Antique Cabinets & Bookcases

At Antique Furniture Direct we sell a wide range of antique cabinets and antique bookcases including bedside cabinets, pier cabinets, hall cupboards and display cabinets.

Early bedside cabinets were known as pot cupboards because they were used to hold a chamber pot next to the bed before the advent of indoor plumbing. They comprised a simple cupboard sometimes with a drawer above and would also have been doubled up as the repository of the night time candle. When indoor toilets became more affordable the pot cupboard was adapted often to an open compartment on top of a set of drawers. Pot cupboard rarely turn up in pairs, but harlequin pairs or near pairs can be found. Art Deco examples in burr walnut are more often found in pairs as they were often made as part of a bedroom suite.

The 19th century produced some wonderful pier cabinets and display cabinets, often in walnut with interior shelves and glass sides and were popular as they could house large numbers of trinkets and ornaments which were so dear to the hearts of the Victorian middle class. Later Edwardian versions tended to be made of mahogany and had heavy plate glass display shelves and glass sides. Art Deco saw the introduction of geometric shapes and used burr walnut as the finishing veneer, often to striking effect.

Choice of style and design will often be dictated by what is intended to be displayed in them. What could be more appropriate to display a cherished collection of Clarice Cliff stylish Art Deco pottery than an equally stylish Art Deco display cabinet?