Found a 1920s catalog that shows how much cabinet hardware has changed

I was poking around an antique store in Portland last week and found a cabinetmaker's supply catalog from 1928. The thing that got me was the price for a set of four solid brass, hand-filed cabinet hinges: 85 cents. Adjusted for inflation, that's still only about fifteen bucks today for what would be a premium, artisanal product now. It really hit home how much we've shifted towards mass-produced, stamped steel stuff as the default. Has anyone else come across old trade materials that made you think about how the craft's basics have shifted?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora73514d ago

That point about "artisanal product now" is so true. It really shows how the whole idea of what's normal for a home project has flipped. Back then, that solid brass was just the regular stuff you'd use, not some fancy upgrade you save up for. It makes me wonder what else we accept as "standard" now that would have been seen as cheap or temporary back in the day.

brown.susan14d ago

Totally. That "cheap or temporary" line really got me. Look at furniture. So much flat pack stuff is the normal choice now. But my grandma would have called that kind of particle board "throwaway". She saved for real wood pieces that lasted decades. What else? Flooring maybe. Is vinyl plank the new standard because it's easy, even if it won't last?