Furniture Focus: Barrister Bookcases

I first learned about barrister bookcases from The New York First Company, which sells the 300 Series from Hale. Why is it called a barrister bookcase? Wikipedia has a nice explanation.

A barrister requires the use of many law books and may frequently move to new chambers. A specialised form of portable bookcase has thus developed to meet their needs. A barrister's bookcase consists of several separate shelf units that may be stacked together to form a cabinet. An additional plinth and hood complete the piece. When moving chambers, each shelf is carried separately without needing to remove its contents and becomes a carrying-case full of books.

But you may not care whether your barrister bookcase can actually be carried with the books in place; you may just like the look, and the glass protecting the contents.




Hale makes two lines of barrister bookcases for the home. Here's a close-up of that 300 series, with what Hale calls the "Quaint English" design.




And here's the 800 series - a more contemporary look.




Ethan Allen has a nice-looking option - but it appears to be a one-piece version, not a true barrister bookcase.




For a totally different look, you could get a steel version. This lawyers bookcase comes from Sonrisa. [via Apartment Therapy]

And, of course, barrister bookcases don't have to be used only for books.