Although it’s been five years since I left the hallowed hallways of Berkeley, the fall always reminds me of the promise of new knowledge. For the fall issue of UPPERCASE magazine (which you can still 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 these wonderful biblio-antiquities.
Here is a closer look at the current rendition of my most recent library card catalog cabinet find. It’s a cabinet of vintage curiosities for now, but I’m in the process of repurposing it for the baby’s nursery.
Does the fall remind you of back-to-school nostalgia too? It may be time for me to take a trip to the library this afternoon….
21 responses so far ↓
1 Sheau // Nov 4, 2009 at 9:33 pm
What a great find! Can’t wait to see the transformation. It’s already very beautiful.
2 Emily // Nov 4, 2009 at 10:25 pm
What a great idea! That is my ideal piece of furniture – vintage, repurposing, and connected to books!
3 Annie Pazoo // Nov 4, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Swoon – green with envy
4 Suzy Pierce // Nov 4, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Incredible, I love how you have styled it and can not wait to see what you do with it next!!
5 erin // Nov 5, 2009 at 12:57 am
beautiful. as always.
6 carol // Nov 5, 2009 at 2:54 am
that piece is perfection!
I can see storing adorable baby socks in one of those drawers…
7 Amanda Waltman // Nov 5, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Just wanted to say that I love everything you do! You’re such an inspiration for me to think outside the box!
8 ljcadv // Nov 5, 2009 at 5:15 pm
grace that is such a gorgeous piece!
9 please sir // Nov 5, 2009 at 7:41 pm
YES – I love them too!
10 Cambridge Homes // Nov 6, 2009 at 1:41 am
Truth be told I still haven’t gotten over the demise of card catalogs. But your repurposing is great! I do love anything with lots of drawers or cubbies.
Liz
11 Lauren Liess // Nov 6, 2009 at 12:00 pm
oh beautiful!! it’ll be so functional in a nursery!!!
and as, always, i’m CRAZY over your photos ^ styling!! the fairytales are BEAUTIFUL!!
xoxo
12 cindy // Nov 6, 2009 at 3:44 pm
it was so great to see you in uppercase, again. love your catalog and can’t wait to see what you do with it for your baby. enjoy your weekend!
13 Julia // Nov 6, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I am sooo in love with that cabinet!
14 Lisa // Nov 9, 2009 at 6:20 am
I first visited your site several months ago through a Google image search for card catalogs. I saw your lovely card catalog that had plants growing in some drawers. Soon after, I became the proud owner of a 72-drawer catalog of my own! I use it mostly as a functional storage piece (essentially a very organized junk drawer with 72 alphabetized compartments), rather than as a display, but I still appreciate the inspiration your images provided. Thank you!
I am coveting another card catalog. I think I’d like to have one nearly every room!
15 Anna R // Nov 10, 2009 at 6:35 am
I have been searching for a library cabinet for ages and I work at a library.
16 jen // Nov 10, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Oh my gosh, I’ve always been in love with card catalogs! I want one so bad! Where do you find something like that?
17 paul overton // Nov 10, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Love it! One of my greatest regrets was passing on a giant cabinet like this at the flea market. Wish I had it now. Great styling. Great post. Thanks!
18 Erin // Nov 11, 2009 at 8:58 pm
My husband, the electrical engineer, would LOVE the giant light bulb! Where did you find that?
19 Grace // Nov 13, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Thank you all for your sweet words! I am finishing transforming the card catalog for the nursery and look forward to sharing the new pictures
Jen, there are usually a handful of card catalogs for sale on eBay, and you may get lucky enough to find one in your area so you don’t have to deal with shipping. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled at the flea market, architectural salvage place, and even estate sales!
Erin, the giant lightbulb is vintage, and I found it while digging through an antique dealers’ musty boxes during a vintage treasure hunting trip this last summer
20 jen jafarzadeh // Dec 2, 2009 at 5:32 am
I saw your piece in Uppercase and loved it! I recently found a card catalog case at the Brimfield market — use it to store all my crafts + hardware supplies. yours is fantastic! I love the idea of it for a nursery.
21 Barry // Jan 8, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Hey All- I happen to have a nice selection of antique and vintage library card catalogs from an East Coast Ivy university for sale- contact me anytime at 315Whitney@gmail.com
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