All about armoires

October 1987

Interior Design

The French have a word for it--and the word is armoire. Armoire means cupboard or wardrobe and like many French terms, it has come into the language of design. A writing table is called a bureau plat, a cabinet maker is referred to as an ebeniste and a large storage space or closet is universally known as an armoire.
The French, whose practicality goes hand in hand with their thrift, built very simple homes in the 16th century. Each room had four walls, and the furniture was minimal. The political climate was so volatile that there was always the possibility that residents might have to flee, and movable furniture would help them move quickly. Clothing and household effects were stored in wooden coffers with handles that were convenient for a quick getaway. When conditions became more stable in the 17th century, houses became sturdier. Armoires were constructed to hold apparel and china.
Under Louis XIII, furniture had a heavier feeling, and armoires were built with straight lines, geometric panels, bun feet, heavy moldings. By the start of the 18th century, under Louis XIV, fine furniture came into vogue. Andre Charles Boulle designed elaborate furniture of lacquer, marquety, tortoise and ormolu, and these elements found their way into the design of armoires. In the Regency period, between the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, there was a softening of design, and a graceful curve that took over the straight lines of the past. Louis XV armoires, as well as chairs, tables and commodes, can be identified by their curved legs, their graceful proportions and their delicate carving.
Even though Louis XVI styles reverted to straight lines, the furniture retains the grace and elegance of the earlier period. Each family had its armoires constructed by the local ebeniste. The style of the armoire, or armoires, depended on many factors. The wealth of the family, the size of their house, their standing in the community and where they lived were all considerations. Rich people wanted more elaborate armoires, and they needed more of them to hold their belongings. As bourgeois families accumulated wealth, they collected possessions and they ordered additional armoires to hold them, adding to their social status.
When a daughter was born into an affluent family, a wedding armoire, or armoire de mariage, was conceived. On the night of the first full moon a relative would go into the woods and cut down a tree, which would be sliced and stored in the barn. When the daughter was betrothed, the family would call an ebeniste to make the dower armoire. Then a carver would be engaged to decorate it appropiately.
If the family owned a farm, the armoire would be festooned with cornucopias of fruit; if the family were musical, carvings of flutes or violins would be applied. The armoire would be stocked with the bride's trousseau linens and displayed at the wedding.
In these days of dwindling space and inadequate closets, an armoire can be a wonderful solution to a storage problem. I have used one in a bedroom to house the ever-present television set, a VCR and stereo equipment. An armoire in a teenager's room might store hobby paraphernalia as well as bulky sweaters, handbags and shoes. In the living room an armoire can be fitted out to house a bar, with a place for liquor, glasses and a serving surface.
Mike Bell, who sells antique furniture on East 10th Street in New York, will outfit an armoire to suit your client's needs. Howard Kaplan of the French Country Store on Broadway (New York) has a large selection of armoires.
My first stop for armoires, and all French furniture, is Martell Antiques on East 10th Street. The selection is good, and the service is first-rate. There are armoires in pine, oak and walnut, and the styles range from simple to heavily carved.
Bill Rodek knows French furniture, and his prices are right. The armoire in the photograph is an 18th-century Chateau armoire, so called because of its height and scale.

A handsome cherry Chateau armoire from Normandy measures five feet wide, two feet deep and a majestic eight and a half feet tall.

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