Antique Cabinets and Storage

Clean up clutter and store your knick-knacks, documents, and any other bits and bobs in one of our stylish vintage storage cabinets. Whether you’re after a large antique cabinet with character, rustic shelving plucked straight from the industrial revolution, or charming vintage cabinets fit for a cosy reading corner, we’ve got just what you need. We source our antique collections from all corners of the world to bring you something truly unique. Make a statement in your home and browse our Antique storage cabinets today.

Our antique cabinets all have their histories and backstories; some were once shelves in factories, others were storage racks in old hotels, but perhaps the most common source of vintage cabinets is Victorian-era kitchen cabinets.

In large houses in Britain during the Victorian era, pantries were separate rooms dedicated to food preparation and clean-up. The kitchen was for food preparation and the pantry for dishwashing, typically in a wooden sink lined with lead. Sometimes this room was also used for cutting raw meat and cleaning fish. Large wooden cupboards served as pantries in some middle-class houses. These country house storage cabinets have found their way into modern homes as antique storage cabinets.

Storage furniture has been an essential part of living for over 500 years. A term you may be familiar with is ‘pantry’, an older term used to describe a storage cabinet situated in the kitchen. The origin of the word “pantry” comes from the antique French term “paneterie”, which itself derives from the root “pain”, the French word for bread. Pantries were used then much as they are today—for storing ceramics, glassware, food, and even decorative silverware. However, this was not always the case.

In the late Middle Ages, households would have a room where bread was kept rather than using storage furniture like a cabinet. The person who was responsible for those rooms was referred to as a “pantler”. Pantries developed their use from early Colonial American “butteries”, built in a sharp north-facing corner of the houses to keep the butter cool. In the latter part of the 19th century, in a middle-class English home, pantries were built adjoining the kitchen and dining room and began to resemble more of what we know today.

Though the way we store has changed many times throughout history, our need for cabinets and storage remains strong today. From grandiose display cabinets fit for Victorian royalty to rustic shelving that’s survived years of service on a factory floor, we have an assortment of antique storage cabinets that are more than capable of making a statement in your home. Browse our collection online or give us a call and enquire about an item directly.