With great excitement, I would like to like to introduce a new weekly series here on Poetic Home entitled “A Few of My Favorite Vintage Things.” Each week, I will happily feature creatives from around the blogosphere who will graciously share their favorite treasures and the stories behind each. I can’t wait to share with you the guests (some who may just be your favorite artists and bloggers) that we will have this week, starting tomorrow!
To start the series, I would like to share with you a few of my favorite furniture things. While I do love whiskers on kittens and brown paper packages tied up with string, I also love card catalogs and vintage desks. Here is a peek into my home and some of the treasures that call to my vintage-loving heart.
Antique library card catalogs have historically escaped me. Some escaped me via a faster driver from Craigslist, while others were simply out of my budget. However, one day, as my husband and I were strolling through an antique mall, we spotted this beauty — just in time for our anniversary! I had to wait around the corner to wait for another admirer to walk away before we swooped it and lugged it home. It was so serendipitous, and indeed, this vintage card catalog is one of my very favorite things. It has transformed many times — from a buffet in my dining room holding silverware — to its current rendition of a “bookshelf,” inspired by what Darwin may have enjoyed in his home library.
In my world, this is the desk that launched a thousand words. After graduating from college, I started my writing career at this very desk, whose aged lines exuded literary wisdom to me. I took the name of this piece, “a 1930s ladies writing desk,” quite seriously and literally. While my dual monitors and bulky PC tower no longer fit on the desk, I love sitting here on the weekends and typing letters and poems. Another favorite vintage treasure in this photo is the “Paris” hat box, which my husband — on his very own — found in an antique mall for my birthday a few years ago. It was the perfect soul mate to my treasured desk.
Originally from an old San Diego theater, this pair of theater seats is one of my favorite pieces. Not only does the wood patina glow, but it’s amazingly comfortable and ergonomic too! Flip up the seats and there are “hat racks,” perfect for a time where wardrobes were more stylish and culture was gentler. My husband and I drink wine and watch movies from the comfort of these chairs.
Tune in tomorrow for another “a few of my favorite things” installment from a very special guest contributor!
20 responses so far ↓
1 jessimarie33 // Mar 2, 2009 at 3:01 pm
What lovely things! You have a beautiful style. I, too, love card catalogues, actually anything with little cubbies! And that desk is just gorgeous!
2 Rachel (Heart of Light) // Mar 2, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Your card catalog is so beautiful and I love that you stumbled upon it just in time to make it an anniversary gift.
3 erin // Mar 2, 2009 at 11:05 pm
this is such a lovely post. my mom has an old card catalogue that belonged to her great aunt. it’s small–only four drawers. she uses hers for recipes! thanks for sharing.
4 sheau // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:04 am
Hi Grace, these are so precious! Thank you for sharing these wonderful collection from your home. They are absolutely beautiful and inspiring.
5 jess@thehomebound // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:34 am
That card catalog is gorgeous! And the desk! And your photography! You are one stylish gal.
6 mayaluna // Mar 3, 2009 at 2:03 am
Grace, you’re such a gifted stylist and photographer… these images sing! I’d love a card catalog just like yours. I really admire all of the corners of your home and am always hungering for more. This looks to be a phenomenal series! Great idea!
7 Grace // Mar 3, 2009 at 4:09 am
Thank you SO much for your kind words about the little spaces in my home. I am so happy to have the opportunity to share with you what I love. Thank goodness for the blogsphere!
8 I.B Design // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:24 pm
great post, very cool vintage pieces you’ve got especially the catalog.
9 Lynne // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Love these! Especially the card catalogue and the seats – can’t wait to see more!
10 cindy // Mar 3, 2009 at 5:50 pm
awesome! I also have theatre chairs like that, I just posted a pic on my blog with them. I’m going to have to check to see if mine have hat racks also!
11 cindy : quaint // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:53 pm
my favorite piece is everything! you have the most interesting collection!
12 Suzanne // Mar 4, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Dear Talented Grace,
Your home is fabulous and your style is unbeatable. Love your pieces and the special way you design each and every spot. Thank you for sharing a piece of your home with all of us. What a treat!
Ciao bella,
Suzanne
13 Shannon // Mar 6, 2009 at 4:25 am
Love this! (and I love your blog, too!) Thank you for the visual eye candy. I was in Columbus last weekend and saw a beautifully repurposed card catalog at Collier & West. You can see online here:
Shannon
http://www.collierwest.com/our_shop.html
(click on stationary icon)
(You would love this store!)
14 Christine // Mar 10, 2009 at 12:30 am
I LOVE that ladies desk! That’s just the thing I’m looking for for my bedroom!!
15 I hate birds*… - Stickers and Donuts // Mar 12, 2009 at 3:43 pm
[...] treasures that all have a twinkle of grandeur. (Grace has impeccable taste! Look at her antique library card catalog!) In January, she suggested turning old bird cages into lamps (GO LOOK!) The birdcage curtain is [...]
16 Catalog of Love: A Perpetual Anniversary Gift | Poetic Home {pH} Living in Vintage Poetry // May 28, 2009 at 9:34 am
[...] is an antique wooden library card catalog box that now will hold the chapters of our relationship and life together. I created faux Dewey [...]
17 My Soul Mate: A Vintage Writing Desk | Poetic Home {pH} Living in Vintage Poetry // Oct 12, 2009 at 10:42 pm
[...] may recall my 1930s ladies writing desk from My Favorite Vintage Things series. Sadly, I had to sell the antique desk during the preparation for the move to Hawaii, as [...]
18 "Fall" in Love with Library Card Catalog Cabinets | Poetic Home {pH} Living in Vintage Poetry // Nov 13, 2009 at 11:32 am
[...] enjoy through a subscription), I was inspired by the quintessential symbol of timeless wisdom: library card catalogs. Of course, in the spirit of Poetic Home, my article is filled with ideas on how to repurpose [...]
19 5 Repurposed Bookshelves for Your Literary Pleasure | Poetic Home {pH} Living in Vintage Poetry // Dec 3, 2009 at 11:14 am
[...] this may quite a familiar photo to you from my home, but even a library card catalog can be used to create a mini-bookshelf for your favorite [...]
20 Barry // Feb 24, 2010 at 10:46 pm
As of Feb 2010, I have several vintage and antique library card catalogs from a prestigious CT Ivy League University for sale. I am located in New Haven, CT. Please contact me at 315Whitney@gmail.com if interested.
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