Solid Wood Lateral File Cabinets
Buy the best solid wood lateral file cabinets selected and recommended by interior designers. By Chloe Hughes.
Over the years, you may have accumulated many important pieces of paper which are now taking over every bit of spare counter space. A cabinet is one thing, but a solid wood lateral file cabinet will hold all of those irritating yet necessary documents whilst adding a little something extra to your living space. Solid wood is an in-demand material due to its long-lasting and high-quality finish. It will last for decades if you look after it properly with wood-specific cleaning products to help it shine.
Solid Wood Lateral File Cabinets
Buying Guide
Chloe Hughes
Interior Design Expert
Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.
We live in a digital world. Yet, if you walk into any office, school or healthcare center, you’ll still see a row of classy, solid wood lateral file cabinets neatly stacked against the wall. That’s because come what may, there will always be papers, files, documents, media and other Knick knacks that beg to be organized.
Lateral file cabinets serve a dual purpose. They organize them and they also allow you easy access to them when you are short on time. More importantly, they fit into compact spaces unlike vertical cabinets. And they are available in a variety of sizes and designs that you can choose from, depending on your needs.
To select the most suitable design of a solid wood lateral file cabinet, two things need to be considered first:
- The type of documents that will be stored. Will you be using the cabinets mainly to store legal-sized documents only, which are bigger than letter-sized ones? There are cabinets that can accommodate both mind you. But you can buy a more compact one, if it will be used solely to store letter-sized documents. The files can be stored both, side by side, or front to back. There will be hanging folders to neatly organize and catalog the contents.
- The necessary number of drawers. Solid wood lateral file cabinets mostly have two drawers. But you can also go for ones with four or six drawers if you have the room to accommodate it and if your document storage needs might increase in the future.
Depending on the nature of the documents being stored in the cabinets and whether it will be used in an office set up or in a home, you can select from one or more of the following features.
- Security: A lockable drawer or multiple ones can be used in an office setup to lock business sensitive documents that only selected employees will have access to.
- Caster wheels: Swiveling caster wheels make it easy to move the solid wood file cabinet around office or home if the need arises. The last thing you need is to lift a heavy solid wooden cabinet filled to the brim with files.
- Stackable: Stackable cabinets extend your storage space if the need arises. And they connect seamlessly looking like a single unit with multiple drawers.
When it comes to aesthetics, solid wood is a no-brainer choice. It looks stunning and there are so many ways in which you can customize it to blend with the existing décor. Stained mahogany, polished cherry, dark oak, red maple or just plain chalk or milk paint, all of them look elegant.
For office use, most people prefer to go the tried and tested way. Plain, boxy designs, clean lines that give a formal and organized look.
But you can always go against the grain and experiment with the design. For example, two old wooden crates can be connected to rails to create a bespoke lateral file cabinet. You just need to think outside the box.
For a classic look, you can club them with brass handles. Use some sand paper on paint to create a retro, distressed look. By the way, these days you can also source actual reclaimed wood to create your bespoke furniture.