I want to buy a really specific piece of vintage/restored furniture

June 23, 2012 5:19 PM

There's a piece of furniture I want, and I'm having a difficult time searching for it online in Australia. Any advice to help me find it, search for it, name it, or discover an easy way to locate one would be helpful.

So, I want something pretty much exactly like this as a dresser for my bedroom. In the US, it's called a "basket locker," but I'm having a difficult time finding Australia-based hits for the same when searching online.

Is it called something else in Australia? How do I find sellers of things like this?

Alternatively, I'm sure there are people who hunt down pieces of furniture for potential buyers all the time. Is that what an interior decorator does? How expensive would having that sort of help be? Would a boutique furniture store be a good place to ask after this sort of stuff instead?

I'm in Brisbane, Qld and want to find a relatively low-impact means of finding a (preferably) vintage/restored unit or two and pricing them out. I've never done this before, so what's my best plan of action?

posted by GamblingBlues to Shopping (7 answers total)

We had those for P.E. lockers in junior high 30 years ago, so "companies that sell and resell school furniture" is my suggestion. Alternatively, maybe agricultural supply?
posted by rhizome at 6:53 PM on June 23, 2012

Maybe search for industrial supply or salvage shops? Tell them you're looking & to keep you in mind if they see some/one.

They may not exist as "vintage" in Australia if they weren't used by Australian schools and rec centres.
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 7:09 PM on June 23, 2012 [2 favorites]

I think you can get very very close if you go to a custom kitchen cabinet shop that deals with a wide variety of semi-custom manufacturers. I've seen slide-out wire baskets as an option for the insides of custom closet organizers and garage cabinets. Then it's just a matter of finding a metal 'door style' that you like. Oh and hopefully you've seen this ebay seller.
posted by Gable Oak at 7:44 PM on June 23, 2012

We bought these exact lockers for the store I used to work at. I can't find anything on their site that says they don't ship out of the US. They're not vintage, but they are super sturdy, and far cheaper!
posted by jaksemas at 12:31 AM on June 24, 2012

It's utterly, utterly not the same... but if you have no luck finding what you want, this is in the spirit of what you're looking at. I first saw it at ikea hacks turned in to a bathroom sink, ever since then, I've loved it.

Cop a squizz.
posted by taff at 1:24 AM on June 24, 2012

Yeah, I love those. This company has the same model jaksemas listed, and they seem to ship internationally. Use 'Galvanized' paint on the frame, add legs, and it will look pretty good. Now I want them. Here are some different baskets.

This company has a different, but still cool (and I now covet them) set; their name says global, so maybe they'll ship to Aus. The baskets look like what you want; would you find a different rack ok? Metal verticals with wood horizontal framing, and heavy metal mesh (hardware cloth in the US) would work, be not too hard to make, and look industrial. Same set from another company that has the framing in colors.

I scavenged a set of 3 school lockers when they were being torn out. Wish I'd gotten way more; they're useful and I like the way the look, even though I'm too lazy to paint them properly; the industrial teal is okay.
posted by theora55 at 2:47 PM on June 24, 2012

I don't have time to scrioll through their listings at the moment but these guys ofetn have the kind of industrial drawers you like... and they ship to Brisbane!
posted by sconbie at 8:28 PM on June 24, 2012