September 2026
Antique armoire: choosing it, measuring it, living with it
Oak, walnut or fruitwood, two doors or three: what separates a fine armoire from a cumbersome one.
The antique armoire is the most badly bought piece of furniture there is: you fall in love with a front, then discover at home that it eats the room. Three criteria almost always prevent that regret.
The first is perceived bulk, which depends less on height than on depth. An armoire 60 cm deep recedes; one 75 cm deep advances into the room. On a short wall, choose two doors rather than a third, however handsome.
The second is dismantling. Norman, Flemish and Provençal armoires are built to come apart: cornice, doors, sides, back, floor. An armoire that does not dismantle will not climb a turning staircase.
The third is timber, which governs light. Pale oak, polished by two centuries of wax, warms a white room. Walnut, deeper, wants natural light. Fruitwood — cherry, pear — stays the most discreet in a contemporary interior.
A word on use. An antique armoire takes a modern hanging rail very well: a steel bar fixed into the upper rails, without drilling the visible sides, goes in within an hour and comes out without a trace. It is the best way to live with a piece rather than exhibit it.
On Maison Boitel, armoires are sorted by style and region, and each listing states whether the piece dismantles — the single most useful fact about it.
