yet to make up my mind though.

-Jen

I had to share -- I hope you keep this just the way it is.

My mother is a librarian (and a stellar lady). She brought a smaller cabinet (no door or legs, 3 rows of 3 drawers) home when her middle school library went electronic -- the best part being that it was still filled with cards. In the house I grew up in (and the house my parents live in now), it was kept in the kitchen or breakfast room on a counter. We turned the cards backwards and used the backs to write recipes (and for random notes) and filed them in the drawers (alphabetically and by category, of course). I still get packages from my mom with sweet notes written on the back of the book cards.

I would either leave it as is, or sell it and use the funds to buy something you like better.

If only I lived in America!! I would be on your doorstep in a nanosecond to give this wonderful cabinet a home. I would use it for sewing & craft stuff.

Whimper sobbing sighing .........

Yay on leaving the door- for one thing, if you are going to place it in a social location, the door removes the temptation of looking in the drawers.

On that note, I think it would be fun to organize/store bedroom accessories.

If it was mine I'd take the door off - I love the look of lots of small drawers - but I don't like the shinyness of the varnish - I'd be tempted to paint it

Ignore the people who say leave it as it is - its yours and you can do exactly what you want with it - if you're not happy with the way it is you'll never love it so do whats best for YOU

Since you're still mulling it over, here's my two cents.

I generally think the cardfile, or cardfile-like furniture, is a bit overused--so many people have them now that card catalogues are going digital. However, I like this piece because the door makes it a bit unusual. I would keep the door.

I personally would leave the file as is (I love my antiques and do what I can to preserve their character), but I think it could look really amazing in a darker stain or bold color. To make it more modern, you might consider updating some of the hardware in addition to painting or restaining it.

As for possible uses: go for something that it would help to be able to label clearly--take advantage of those little windows! My friend uses hers as a jewelry box (you'd have to line the drawers of course). Also, there are always tons of tiny things that seem to accumulate which always need a home--pens, rubberbands, small candles, matches, gift tags.

Anything small will be nicely organized in all those drawers... socks and underwear, scarves and mitts, individual shoes, kitchen utensils, odds and ends, office supplies .... depends what part of the house you plan to put it in.

If it were mine, I'd paint it white. It's a classic way to simplify and update wooden furniture.

That is quite a find. A great, forever piece. I would take off the door, and give the wood a deep, rich, dark, glossy stain. But definitely keep the door and re-use and re-purpose it.

DOOR IDEAS: You could recover just the door with some really cool vintage fabric with cork underneath for an inspiration board or a place for recipes or a photo board.
Or cover the door in cool vintage wallpaper. You could even add some antique doorknobs to it, then hang on a sturdy wall. The door is now a place to hang coats, clothes or necklaces.

I have a set of 4 glass legs attached to a base upon which
mahogony file cabinets were stacked. If you are interested, I could send you details. The legs are square. squat, but tapered. Beautiful