A home-made Hoosier cabinet, circa 1900 or so, in oak, maple, pine, and a bunch of scraps. We use it as a diaper-changing table in our son's bedroom...bought it a month or two before he was born (he is now approaching 11 months of age). Diapers fit nicely in the top-left drawer. We keep just about all of our son's clothes in the top cabinets. Lots of room in the other drawers below for towels, etc.
My wife & I paid "retail" for this piece at Harp Gallery in Appleton, WI. Even so, it was cost-competitive with any of a number of brand-new diaper changing table/hutch combos that you might find at JCPenney's or elsewhere. This cabinet has the added bonus of being indestructible by comparison...and ought to retain its value.
- Jason
Hardest working piece of antique furniture in my home
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Victorian Furniture thread on victorianforum.com · started February 26, 2008 by 1881victorian · 5 posts, 3 image attachments · discussion in 2008.
A home-made Hoosier cabinet, circa 1900 or so, in oak, maple, pine, and a bunch of scraps. We use it as a diaper-changing table in our son's bedroom...bought it a month or two before he was born (he is now approaching 11 months of age). Diapers fit nicely in the top-left…
I love it when antiques get to be used daily, and in your case, extensively. I have to say I have my share of "for looks" antiques and then there are many that are workhorses like my plantation desk and my Art Deco and Nouveau lamps that get used a lot. I have a canterbury that is a great functional magazine holder. I have a Renaissance bookcase that holds about 200 cookbooks and 14 years of Gourmet and Bon Apetit magazines (can't part with them - too many good dinner memories). I have a cherry telephone table that is an awesome LCD TV stand (the shelf underneath holds the cable box). My dog loves the Rococo sofas and the chaise and fortunately for the fabric we bathe her often! I have a beautiful, though simple, quartersawn oak humidor from turn of the century that holds the cigar stash - that box opens and closes a bit too often in the Spring and Summer. The 1890s china holds the wine glasses, and that door gets some good use. Then there are those that don't get used and are just there to look good. I try to keep those to a minimum.
I see that your Hoosier has a few pull-out surfaces in case you have triplets next time...
I see that your Hoosier has a few pull-out surfaces in case you have triplets next time...
Those pulll-out bread-boards were handy when our son was a newborn...we could put the tiny "bath tub" on the big pull-out where we could then have one person standing on each side during bath time.
No triplets, please.
It seems that the most useful antiques are those that contribute towards "organization" somehow. Bookcases, desks, music cabinets, sideboards, etc...those get the most practical use in our home. For example, my wife used to keep all of her sheet music in boxes...a nice 1880s music cabinet got all of that organized. Conversely, I rarely sit on the aesthetic settee that we had reupholstered or the black parlor set.
We went to the Oshkosh public museum this past weekend...very nice. My wife started laughing at one point and said, "people are right, our house is like walking into a museum" (we saw some of our every-day furniture items on "display"). Our house gets more & more museum-like with time as we work on the restoration and continue to accumulate antique furniture. Good fun.
So your dog has a taste for the rococo? Would you say that she prefers Belter or Meeks? ;)
- Jason
No triplets, please.
It seems that the most useful antiques are those that contribute towards "organization" somehow. Bookcases, desks, music cabinets, sideboards, etc...those get the most practical use in our home. For example, my wife used to keep all of her sheet music in boxes...a nice 1880s music cabinet got all of that organized. Conversely, I rarely sit on the aesthetic settee that we had reupholstered or the black parlor set.
We went to the Oshkosh public museum this past weekend...very nice. My wife started laughing at one point and said, "people are right, our house is like walking into a museum" (we saw some of our every-day furniture items on "display"). Our house gets more & more museum-like with time as we work on the restoration and continue to accumulate antique furniture. Good fun.
So your dog has a taste for the rococo? Would you say that she prefers Belter or Meeks? ;)
- Jason
Nice post 1881!
We used an Oak sideboard in our sons room as a changing table. We had replaced it with a nice Walnut one in the dining room and sort of just stuck it in what was to become our future sons room and it worked out perfect. Big solid working surface and drawers and cupboard base to keep diapers, blankets etc in. Very much the same idea as your Hoosier.
We actually use a lot of our furniture every day and a lot of the real beauty of owning this stuff is actually using it. This sofa and matching 2 arm chairs we got from Lise about 20 years ago. We all sit on the sofa and chairs on a daily basis:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/zekenstein/IMG_1037.jpg
I'm something of a bookworm so I would say I take books in and out of this bookcase at least every other day and sit on that sofa or one of the armchairs that go with it and read. I keep my collection of antique metal dinosaurs in the bookcase as well and constantly rearrange them or add new ones.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/zekenstein/IMG_1043.jpg
We have a nice walnut Davenport we got from Fontaine's that my wife uses as her laptop desk and she's always on there looking at Ebay. The bedroom dressers are used daily. Then there's the great walnut Renaissance dining table we eat on now and then...
The truth is, not only is it extremely rewarding collecting this stuff, it's great to use it for what its intended for.
Oh but that Belter slipper chair in between the bookcase and one of my speakers... NOBODY is allowed to sit on that, not even me!
I love these topics and it's great that we can have a little fun and be personable here. Keep posting everybody!
We used an Oak sideboard in our sons room as a changing table. We had replaced it with a nice Walnut one in the dining room and sort of just stuck it in what was to become our future sons room and it worked out perfect. Big solid working surface and drawers and cupboard base to keep diapers, blankets etc in. Very much the same idea as your Hoosier.
We actually use a lot of our furniture every day and a lot of the real beauty of owning this stuff is actually using it. This sofa and matching 2 arm chairs we got from Lise about 20 years ago. We all sit on the sofa and chairs on a daily basis:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/zekenstein/IMG_1037.jpg
I'm something of a bookworm so I would say I take books in and out of this bookcase at least every other day and sit on that sofa or one of the armchairs that go with it and read. I keep my collection of antique metal dinosaurs in the bookcase as well and constantly rearrange them or add new ones.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/zekenstein/IMG_1043.jpg
We have a nice walnut Davenport we got from Fontaine's that my wife uses as her laptop desk and she's always on there looking at Ebay. The bedroom dressers are used daily. Then there's the great walnut Renaissance dining table we eat on now and then...
The truth is, not only is it extremely rewarding collecting this stuff, it's great to use it for what its intended for.
Oh but that Belter slipper chair in between the bookcase and one of my speakers... NOBODY is allowed to sit on that, not even me!
I love these topics and it's great that we can have a little fun and be personable here. Keep posting everybody!
Zeke:
I have been lusting after a three-door bookcase like yours for a number of years now. We still don't have any "good" bookcases...just a bunch of Wal-Mart build-it-yourself types...and a lot of them (Jennifer, my wife, tends to read a lot...Professor of English & all). Indeed, a good bookcase is currently at the top of our antique-furniture-priority-list. I haven't come across any at auction (within my travel range) and we have been reluctant to spend much money what with house repairs, baby, and possibly buying the neighbor's house (long story...we would rent it out if that deal goes through).
Anyway, if anybody comes across an insane bargain on a bookcase (like 10% of what Southampton Antiques would charge), we might be interested. ;)
Thank you,
Jason
I have been lusting after a three-door bookcase like yours for a number of years now. We still don't have any "good" bookcases...just a bunch of Wal-Mart build-it-yourself types...and a lot of them (Jennifer, my wife, tends to read a lot...Professor of English & all). Indeed, a good bookcase is currently at the top of our antique-furniture-priority-list. I haven't come across any at auction (within my travel range) and we have been reluctant to spend much money what with house repairs, baby, and possibly buying the neighbor's house (long story...we would rent it out if that deal goes through).
Anyway, if anybody comes across an insane bargain on a bookcase (like 10% of what Southampton Antiques would charge), we might be interested. ;)
Thank you,
Jason