I came across an antique hardware cabinet over a year ago and fell in love with it. Being too long for any wall in my 1840's cottage, I had to forget about it. Then I saw it again this summer and realized ... I'm super-stupid. It was made of wood and wood can be CUT. So cut it I did. Here are the results.
Listen, I know you are all interested in what this cabinet looks like after being cut down, but mainly what you want to know is Did the pig's head stay? Yes. It did.
I am pleased to report he's happily keeping watch over my kitchen as he always has, perched above my new, old antique cabinet; which is now 13" shorter than it was 2 months ago.
What kind of sorcery does it take to shrink a solid wood cabinet down by 13"? Just chuck it in the dryer. Just kidding, that would never work. The sound of it clunking around in there would make you a crazy person.
The resizing of this early 1900's cabinet required the skills of a rather talented Polish man to hack away at it.
It was cut down the centre and then pushed together again. The seams were disguised and aged, and the cabinet was given new supports to maintain it's structural integrity.
So there's a seam down the centre of it that you really can't see. In fact I don't think I've noticed it even once.
Had I wanted a completely invisible repair, they could have taken the entire cabinet apart, made it shorter and put it all back together but that also would have taken a lot more time in the dryer and therefore a lot more money.
This isn't exactly a fine piece of furniture. It's rustic. So a seam down the middle isn't going to take away from its beauty at all.
If You Had to Change it, Why Buy it?
That's your question, right? I bought it for a few reasons.
- I loved the original metal numbers on every drawer.
2. It's only 13" deep which is rare for a large cabinet. 13" is what I had space for.
3. I needed more storage.
4. There was just something about it.
A lot of times we can't put our finger on why we love something so much. That was the case with this cabinet.
I loved how my white brick wall looked before with my collection of rolling pins hanging on antique french curtain tie backs but ... I needed room for STUFF. You can see how the wall looked before in this post.
For now every single drawer is still empty. Partly because I still haven't washed the interior of all 54 drawers and partly because I really have to plan what I'm going to put in those drawers and how I'm going to remember what's in them all.
O.K., this is PROOF at how bad I'm going to be at remembering what's in all those drawers. I just this moment realized I do have something in one of the larger lower drawers - I have the far right one filled with dry cat food and a scoop. I just lined the drawer with some waxed paper and poured it right in.
See? Cat food. And horrifically ugly knobs. But I'll deal with those later.
Taking a look at the cabinet head on, you can see that the cabinet doesn't look like it was altered at all in any way.
For reference, this is what it looked like before it was cut down to size.
Two side by side sets of small drawers and one large drawer were removed right down the middle. An interesting note about those drawers. If you look closely you'll notice one drawer doesn't have a number on it like the rest of them do.
Further inspection shows that this drawer has NEVER had a number on it. There are no holes or patched holes on the inside or the outside of the drawer.
The drawer is drawer number 13. That's how superstitious people were back in the day. I plan on keeping my evil eyes in the drawer.
Just the storage on the shelves of the cabinet has allowed me to clear out a full cupboard and shelf in my kitchen by moving things around.
This might not be how it stays, this is how I put things in there quickly during my mad rush to get it presentable before Thanksgiving guests arrived. I picked the cabinet up just a couple of days before I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 15 people.
My ironstone and perpetually tarnished silverware has never looked better.
I'm going to live with the cabinet for a little while before I decide on knobs for it. The knobs on the lower big drawers are what irk me the most. They're plastic as far as I can tell and weirdly deep. The knobs on the little drawers are a mix of old and tarnished, which I like, and new and plasticy and shiny which I do not like.
Nor does the little pig.
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Simms Angela
I am a cubby hole queen! Anything that can hold more than one thing is like a drug to me! I saw this piece or art and was clutching my imaginary pearls!! What a magnificent piece!! I found this site because it had a tip to cleaning the stove window but in for the long haul! You my dear are a GEM!!
Karen
Well thank you! ~ karen
gmf001
Fantastic. You're lucky you got a second chance at this cabinet. My wife and I always said "if an antique/artwork speaks to you, you should buy it - you always find a use or a spot for it once it gets home!"
Stephanie
Hi Karen - while internet browsing, I came across this pic - I had left a comment here with a link to a suggested handle, but you thought they may be too much with the numbers. I can't tell in the pic if those are numbers or small holes, but may help give you an idea if you'd like the pulls or not for yours.
Katie
I just saw these on Etsy and thought of your cabinet. Different purpose all together, but thought I’d share.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/551010091/antique-poreclain-apothecary-druggest?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=apothecary%20knobs&ref=sr_gallery-1-13
Karen
Aren't those great! Thanks. :) ~ karen!
Heather
That's it, I'm moving in with you. You have a chair and cabinet that I want and great looking floors
Karen
O.K. but I only have one bedroom. ~ karen!
Beckie
White porcelain knobs would be divine on that cabinet!
Whatever you chose will be stunning, I'm sure
Rosiland Ball
So doesn't it bug you that the small drawers aren't in numerical order any more?
Karen
They are in numerical order. ~ karen!
Jo
Oh Karen - I envy you your cabinet for sure, it's Glorious! but most of all I envy you that thrilled gleeful self-satisfied feeling when an idea turns out so spectacularly well.
I love the Look of those knobs - but yes to finding 'matches' in real brass to go with the original ones. I wouldn't stray from the simple classic knobs that look perfect I think. I must say too that those lower ones that are larger and have that larger backplate look terrific too. Something about the visual difference for those differently sized drawers adds interest to the whole look.
I think you should dedicate that mystery drawer to our newly legal herb as Well as the master list for the other drawers...a calming whiff every time it is consulted. How centre-ing!
Frank G.
Did you have to lose numbers in the middle, or were you able to discard the end drawers with higher numbers and move all the right hand drawers to the left?
Karen
Yup, I just moved all the drawers into their appropriate spots. They're all removable and moveable. :) ~ karen!
Stephanie
Hi Karen - still jealous here - that thing is gorgeous!! How about these: https://www.dlawlesshardware.com/antique-copper-finger-label-holder.html I've ordered from them before (I'm in Miss, ON) and they have great service. Would these be too big?
Karen
I just feel like labels pulls like that would be too much along with the metal drawer numbers. I'm not entirely sold on it, although I love labelled pulls like that. It's a conundrum. :/ ~ karen!
Marna
Wow! It is fabulous! I need storage like that too! :)
Barbara A Fitzgerald
A friend of mine had a cabinet similar to yours and in the lower left drawer was ab old piece of card stock hand ruled into lines and each line numbered with the contents of the drawer, i.e., 1. White pearl shirt buttons, etc etc. with many erasures and cross outs. It's a treasure and still lives in the lower left drawer.
Enjoy your cabinet. It's a beauty.
Melissa in NC
What a great piece! I would have never imagined this piece had been altered, excellent work by a true tradesman. I am wondering if you would consider spray painting the knobs whatever color floats your boat until you find the perfect replacements? Also, what about hanging the extra drawers, that's the leftover drawers from your new piece, not the ones you wear...vertically or horizontally as addition open storage? Sorry, I could not resist. Your floral arrangement is beautiful, all from your garden I imagine.
Maggie b
Sorry, been MIA ... And I come back to this amazing post. Fabulous. And it looks like I have a bit of reading ahead of me about some wooden floors. Thank goodness it is spaghetti and meatballs time at last. I'll get a pot going and then luxuriate in some catch up reading time, including all the comments. Oh joy!
My suggestion would be something like a Rolodex using those mini Instax pictures. Traditional modern style.... :)
Karen
Spaghetti and meatballs is my favourite season. :) ~ karen!
Linda
Absolutely gorgeous! If you put nothing in every drawer it's still worth all the effort and money spent. The texture... the patina... suits your place perfectly. I'm sure you'll come up with an organizational system in time, but I was thinking... can you even imagine if the drawers didn't have those adorable numbers?!
Sarah McDonnell
Sometimes plain, white vinegar wash makes metals develop an instant patina. It's worth a try on the knobs that are too bright. Or Krylon. Krylon fixes everything
Brita
The proportions are still beautiful! That is a cabinet I would sell my first born for. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) I've never had any children :)
So did it change the feel of your kitchen for better or worse? You were thinking it would make it feel more closed and and darken it a a bit. But I think even that would be a fair trade-off for such a stunning and useful item.
Jackie
WOW! Looks great in your house. What a good job he did on it & what a wonderful vision you had for it. Thanks for sharing with us.
Stephanie
Love it Karen and so jealous over here! Just a note (helpful I hope): why don't you cut down 3 pieces of old wood (hopefully leftover from the flooring pink tool belt picked up for you), and make 3 shelves with tiny castors for the floor items - that way those heavy mixers can be rolled out to pick up instead of trying to heave them up from under the counter.
michelle
magnificent.