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My former airing cupboard is taken up with a new water tank and there’s no room for my linen. I need a solution that would look appropriate in a Grade II-listed Herefordshire farmhouse. This building dates from medieval times and every generation has added something to it. I also need a cupboard for table linen downstairs. Any ideas?
Ah, the joy of cupboards. When it comes to home improvements, some may dream of swimming pools, some may pine after a home cinema, tennis court, gym or wine cellar. What do I see in my wildest dreams, half-hidden in swirling fog and shimmering in golden light? More cupboards. I’m running out of space, you see, and fast.
Currently, one half of a kitchen cupboard in the country is dedicated to napkins, tea towels and coasters. Another cupboard across the room is stuffed with tablecloths, placemats, cushions and miscellaneous objects
(an old film camera, a giant Christmas bauble and a couple of margarita glasses). Upstairs, spare bedsheets, pillows and towels are crammed into our wardrobe, which itself is no bigger than a shoebox.
I would love to have a downstairs cupboard dedicated to kitchen linen, and some sort of situation upstairs that means I don’t have to elbow folded sheets into any available nook or cranny. When it comes to household chores such as washing and bed-making, I believe that giving all associated articles a proper home makes the experience of actually doing those tasks
a lot more pleasurable.
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(Of course, my dreams aren’t that modest. I see also Georgian panelling
and Gothic windows and a grotto and reflecting pool in my garden.)
So, where to find cupboards that will suit your Herefordshire farmhouse? I don’t believe you should necessarily fixate on finding something extremely old because, as you say, past inhabitants have added to the building (meaning, I assume, its appearance is not totally uniform).
Besides, as you may have gathered from reading this column, I am also
not a slave to the concept of period perfection. Still, you will want to find something full of character and charm.
Arcadia Antiques usually has a large and brilliant selection of linen cupboards in various shapes and sizes. I am often drawn to cupboards with an original painted finish — I love the patina you usually find with original paint, the marvellous flaking and varying shades and subtleties of colour, with patches of old wood poking through.
Currently in stock at Arcadia is a beautiful 19th-century English housekeeper’s cupboard with its original off-white paint. At nearly 170cm wide, it would provide ample space for linen, and includes drawers as
well as shelves inside.
For a downstairs linen cupboard, I also very much like a limed or bleached oak finish, or even a pale pine. Buckinghamshire’s Pinefinders is currently selling a large c1910 pine Dutch linen press with fantastic detailing and a very lovely oversized cornice.
I tend to prefer a painted or faded pale wood over mahogany in kitchens, boot and utility rooms, but upstairs I fancy the idea of a mahogany or darker oak cupboard for bed linen or clothing. Look just across the border from you in Herefordshire to Carmarthenshire’s Tim Bowen Antiques. Bowen recently sold a small Georgian Welsh oak linen press with very charming, Gothic, shaped panelled doors above three small faux drawers. It could be worth your while getting in touch with this dealer because they have had many similar cupboards in stock in the past.
If you think you might want something a little smarter, you wouldn’t be able to go much wrong with the classic, handsome and timeless appearance of a George III piece, such as a mahogany linen press currently available via Lorfords in Gloucestershire. I like its inlaid oval panels very much.
Perhaps we should think outside the cupboard. Based in Hampshire, Elmgarden is selling a 19th-century Italian linen press with bold black and ecru painted stripes (and gold highlights), painted around 1900. There is no doubt about it, it’s a striking piece. The graphic simplicity of its design, however, would make it suitable for a variety of interiors.
Last, let’s swap Herefordshire for Paris. I love an armoire, which in my mind is similar to a wardrobe, and could function just as well as a linen cupboard. (A linen press, I have recently gathered, tends to be defined as having two sections, like a mini wardrobe atop a chest of drawers.) It is easy to find a fancy armoire, but I like the humbler versions. Hampshire’s Pappilon is selling a very elegant 19th-century French provincial armoire with original ochre paintwork. The beauty is in its rustic simplicity.
One more idea: John Penderell Antiques in Northern Ireland has in stock a bespoke oak cupboard with highly characterful 16th-century doors. It’s not in the best shape — a part of its back is missing — but the price is good. I love this mix of new and very old: could be just the thing for a medieval farmhouse with new additions.
If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at lukeedward.hall@ft.com. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall
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