The Wooton's Patent Desk ~ The King of Desks!

Those of you who have been following along for awhile know about my fondness for anything with multiple drawers, nooks & crannies ~ here and here. When a woodworker friend of mine posted a photo of the Wooton Patent Desk on his FB page, I was totally smitten ~ I have never seen anything like this anywhere! I wonder if you came upon a piece of furniture like that shown below if you would even think to open it up?



Imagine finding this inside ~ I think I just might have a heart attack ~ especially if it was at a price I could afford! Guess I will keep an eye open from now on!

{images from here}

I did a bit of searching and located a few other examples that are shown below. I also found out a bit of history about the Wooton Patent Desk. This sort of desk was produced by William Wooton from 1870 through 1884 ~ it was called a "secretary desk" and its function was to organize any sort of office paperwork. These desks were expensive at the time (and now!) and only the wealthy could afford such a piece of furniture. The craftsmanship and details on these pieces is just amazing ~ I especially love the different ways the little drawers were designed ~ ie. the addition of numbers or the drawer pulls.

{images above from here}

{images above from here}

I love that this piece of furniture was advertised as "The King of Desks" ~ I can't imagine that there was much competition! Another of the advertising slogans used for the Wooton's Patent Desk was that it was "A place for everything & everything in its place" ~ nice to know where that saying originated!

{image & more info here}

{image from here}

Great vintage photo above that shows a Wooton desk being used in an office ~ must have been a successful business to be able to afford such nice office furniture. Below is a book on the desks ~ might be fun to take a look at to learn more and see other examples.

{buy book here}

So, how do we go from the Wooton's Patent Desk to that shown below? Granted, the cabinet below would fit most budgets, but after seeing a Wooton, this just doesn't cut it ~ plastic or vinyl drawers ~ UGH! Paperboard boxes with metal pulls would improve this considerably ~ even if it increased the price. What do you think?!

{image from here}

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Obsolete Inc.

{iron arm molds from 1920}

While perusing the internet this evening, I came upon an online antique store called Obsolete Inc. ~ after digging through their beautifully photographed and unique items I am wishing I had unlimited funds and a larger house! Here are just a sampling of some of my favorite items:

{hand made bench made for a set of twins ~ circa 1870-90}

{wax bust of young girl complete with real human teeth ~ a little creepy, but intriguing!}

{wire cage light fixture}

{I'd use this like a painting ~ it would make a great graphic statement in a room}

{wonderful French spools of wool ~ love the colors}

The apothecary side tables shown above have hand painted labels on the drawers ~ these would be a great addition to almost any interior. Then again, I am a sucker for drawers and cabinets ~ I love the mechanics work cabinet with its original painted surface below.

But, by far, my favorite is this industrial steel cabinet from France circa 1940 ~ everything about it is perfect ~ the patina, the details, the size, the zillion drawers! Well, it does have one rather major defect ~ it has been sold so it is no longer available! That is probably a good thing as I would possibly have remortgaged my house for it ~ isn't it grand?

{all images from here}

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Special Delivery!

Have admired this file cabinet (above) over at scissor variations for quite a while, so when I came upon a similar one (below) on a recent outing at Bottoms Up, I didn't hesitate ~ well, actually I did ~ I had to do some serious thinking as to where I could put it and if I should spend the money!

Since the foot of snow has melted, the man I bought it from is delivering it tomorrow ~ I will be making a temporary space for it in the garage so I can clean it before bringing it inside. My plan is to add some casters to the bottom and then put it in the foyer ~ it will be a great place to organize and store the magazines that I save. I'm not sure if I will keep the cordovan colored finish or not ~ but it will be another huge project I don't need to strip it if I decide to do that!

I was told that the cabinet came from a city office where there must have been a wall of cabinets like this ~ notice the mismatched drawers. Not sure of its age, but I would guess the 40's. Too bad those Budweiser lamps weren't included?! Ha ha!

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