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European Cabinets

Originally conceived in the medieval era, cabinets remained low-key, almost exclusively practical pieces until the stylish French put their mark on the furniture pieces. The French dressoir, a precursor to the dressers used for clothing storage, lived in the dining room. These early cupboards were little more than trestle tables with shelves on top, forerunners to modern hutches and china cabinets.

With the perfection of woodworking joints, the refinement of quality finishing techniques, and the development of advanced hinges, locking mechanisms, and hardware, the cabinet took on a more sophisticated demeanor over time. European cabinet panels, doors, and friezes became decorative surfaces indicative of the nuances of their furniture style: from English Tudor arches, tracery, and cutouts that mimicked Gothic architecture to the gilted, painted, and elaborately carved in Italian Renaissance style.

The European cabinet's evolution closely traces that of furniture as a whole. Whether simple, bare-bones structures or fashionably high-style variants, cabinets embody every sensibility.


Quick Facts

  • In the late-13th century in Lyon, the king of France granted furniture makers in the city a tax exemption that fueled an explosion of French furniture production
  • In December 2014, a 19th-century mahogany corner cabinet with a swan neck pediment and glass doors sold at Bonhams for £220
  • A 17th-century cabinet sold at a 2014 Bonhams auction in England for the tiny sum of £50

Recommended Items at Auction

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Camille Gauthier 1870-1963 Credenza e grande vetrina liberty Francia 1900 ca
Dec 23, 5:00 PM GMT
Camille Gauthier 1870-1963 Credenza e grande vetrina liberty Francia 1900 ca
by GBP DP House
Est: £2,000- £3,000
£2,0000 Bids
DANISH TEAK SIDEBOARD W/ DRY BAR C. 1960S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
DANISH TEAK SIDEBOARD W/ DRY BAR C. 1960S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
MID-CENTURY DANISH OAK TAMBOUR CABINET
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
MID-CENTURY DANISH OAK TAMBOUR CABINET
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
MID-CENTURY DANISH TEAK SIDEBOARD C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
MID-CENTURY DANISH TEAK SIDEBOARD C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
KAI KRISTIANSEN STYLE DANISH ROSEWOOD CABINET
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
KAI KRISTIANSEN STYLE DANISH ROSEWOOD CABINET
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
KAI KRISTIANSEN STYLE DANISH ROSEWOOD CABINET
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
KAI KRISTIANSEN STYLE DANISH ROSEWOOD CABINET
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
KAI KRISTIANSEN DANISH TEAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
KAI KRISTIANSEN DANISH TEAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
DANISH BEECH TAMBOUR DOOR FILE CABINET C. 1960S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
DANISH BEECH TAMBOUR DOOR FILE CABINET C. 1960S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
KJAERNULF STYLE DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
KJAERNULF STYLE DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
ERIK BROUER DANISH ROSEWOOD CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
ERIK BROUER DANISH ROSEWOOD CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
HVIDT MOLGAARD STYLE DANISH TEAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
HVIDT MOLGAARD STYLE DANISH TEAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
HVIDT MOLGAARD STYLE DANISH TEAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
HVIDT MOLGAARD STYLE DANISH TEAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
KJAERNULF STYLE DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
KJAERNULF STYLE DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
KJAERNULF STYLE DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
KJAERNULF STYLE DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
DANISH TEAK TAMBOUR CABINET C. 1960S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
DANISH TEAK TAMBOUR CABINET C. 1960S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
HENNING KJAERNULF DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
HENNING KJAERNULF DANISH OAK CABINET C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
HANS FRYDENDAL 'CHRISTIAN IV' PINE CABINET
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
HANS FRYDENDAL 'CHRISTIAN IV' PINE CABINET
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
CARL ERIKSENS DANISH BRUTALIST OAK SIDEBOARD
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
CARL ERIKSENS DANISH BRUTALIST OAK SIDEBOARD
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $10- $10,000
$250 Bids
HENNING KJAERNULF DANISH OAK SIDEBOARD C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
HENNING KJAERNULF DANISH OAK SIDEBOARD C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids

Sellers Who Sell European Cabinets


Asté Maison de ventes

Asté Maison de ventes