Wardrobe Closets

A bonnetiere is a narrow, tall cupboard. As the name implies, it was first created and used in the French regions. It first came into use in Normandy and Brittany during the 1600s and 1700s. The bonnetiere looks like a large antique-style wardrobe. Unlike a wardrobe, though, it only has a single door. Bonnetieres got their name because of their first purpose. They were originally used for storing the very high bonnets that were so fashionable for ladies in the 17th and 18th centuries. That is what gives Bonnetieres their characteristic shape, and why they are usually only half as wide as the usual wardrobe or armoire.

A bonnetiere may have a mirrored on the door. It may also have a single drawer built in underneath the door. In some cases, this imposing armoire-style piece has a glass door and a series of shelves beneath. Most of the time, however, it is the wood itself and the decorative carving on the door itself that is the main attraction. Bonnetieres are crafted from fine woods like walnut, with delicate hand staining and exquisitely detailed carvings. Country French Interiors and Charme D’atan both offer high-end bonnetieres online. Be aware, though, these products are in a higher price range.

Because this piece of furniture is in the same class as the armoire, it often looks attractive in the bedroom or dressing room. It can be used to store clothing or linens. Antique designs do tend to blend well with elegant surroundings in master suites. Another good location for a bonnetiere is the formal dining area. Some styles have a single glass door above a lower set of drawers. It can be used for displaying fine china or heirloom silver pieces. Of course, the living room offers a nice opportunity to showcase the elegant carpentry that is so characteristic of these pieces. The bonnetiere is a large piece of furniture that can dominate a smaller room, so choose its location carefully. Bonnetieres require no special tools for installation. Some homeowners like to place coasters or foot protectors at the base to protect carpeting.

Black armoires can be absolutely beautiful in the right room. Just like the white armoires that were reviewed yesterday, black armoires definitely have a place in today’s more modern homes. Many of the new designs are totally black and white and the right piece can totally set off the room. An armoire is often the focal point of any bedroom, so you want to make sure that the right one is purchased.

Sonoma Black 2-Door Armoire, Prepac, $150
This very modern and very stylish armoire was once priced much higher, but for some reason people did not find it very attractive. While it may not be the perfect piece for a high-end adult room, it is perfect for the teenager that is just starting to grow up. It has very clean lines and a simple, yet elegant look about it. For the price, this is an absolute steal right now. Check out Amazon.com and various other online retailers for this armoire.

Camden Black Armoire, American Drew, $775
This is just a classic and very sharp looking black armoire. It is perfect as either a bedroom armoire or as the center piece in the dining room. There are not enough good things to say about this product as it truly a beautiful piece of furniture. The elegant bottom drawers and the long door top section set this apart from just about anything else in its class.

Series 200 Armoire, Status, $750
This piece wins out because of the very unique look that it has. It totally gets away from the traditional look and has an open space at the top where something could be displayed and then two very long doors that open into the wardrobe closet. While the space that is taken by the top features restricts this armoire to only one bottom drawer, the look is worth the sacrifice. It may not be for everyone, but whoever has this in their home has something truly special.

Some families were lucky to have an old fashioned, antique wardrobe closet – also known as an armoire, from the French term meaning “wooden cabinet”, passed down to them in the family tree.

And then other folks just collect them. Somewhere in between are people who simply appreciate them and would like to own one, without any intention of being thought of as an antiques collector. They are just someone with good taste, perhaps!

The good news is that while going out and finding an antique wooden wardrobe closet isn’t as easy as going to Target or Home Depot, locating an armoire isn’t all that hard. It can be even a bit of a fun adventure!

What are the best places to check? I’d first recommend doing it the fashioned way. This mean hitting up estate sales. These are coordinated sales events in which someones entire estate goes up for sale. The culture surrounding these estate sales increasing the chances of finding antique wardrobe closets. How so? Usually the individual whose estate is up for sale was an elderly individual, meaning they might have antique furniture by virtue of simply owning something their entire life. Secondly, many estate sales cater to upper class folks, further upping our chances of finding valuable furniture and antiques. Estate sales are also an excellent way to locate a wardrobe closet, get a hands on, close up look at it, and then place a private bid. This is certainly something you can’t do online!

After estates sales, I’d recommend looking in a close by corner. I’m talking about your average yard, garage, and family sales. Since this could theoretically be a tedious process of visiting dozens of yard sales, here’s a tip to speed it up: look the garage sales up online. Then, do a search for “wardobe closets”, “antique wardrobe closets”, “armoire”, “armoires”, and “antiques”. See what pops up with those search requests, as it goes through the items people casually list online in their yard sale post. Often, you will get many hits this way, and as such, can quickly narrow down which garage and yard sales you’ll actually want to attend. You might even find photos online and a price of said items.

Lastly, in the same vein as looking online at yard sales, the third and final method is to search your local Craigslist. Craigslist maintains pages for hundreds of cities, counties, and areas around the world. Even if you’ve never heard of it, most likely, you have a Craigslist page for your town. Here people sell thousands of items every day in free classified listings. Simply key in the same search terms we used in regards to yard sales (above) and see what you find. It’s also very easy to negotiate prices for items found on Craigslist, as most people aren’t so much trying to make a profit as they are simply getting rid of items.

Actually, there is one more method beyond the 3rd one above. You can always work with an antiques dealer. If getting an antique wardrobe closet fast and quick is your concern, and price isn’t so much of a problem, using a dealer is going to be a sure fire way to find high quality antique wardrobe closets. You won’t get a deal most likely, but you will probably get a quality piece of work, and come home in a single day with an attractive antique wardrobe closet!

You would never guess the history behind the wardrobe closet. One might think it’s simply another piece of furniture mass produced and sold in big box retailers, invented in a board room or meeting. While some furniture sold as wardrobe closets is definitely mass produced, true wardrobe closets come from a much more interesting background.

First of all, let’s look at the terminology used for wardrobe closets. You might have also seen them referred to as an “armoire”. Armoire is a french term that loosely describes any type of wooden cabinet with shelves. This is a fairly apt description of both modern and antique wardrobe closets, as the most classic look is that of a solid wood wardrobe closet that has multiple shelves.

What’s far from different between then and now is what the wardrobe closet or armoire was used for. Interestingly, the armoire historically was used to house weaponry! Along with weapons, it often held food items. Somewhere along the lines, it delved more into holding clothing than weapons or other items, and now, it’s almost always used to hold clothes or some kind, with some exceptions for dish ware and other collectibles.

Traditionally, throughout history wardrobe closets were a hand crafted item. People worked with their hands, creating an armoire as an individual piece of art. Many antique wardrobe closets bear the markmanship of this art, as shown through elegant and abstract designs carved into the wood. This could create a signature mark for the artist, as well as signify the general cultural timepiece that the wardrobe closet comes from.

It’s really interesting to think of wardrobe closets (or wardrobe armoire furniture) being used to house weaponry, and it’s also fascinating to think of each one being hand made, and then seeing how they development as a whole in different areas such as France, England, China, and India.

Next time you look at your antique wardrobe closet, ponder it’s history and be proud to own such an item!