Confession: When I was a teenager, I asked for a four-drawer black file cabinet for my birthday. There’s just something alluring about putting order to your paper, as if your life will follow.

Confession: When I was a teenager, I asked for a four-drawer black file cabinet for my birthday. There's just something alluring about putting order to your paper, as if your life will follow.

While once a standard sight in many home offices, metal filing cabinets are now a rare find in most homes. Even many commercial offices are moving away from massive paper filing to digital storage ...

Confession: When I was a teenager, I asked for a four-drawer black file cabinet for my birthday. There’s just something alluring about putting order to your paper, as if your life will follow.

Glue a doormat to a filing cabinet for this high-end decor DIY! A budget-friendly project that adds texture, style, and a custom furniture look to a basic storage piece.

Ms. Paul is the editor of the Book Review and the author, most recently, of “100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet.” Remember filing cabinets? Those lumbering, clattering towers of drawers stuffed ...