Antique wall cabinet with mirrored door and drawer – red-brown stained wood, c. 1900–1930

Antique wall cabinet with mirror door and drawer

This antique wall cabinet with a mirrored door is a classic medicine cabinet or shaving cabinet from the days when every bedroom or washroom had one. The hanging cabinet has a moulded cornice and base, a door with a mirror set in a moulded frame, a small drawer at the bottom and two shelves behind the door. The wood is stained a reddish brown and varnished; over the years the varnish has developed a beautiful crackle. On the inside of the door there is still an old printed picture: a grandmother in a white bonnet knitting, with a child, a dog and a goat beside her and a village on the hill behind.

Why we chose this piece

We fell for the combination of a simple, well-proportioned cabinet and the surprise inside: open the door and you look straight into a rural scene from the early twentieth century. The print is fixed to the back of the mirror with small nails, the way it was done at home in the past, and wears its age honestly. The crackled varnish and the old iron hanging eyes tell the same story: this cabinet has truly been lived with.

Style and interior

The cabinet suits a rural or brocante interior, a bathroom with old tiles or a spot above a washstand or chest of drawers, but also a hallway as a place for keys and small things. The warm reddish-brown tone looks lovely against a limewashed or light wall, and just as good against old brick.

Dimensions: 33 cm wide, 55 cm high, 13 cm deep
Material: softwood (pine or spruce), stained reddish brown and varnished; mirror glass; wooden knobs; iron hanging eyes; printed picture on paper
Style: rural, simple classic
Period: c. 1900–1930
Origin: France
Condition: Used and full of character. The varnish has crackled all over the cabinet (photo 7) and there are a few white paint specks on the front and the drawer (photos 2 and 7); next to the drawer knob there is a small light patch where the stain has worn away (photo 7). The top is weathered and lighter in colour, and the two iron hanging eyes are still in place (photo 6). Inside, the walls and the two shelves are painted cream, with signs of use and some flaking paint (photo 3). The print on the inside of the door is fixed with small nails and has minor damage: a few white spots where the surface of the paper has flaked and small tears around the nails (photo 4). The drawer is complete and has a wooden knob (photo 5). The back panel is untreated softwood with a shrinkage crack at the bottom and a damaged corner (photo 8).
Price:
€ 125

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