Cabinet (furniture) facts for kids
A cabinet or cupboard is a piece of furniture that looks like a box. It usually has doors or drawers. People use cabinets to store many different things. Some cabinets stand on their own, while others are built into a wall. You might also find them attached to a wall, like a medicine cabinet in a bathroom.
Cabinets are often made from wood. This can be solid wood, or wood with thin layers called veneers, or artificial surfaces. Some cabinets, like medicine cabinets, are made from coated steel or other man-made materials.
Most cabinets have one or more doors on the front. These doors have special parts called door hardware that help them open and close. Sometimes, a cabinet might even have a lock to keep things safe inside. Cabinets can have just doors, or they can have drawers and shelves too. Shorter cabinets often have a flat top surface. This surface can be used to display items or as a workspace, like the countertops you see in kitchens.
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Types of Cabinets
Cabinets come in many shapes and sizes, each with a special name depending on what it's used for.
Chest of Drawers
A cabinet with several drawers, usually stacked one above another, is called a chest of drawers. People often keep clothes and small items in these cabinets, especially in a bedroom.
Nightstand
A small cabinet placed next to a bed is often called a nightstand or night table. It's handy for keeping things like a lamp, a book, or a glass of water close by.
Wardrobe or Armoire
A tall cabinet designed for storing clothes, especially hanging clothes, is known as a wardrobe or an armoire. If it's built right into the wall, some people might call it a closet.
How Cabinets Are Made
Making cabinets is a skilled craft. It involves careful planning and working with different materials. This process is often called cabinet making.
Images for kids
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This cabinet, made around 1606–1623, is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's made of oak and poplar wood, with fancy wood veneers and other materials.
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A beautiful commode (a type of cabinet) made by André-Charles Boulle at Vaux-le-Vicomte.
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This tortoise-shell cabinet belonged to the Polish king John III Sobieski. It's a historical piece of furniture.
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This double cabinet was made by Hughes Sambin between 1570 and 1600. It shows a mix of building-like shapes and carved designs, which was common in French furniture of that time.
See also
In Spanish: Gabinete (mobiliario) para niños
