I saw a cabinet, I loved that cabinet, I didn't buy that cabinet. And then one year later I did. Here's how I'm making an antique hardware cabinet that's too big work in a space that's too small.
There aren't a lot of things I hand off to other people to do for me. It's usually faster, easier and cheaper for me to do it myself. Except laser eye surgery. I let someone else do that. It's been 20 years and I'm still kind of disgruntled about it.
When I first saw (with my laser vision) this cabinet at an antique store I loved it but ignored it because it was about 12" too long for the space I had in my kitchen.
You know you really like something when you can't stop thinking about it. For a year. So when I saw the cabinet again this summer I realized I was probably never going to forget about it and I'd better just buy it. If only to free up some space in my brain for thinking about other things, like what to make for dinner.
I took a good look at at the cabinet and realized if I cut a small middle section out if it, the cabinet would be the exact right length.
I thought of doing it myself but I'd have to buy a router and a few other tools to do the job right, plus where ... I mean seriously ... WHERE did I think I was going to get the time to do this? Before or after having a time saving feeding tube inserted?
After spending a week thinking about it, I waved a dingy white tea towel in surrender and called "my guy".
My guy is an antique furniture restorer who can turn anything into anything.
Half of the battle when hiring someone to do a job you can't or don't want to do is finding the right person. That person should generally not be drunk when you meet them. It was after finding the wrong person to fix my fence over a decade ago that I plunged deep into the world of DIY.
After interviewing a stampede of fence fixing guys I settled on one of the two guys who showed up. I picked the one who was sober. At 10 a.m. And he still made a complete mess of my fence.
I used this antique restorer years ago when I had 2 antique single beds that I wanted to be turned into a Queen sized bed. It turned out seamless. No one would EVER know my bed used to be 2 beds.
So I had my antique hardware cabinet delivered straight to my guy and I was there ready and waiting when it arrived. I hadn't seen the cabinet for a few weeks so I was eager to get reacquainted with my love.
That's when I started taking a good look at things. I took one of the drawers out and looked inside to discover a square of discolouration and 4 screw holes. Hmm. Interesting.
I asked both the antique dealer who delivered it and the guy restoring it and they both said LOCKS! Apparently each and every one of these drawers used to have locks on them.
Sure enough, after looking at some of the other longer drawers in the piece, there was a lock. A single drawer was left with a lock.
The rest of the 60 or so drawers had the locks removed and cheap knobs installed over the holes. I knew the knobs were awful, but I didn't know there was such a big hole underneath them.
This was going to slightly limit my knob choices when it comes time to replace them.
Then I started thinking - it might be nice to have it restored to its original condition with cylinder locks.
Which got me to thinking even more. Why would a hardware store lock EVERY single drawer they had? It didn't make sense. Screws, nuts, nails ... are those the sort of things you would lock up? I didn't think so, but this cabinet is probably from around 1900 so maybe nails were a lot more valuable then. Who knows, maybe they were special nails made from the bones of gunslingers or something.
The other possibility is something my uncle mentioned.
He said he remembers seeing a cabinet similar to this as a young boy in a pharmacy and it was an apothecary cabinet. Now. If all these drawers were filled with medicine from the 1900s like cocaine, heroin, morphine ... you know, the regular old painkillers of the day, then it would make sense to have locks on all the drawers.
I really do like the idea of restoring the cabinet to how it originally would have looked. Of course putting locks on all the drawers means they're going to be a bit of a pain to get into. Not necessarily a bad thing if you store potato chips, crack pipes or chocolate covered almonds in them.
You see, with cylinder locks you don't have knobs, you just have the lock. You stick the key in, turn the lock and use the key as a knob to pull the drawer out. Kind of a pain when you just want to grab a roll of masking tape or bottle of oregano.
But. Original.
But. A pain in the bum.
But. Really cool.
But. Almost impossible to replicate. Places like D. Lawless and House of Antique Hardware have really good replica knobs, pulls and other stuff but no one seems to have outstanding antique cylinder locks with a gentle burnished look and authentic matching keys. Go figure.
My cabinet is in line to be worked on but won't be started until around the middle of September. I'll tack a couple of weeks on just in case, which means I'll possibly get my cabinet home by the beginning of October.
I have between now and then to decide on my knob/lock situation. I realize knobs are the more practical choice, but so is shaving your head as opposed to dealing with washing and drying it.
Or wearing glasses instead of getting laser eye surgery.
Or eliminating chewing by inserting a feeding tube.
Update: The cabinet is now home and it looks great. You'd never know it was cut down. You can see and read about it here.
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Rose Kruvand
I also would go for leaving the holes open. If they're too small for a finger you can add leather or buttons later. I wouldn't want a bunch of keys sticking our in a narrow space.
Shelagh
I'm sure you are on too of this because you are that good... but just in case....
You have a numbering system on drawer fronts and you are going to make the piece smaller. So, a number of drawers have to come out....but for that numbering sequence to work some of the drawers will have to slide in and out of different slots.
You have figured all this out though, right? And tried the drawers in their soon to be new spots?
As to pulls, knobs, holes, locks....do what makes you happy...you will be looking at it everyday
Karen
Yup. All the drawers fit on all the slots. :) ~ karen!
Roxanne Lucchesi
Carol is correct: "once you have removed a section of the piece, it is no longer original". As a compromise, why not just use vintage faux key knob pulls on the drawers, something like:
https://www.pullsdirect.com/bosetti-marella-101344-vintage-1-1-4-inch-long-mock-key-designer-cabinet-knob/p1666625
or: http://www.goingknobs.com/Search/mock%20key/ --
especially the Richelieu Hardware 35728163 Mock Key in Oxidized Brass
or: https://www.amazon.com/Hickory-Hardware-P321-DAC-8-Inch-Antique/dp/B005XDVUBM
Karen
I love the pulls, but they're probably too fancy for such a rustic piece of furniture. Wish I had something else to use them on. ~ karen!
Lynn
Love your cabinet you will ultimately figure out your handles I am sure. It’s like anyone who has had a kitchen Reno done can tell you an as you know your self , the options are endless in what kind of hardware you want to use.
I myself would probably do either one of these a) leather pulls b) or make the holes bigger so I could just put a finger through to open or c) find corks that would work. As it’s in the kitchen I think I would go with enlarging the hole . Just speaking with experience with little drawers in a kitchen environment. I only wish I had a picture of the little drawers to show, knobs drove me nuts, seemed like they we’re always coming loose. But here is a picture of leather pulls I found.
martina
Is this basically what you're looking for?
http://www.vintagehardware.com/proddetail.php?prod=27128&gclid=CjwKCAjwwo7cBRBwEiwAMEoXPMfHciPyJtNanmZLmHCbMqS5jFM2eGLfz9I3gEFGUVa3-JP3LaZfhRoCXJEQAvD_BwE
If so it would cost you a small fortune to replace every lock! It would be cool though...
Karen
Those are similar, but not quite there. You can get them cheaper than that too. :) ` karen!
AJones
I may be in the minority, but I wouldn't go for labels... and it does not lose it's authenticity by being shortened imho. I can't wait to see what you decide to do! She is gorgeous!
Karen
Agreed. ;) ~ karen!
Laura Bee
So many possibilities. Since they are numbered, I would have a small white board with a list of what is in each one. Keep it tucked away somewhere. Can't wait to see it in your home and be insanely jealous.
Alison
Karen, what is the diameter and depth of the locks you need? How many? There is a VERY excellent vintage hardware store near me, and I wander around in there all the time. I can keep an eye out for locks.
Danni McLaughlin
My two cents? Fake a locks at the hardware store with bibs and bobs, metal cylinders and washers, then stick very small old keys (mixed bag or identical) into the barrel and glue/resin them so that the key is still the handle. It’s one solid piece. Locking stuff in the kitchen would be annoying by and large. You’ll find a couple real deal locks, for your rubies and eye of newt. But the rest will Look good and still be easy to use. Spray the new hardware or age it with chemicals. You know all the tricks!
Karen
Not a bad idea! ~ karen
Maggie
Exactly what I was thinking. You could go check out your local locksmith. I grew up in the business and we always kept a box of cut keys that had been brought back that did not work that we planned to recycle. They could easily be cut down to insert into a dowel or something along those lines.
SUSAN
HOW ABOUT LOCK "FRONTS" AND ONE KNOW WITH ONE OF YOUR SUPER MAGNETS TO THE END, JUST PUT IT ON THE LOCK AND PULL. I ALSO LIKE THE SMALL KNOBS WITH LABELS IDEA TOO.
Eileen
Lots of fabulous ideas. I liked the idea of just using the holes as finger pulls and of course, you'll need labels. Or just go nuts trying to find something.
NinaMargo
They’re lovely little holes, and since I like to seek simple little solutions, here’s one. Why not (in a zen-like way) celebrate their holey-ness? Keep them the way they are, minus the brass knobs of course. And keep a pretty hook hanging nearby next to your beautiful rolling pins to open the drawer of your choice? Maybe you’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist? Karen, please don’t be mad at me?! Just thinking outside the drawer ;)
Tim
You could put the locks in and assuming they are magnetic use any knob you like with a rare earth magnet on the back. Leave the lock unlocked, pop the magnetic knob on the drawer to be opened and as lon as the magnet was strong enough you can pull it opened. You'd have to fabricate the magnet/knob combo but it might just work....
Driller
Perhaps this was a set of Post Office boxes? That would explain the locks and numbers. An apothecary using numbered boxes seems a little unlikely, but then I don't know the history behind those...
Noëlle
Oh my that’s a stunning piece! I have drooled over many an Apothecary’s cabinet over the years. Colour me green.
Mary W
Oh Boy! A mystery - can't wait until October?
Andrea
Since you probably can’t find locks for all the drawers anyway why not do locks for some and knobs for most. I like the idea someone else suggested of library’s plates. With all those drawers it’s easy to forget what’s in each one
Liz K
I dunno... I’d avoid extra locks in the kitchen. Are you really going to want to be futzing with keys when you’ve got food detritus on your hands from baking/canning/etc.?
What a beautiful piece, though! I would luuuuuuurve having all those little drawers. 😍
ED
No one has asked yet - how will you utilize the ‘leftovers’? I see something clever in their future.
Karen
I haven't decided yet. The leftovers will just be the drawers, no sides or anything. So ... No idea. ~ karen!
Shauna Rudy
Hang them on a wall, like open shadow boxes?
Karen
I"m outta walls, lol. Maybe in my office I might be able to find a spot?? ~ k!
Wendy
Have you ever been to Legacy in Cobourg? Huge selection of antique hardware, some of the most beautiful locking mechanisms I have ever seen. Definitely worth a trip.
Paula
I was going to suggest Legacy. I am like a kid in a candy store at that place!