What is a barrister bookcase?
Also known as a lawyer’s cabinet, a barrister bookcase is a type of modular bookcase formed by a series of stacked, glass-fronted storage compartments. Traditionally, barristers (an English word for a certain league of high-court lawyers), would be required to lug their law books to court, or to clients’ homes, and barrister bookcases with their modular breakaway units would provide a smart means of transport for several tomes at once. Today, many of the barrister bookcases you find will not be constructed of precariously stacked storage units, but rather a single piece of furniture crafted to look like it is made of stacked shelves. Barrister bookcases don’t have to be used to stow books, of course. These days it is common to find barrister bookcases functioning as a curio cabinet of sorts. Their glass-paneled windows make them ideal display cases for everything from geodes to dishware.
