Chelsea’s shoes have been driving me crazy. I usually have a total of one or two pairs near the front and back entry areas. She regularly has a dozen. I have tried putting them back in her dressing room, throwing them into her office, and hiding them in a storage closet—all to no avail. There is order for a day or so and then they reappear in ones and twos like mushrooms on the lawn until the entire area is covered.
The problem has been exacerbated due to the size limitations of the area by the door and wanting a cabinet that fits in with the rest of the decor.
I have spent months searching for 3/4-sized barrister bookcases, wooden ice boxes, curio cabinets, and secretary desks with drawers. If they were attractive, they were too large. (The maximum sized item we could realistically fit in that area was 30 inches wide x 14 inches deep and 48 inches tall and even that was pushing.) If they fit, they were likely made out of MDF and/or plastic.
A while back I ran across an antique sheet music cabinet. The dimensions were off and it was made of mahogany instead of oak or walnut, but it got me thinking. In addition to the other types of furniture, I added antique Victrola, radio, and sheet music cabinets to my search.
I was conflicted about using Victrola or antique radio cabinets. That would have involved gutting them in a way that, in most cases, they could never be restored. However, the sheet music cabinets had potential.
Most of them had a single front door with some kind of painted ornamentation. Usually, the artwork depicted a musical instrument. I couldn’t figure out how to make sense of that styling with the rest of our entry decor, but almost bought one just to have a place to hide all of the shoes. Here is an example:
Over the course of my searches, I found dozens of those or ones very similar. My frustration almost got the best of me. It had reached the point that I contacted a seller in another city about coming to see theirs, mainly because it was made of oak and didn’t have the instrument artwork. That was when I ran across the one at the top of the post.
I was drawn to the labels on the shelves and the burl inlay trim, but also to the fact I hadn’t seen any others like it. Unfortunately, the uniqueness means I don’t know much about its age or manufacturer.
The seller said she had a decorator find it for her family when her son started serious piano lessons. She also said her son had a Steinway. . . . . Sellers say lots of things.
Regardless, I really like the proportions, styling, and the fact that it keeps Chelsea’s chaos at bay. That is a win.