What sort of doors should be on this cupboard?

[Tom]

Hi everyone!

I have this lovely pine cupboard but, as you can see, it's missing its doors (and shelves, although I'm not too bothered about just at the moment). Does anyone know what design of doors should be on it? In particular, should the frames of the doors be just a plain square or should they have some sort of arch at the top? And, in the middle of the frame, should it be one piece of wood or panelled? Also, should the top doors be solid or glazed? If glazed, should they be all one piece of glass or should they have glazing bars? If it helps, it's about 5' wide but i have no idea of the age (although if anyone knows for sure, I'd love to know). I'd be grateful for any advice on this as I'd like to get the design 'right'...if you know what I mean. Thanks.

 

[Feltwell]

Hi Jaqy

What a shame it's lost it's original doors. As to what was on there -who knows? We can suggest what was likely but ultimately there was no standard approach for these things.

As it's softwood it's not a "high status" piece of furniture. I am absolutely not an antiques expert at all but I would suggest panelled doors with no arch and I would also suggest that they wouldn't have been glazed. It looks more like a functional piece of housekeeper's furniture to me rather than something to show off your finest wares.

I've some mid to late Victorian cupboards at home that are of a similar style, I'll post some pictures up later.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for your reply

It is such a shame about the doors but I suppose I should grateful that the original lower shelves are still there! I did wonder if it had been used in a school at some stage, as there are drawing pins stuck in the shelves and some scratched 'grafitti' on one of the side panels....which I absolutely love. It adds to the charm of it for me, although someone has sanded the other end to oblivion!! Fortunately, the sanded end is the left hand side, which you can't really see when it's in place. I'm going to be using this in the kitchen (where it stands in the picture) to store my crockery, pans etc., so I'm pleased to hear it was originally a functional piece. I'd love to see the pictures you have, please.

 

[Penners]

Hello Jaqy

I agree with Feltwell. You have a simple piece of vernacular furniture which wouldn't really benefit from too much "tarting up"!

Are you certain that it did once have doors in both the top and bottom sections? Dressers come in a variety of designs, sometimes with cupboard doors, sometimes with drawers in the bottom, sometimes just with open shelves.

But if you definitely want to fit doors top and bottom, I would avoid arched tops. Just go with simple framed, panelled doors like the picture below, or if you want to touch more refinement go for raised and fielded panels.

I have to say that, were this my dresser, I think I would avoid doors - particularly solid doors - in the top section. They could make it look rather top-heavy. Myself, I would leave the top as open shelves.

As an alternative to doors, you could get some drawers made for the bottom.

 

[Feltwell]

This is an original, badly-in-need-of-some-work late Victorian kitchen cupboard (note the burn marks from some muppet paint stripping with a blowtorch :evil: ):-

And another example of the same style of door, also in need of attention!

That was the sort of style I was thinking of - a plain panelled door, but I think you could allow yourself the indulgence of a simple moulding detail around the panel! As Penners says, maybe no need at all for doors on the top section - is there evidence of hinges having been attached?

Alternatively, this is a door from a large 4-panelled Victorian school cupboard - again quite plain, but with a simple chamfer stop detail to add a little decoration:-

 

[Lime]

Smartened up and with the missing shelves replaced, couldn't it be used without doors?

 

[Tom]

Thank you to both of you for your replies.

@ Penners......Yes, it's definitely had doors on. If you look carefully, you can see where the hinges have been top and bottom. I'm not too worried about it looking top heavy as our ceilings are very high (as you can see in the picture) and the room large enough to take the big expanse of it.

@ Feltwell......Thank you so much for these pictures; they're a big help. I'm torn between the two designs, to be honest. I love the simplicity of the first but the second, with the chamfered stop, would match the chamfered stops on our beams and joists. I'll think this over for a while before making a final decision. One day, the right one will smack me around the face :lol: Thanks again for your time uploading these pictures for me

 

[Tom]

Smartened up and with the missing shelves replaced, couldn't it be used without doors?

It really should have doors as there are recesses where the hinges have been. Plus, I really don't want my pots and pans on display!!

I'm trying to source some shelves to match the bottom ones. I need them to be 5' long x 12" wide and 3/4" thick. Does anyone have any?

 

[Feltwell]

I'm trying to source some shelves to match the bottom ones. I need them to be 5' long x 12" wide and 3/4" thick. Does anyone have any?

If you want something that looks old, most reclaim yards will sell reclaimed pine T&G floorboards which you could clean up & machine to size. You'd probably need to glue & clamp 2 together to get that width, but that's an easy enough job. You would have to live with the holes where the original nails were though!

Or, I've bought new maritime pine floorboards to make cupboard doors from this place - not sure if he's still trading as his website is down, but maybe worth a call. They are much more like the timber the Victorians used than modern "whitewood" T&G flooring.

Coalport Pine Co.Ltd
Station House, Coalport, Telford, Shropshire TF8 7JF
Tel: 01952 883470

As for your door design - go with what you like! There is no right or wrong answer.

 

[Penners]

chamfered stops

It's all a matter of personal taste, of course, but I'm not sure that stopped chamfers are appropriate to your dresser. They would give it a kind of "faux Jacobean" look that - to me - would be wrong.

However, I grant you permission to do whatever you like best. :wink:

 

[Tom]

However, I grant you permission to do whatever you like best. :wink:

How gracious of you, Penners. Thank you so much :wink: :roll:

Strangely for me, I have already made up my mind on this one. I'm going for the first design, as the simplicity of it seems to be what will suit this cupboard best. I'm so grateful for this group. I know I've said it numerous times before but I really would never have done anything with this house without you lot Thank you so much

 

[Tom]

This is an original, badly-in-need-of-some-work late Victorian kitchen cupboard (note the burn marks from some muppet paint stripping with a blowtorch :evil: ):-

And another example of the same style of door, also in need of attention!

Would you be able to post a picture of the inside of these doors, please, so I can show the construction to my joiner? Thanks, Feltwell

 

[Feltwell]

Hi Jaqy - afraid not, my camera is not working

But - any carpenter worth his (or her - better be pc....) salt will know exactly how those doors are made, it's very simple. A picture of the inside looks just the same as the outside except without the moulding around the inside of each panel.

The frame around each panel has a slot rebated into it's inside face, the panel is simply dropped into that (and left loose to allow for movement) before the final side of the frame is fixed in position. As simple as that.

 

[Tom]

OK, great. Thank you so much. I'll post a picture when it's done. Hopefully, it'll be in a couple of weeks

 

[Tom]

Well, I still haven't had the doors made for my cupboard, as I can't find anyone selling genuine Pitch Pine I've been offered Pine, Oak and even Greenheart being sold as Pitch Pine!! :shock:

However, I have had a cupboard made in the same style (but in Oak) that will house my fridge on one side and a normal cupboard on the other. This has been made to look like an unfitted piece of furniture and is really rather nice. It's still in the workshop but should be ready on Monday

@ Feltwell.....Can you tell me what fastenings are on your doors, please (the ones in pictures 1 and 2 that you posted), and would you have a picture as well, if possible? I'd be ever so grateful

 

[Feltwell]

@ Feltwell.....Can you tell me what fastenings are on your doors, please (the ones in pictures 1 and 2 that you posted), and would you have a picture as well, if possible? I'd be ever so grateful

Not very helpful I'm afraid - as the answer is none! The big tall cupboard has evidence of a small bolt holding one door closed on the inside, and a simple lock holding the other side closed to it (you can see the escutcheon in the picture). However, all have long since been removed - luckily all the cupboard doors hold themselves closed quite happily.