Do you have a serious CD collection - one you cherish and intend to keep? Do you want to keep the CDs in the jewel cases? Here are some of the nicest storage options I've seen. Note: Many of these companies also make DVD storage, but I'm going to focus on the CD options.
Let's start with the shelves. This wall unit from Wood Technologies stores 1200 CDs; there's a smaller version for 600 CDs.
Over in the U.K., Chris Sharp Cabinets makes this shelf which holds 296 CDs; a smaller version holds 148.
Jeremy Barnes makes wall-mounted CD shelves that hold 330 CDs.
And Wilkins & Kent in Australia makes CD cabinets in various sizes, storing 300 to over 1,000 CDs.
Coming back to the U.S., and moving away from wood, Topdeq sells these Cubos CD racks that hold 40 CDs per shelf. They come in 6-shelf and 11-shelf versions. Update on Nov. 1, 2009: Topdeq is closing its U.S. operation. You can still find the Cubos CD racks on the other Topdeq sites: Germany, France, etc.
Prefer an enclosed cabinet? Lombok has CD cabinets in two styles, and two sizes; this one stores 480 CDs.
Stan Pike is a furniture maker; one of his specialties seems to be apothecary cabinets, including CD apothecary chests.
Charles Matts makes a different type of CD cabinet.
If you like the look of steel rather than wood, you might consider the Can-Am cabinets, with two to four drawers, each of which holds 270 CDs. They come in a range of colors, too.
And you can stack them, so you can start out with a smaller size and add on as needed.
Finally, Bisley also makes cabinets designed for CDs; each drawer holds 120 of them, arranged in three rows.
Related Posts:
Saving Space: Storing CDs Without the Jewel Cases
3 Unusual CD Holders
Storing the Vinyl Record Collection: What to Do with the LPs
Record Album Storage: A Stunning Cabinet and Other Options
7 comments:
Hi Jeri,
great to see you pick up on the music storage problems again. :)
Some (unordered) comments:
a) I was unaware of some of the options you discussed here, especially the "Wood Technologies" and the wonderful "Wilkins and Kent" solutions.
b) All of the solutions presented here are great, but there are problems concerning the international delivery of some of these (try ordering ten of each to be shipped a few thousand miles).
c) For (yes, I know, we're all freaks) music fans like myself, the ones who have a 5+ figure of CDs, many solutions are either too costly, too difficult to get hold of if you live a few thousand miles away, or simply too expensive.
d) Let's say one has 12.000 CDs. Once you calculate it through, you're stuck with that amount of dollars (or plenty more) to house your collection.
e) What we collectors need (and, again, we're a limited few) are solutions that make sure that the shelf-system does not cost a multiple amount of money when compared to what's stored in them.
Once you take all of that into consideration, there are very few systems (one or two) left, that cater to the "freaks".
My problem has always been that I need to store around 50 or more meters of CDs, 20 meters of LPs and about 15 meters of CDs in a system that is ...
i) flexible (if I have to move it to a new place),
ii) affordable (meaning "cheap", as I don't feel like paying more for the system than what's contained therein),
iii) durable (I do not feel like buying a new system every few years),
iv) expandable (in every which way),
v) ... is available for a decade or two ( I need to continuously expand my shelving systems).
Once you take those aspects into consideration, we're talking an extremely limited choice - world-wide.
As of now, the onyl company I can think of is IKEA ... and even with them, one can never be sure that they can some system they offered for several years.
Just some thoughts.
:)
P.S.: Moving boxes seem to be the only way to go. ;)
Hi Volkher,
Good to hear from you! Some comments in return:
1. Your comments - and those on another person - regarding my vinyl storage posts is what inspired me to write this one!
2. I have readers around the world, so I like to include products from as many places as I can.
3. Sadly, I only speak English, so I'm limited in my searching. I assume I'm missing wonderful products from sites that aren't in English.
4. I realize I haven't found an answer that meets your needs - but maybe I've helped someone else. And at least we can all acknowledge some of the beautiful work being done by companies like Wilkins & Kent. And if I stumble something in the future that looks like a good match for you, I'll certainly let you know!
Jodi,
My suggestion is to put them into the cd/dvd binders.
6:1 space saver!
I have found that six linear feet of cds becomes one foot of binders.
Easy!
I can sort the binders by type of music. Easy to move, easy to keep dust free, easy to organize and easy to use.
For our elders, who have difficulty opening the stiff plastic cases and can't lift as much weight, I would suggest using the smaller binders that only hold a couple of dozen cd/dvds.
I've used this both for my dvds and cds. If anyone thinks this is too time consuming -- it took two hockey games on tv to put all the dvds into binders.
Lessons Learned
Don't try to sort into alphabetical order; sort into type of music or type of dvd and have one binder for each type to make it easy to add new purchases.
Use a computer program to track the collection and what is in each binder.
Anonymous, I use binders for my own CDs - and I've written about that approach.
And I'm with you; I sort by type, and don't try for alphabetical order.
But some people prefer to keep their CDs in the jewel cases, and I like to see what answers I can find for them, too.
Topdeq must be going out of business. Their Cubos will not longer be available (nor is anything else they sell).
JaneBoHa, the U.S. operation of Topdeq is indeed shutting down.
I'll need to change my links to point to one of the European sites - or note other sources (if I can find them) for any Topdeq products I've mentioned in this blog.
Whatever type of cabinet or shelving you decided upon, make sure standard size jewel cases are used and make sure these cases are stored vertically.
http://www.digital-scrapbooking-storage.com/compact-disc-storage.html
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