Skip to content
A cupboard hides things. A cabinet shows them. Between those two jobs sits most of the case furniture in a house, and the decision that matters is which one a particular room actually needs.
We make both, one piece at a time, to your dimensions. The construction is the same throughout: framed and panelled carcases, framed side panels rather than flat boards, drawers running on timber, and solid ironmongery.
The types we make
Corner cupboards — glazed double and single, hanging corner cupboards, panelled corner cabinets, open shelved corner cupboards and base-only corner cabinets. The piece that turns a dead corner into storage.
Drinks cabinets — three- and four-door, with and without an integral wine rack, in square panelled and carved patterns.
Chests of drawers — with and without cross banding, William & Mary, Wellington, tea caddy, Rowton caddy-top and moulded front patterns, from six drawers to thirteen, plus bedside chests.
Cabinets and cupboards beyond the three type pages
Glazed display cabinets. Two-door glazed cabinets, tall glazed cabinets with a drawer run below, and single glazed cabinets for a narrow wall. Glazing bars follow the pattern of the range, and shelf spacing is set around what you intend to put in. Panelled and glazed doors go on the same carcase, so a matching pair is straightforward.
Breakfront cabinet. A cabinet whose centre section projects forward of the two flanking it. It breaks up a long front and lets a deeper middle carry what will not fit elsewhere.
Chimney cabinet. Tall, narrow and single-doored, for the space beside a chimney breast — the piece of wall nothing standard ever fits.
Food cupboards, painted and polished. The traditional ventilated kitchen cupboard. Historically these had pierced or slatted panels so air moved through; we make them either way.
Sliding door cupboards. Where a hinged door would foul a route through a room, or a piece of furniture opposite.
Press cupboard in mahogany. The full-height press: a panelled cupboard for linen and clothes, related to the wardrobes but built as a cabinet.
Denbighshire Tridan. A distinct cabinet form of its own, related to the dresser family without being a dresser and rack.
Cabinets with drawers down one side. A single-door cupboard with a stack of drawers alongside, a great deal more useful than a two-door cupboard of the same width.
Contemporary work
The same benches make plain modern cabinets to the same construction: flush fronts, simple sections, no mouldings. A glazed cabinet with no glazing bars and a plain plinth is not a departure for this workshop. See contemporary furniture.
Timbers
Oak, cherry, mahogany and walnut are the standard four, and every cupboard and cabinet is made in all of them. Mahogany suits the press and breakfront forms, cherry darkens over the first few years into a deep red-brown, oak does everything.
Specials, on application: character oak; pippy oak in light, medium and heavy grades, for tops; oak selected for medullary ray, the silver figure across quarter-sawn oak; and clean timber with no knots at all.
Finishes: polished, painted, limed, sand-blasted, rub-through paint, natural, or colour matched to a sample. We can match furniture that is 100 years old to new reproduction purchases made the year before. Modern and sheet materials are used inside carcases where they add strength, and we will tell you where.
Order free timber and finish samples. A tall cabinet shows more end grain and more edge than a low piece, and shade differences show up on both.
Made to your size
Cabinets are almost always fitted to a space, so almost every one is altered.
Common changes: height reduced to clear a beam or a picture rail; depth reduced so a door still opens; width set to an alcove; a plinth cut out for an uneven floor; shelf spacing set around particular glass, china or books; glazed doors substituted for panelled; a drawer run added below; sliding doors instead of hinged; the carcase made in sections for a difficult stair.
Where a piece is to be built into the fabric of the room, see fitted furniture. Otherwise see bespoke and commissioning.
Prices
Quoted individually. Tell us the type, the size, the timber and the finish and we will give you a guide price. Special timbers and finishes are on application. Lead time is typically ten to twelve weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cupboard and a cabinet?
In everyday use, a cupboard has solid doors and stores things out of sight; a cabinet is usually glazed and shows what is inside. We make the same carcases both ways, so the choice is about the room rather than the construction.
Can you make a cabinet to fit a specific alcove?
Yes — it is the commonest reason people commission one. Send the width at the top and the bottom, the height, the depth and a photograph. Old walls are rarely square, and we scribe the piece to what is there.
Can you set the shelves to what I am putting in?
Yes, and it is worth settling early. Send us the height of the tallest book, glass or piece of china that has to go in, and we set the shelf positions, the shelf thickness and the door opening around those rather than around a standard spacing.
Do you make cupboards to match antique pieces?
Yes, including mouldings, timber colour and patination. We can match furniture that is 100 years old to new reproduction purchases made the year before. See matching antique furniture.
