Wardrobe Closets: A Short History

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Every day people buy mass produced wardrobe closets from places like Target and Home Depot. Then they go home and set up these closet wardrobe units, or just use them as storage units, and happily enjoy the benefits that come with a nice wardrobe closet armoire. Often, the units even look like antiques, even though they were just made by a factory in China, the USA, or elsewhere! However, rather than thinking of wardrobe closets being mass produced in factories, it's a bit more interesting to think about the history of the units themselves, looking back into their past and into their history of how they come about and developed.

For instance, did you know that wardrobe closets were originally called "armoire"? This french term specifies any style of wooden furniture with shelves. Amazingly, the original usage of the armoire was not to hold clothes, but to stash weapons! Yes, you heard that right - it was for holding weapons. Pretty neat, eh? As time went along, they were used to store other things, such as food, and of course, eventually, clothing, towels, and sheets.

Originally, all wardrobe closets were hand made, back when all furniture was made only by hand. This led to quite a few distinct styles evolving through different countries and how they made their wardrobe closets. These unique designs are part of what make them so interesting!

Did you know that the hands behind the units studied under other furniture makers? It's true. The production of wardrobe closets was done on a one by one basis, with artists designing them under the guidance of a master wood maker. People were apprenticed into the business of making the armoire.

It's a bit sad how different things are today. The good news is that there are thousands of antique wooden wardrobe closets still in existence today, and you can relatively easily locate one for a respectable price!