Every home needs a cabinet.
- Cabinets are generally rectangular pieces of furniture that are primarily used to store items such as valuables, clothes and food items.
- Cabinets are traditionally made of wood, but can be made of materials that are synthetic.
- Cabinets are often called ‘cupboards’ and those that store clothes are also known as ‘wardrobes,’ ‘closets’ and ‘armoires’.
- The word ‘cabinet’ in French originally meant ‘small room’ and in the 1600s, the term referred to such a room which often contained books and art, and ‘cabinets of curiosities’, rooms full of interesting collections, also emerged around this time.
- Cabinets were originally boxes or chests, invented to store paper documents or things of value.
- Until 1650, cabinets were not commonplace, and were generally owned only by the elite, due to the cost and the lack of perceived need.
- Cabinets, during the Industrial Revolution from the 1700s through to the 1800s, entered mass production, making them more affordable and popular.
- Cabinets usually have compartments that either have doors, drawers, or are left open.
- Cabinet making became a favoured hobby after World War II, and those that make cabinets are known as ‘cabinet makers’.
- Cabinets are sometimes carved with a relief pattern or design, or have a workbench at the top or side, and they can be built into a structure or stand alone.
Bibliography:
Blackburn G, A Short History of Cabinets, 2005, Fine Wood Working, https://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/a-short-history-of-cabinets.aspx
Cabinetry, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinetry
