How do you transport them?

Almost all antique breakfront wardrobes dismantle. They were built for grand houses with awkward stairs, so makers designed them to break down. You lift off the top cornice first. The three vertical sections then unbolt from each other, leaving the flat plinth base behind.

I live in an old house with very uneven floorboards upstairs and I am worried that a huge piece like this will wobble or lean forward when we put clothes inside.

Large antique pieces rarely sit flush on old floors. The base will follow the dip of your boards, which causes the heavy doors to swing open or bind against their frames. You pack the base to fix this. Small wedges slipped under the plinth will level the structure, taking the stress off the hinges so they don't break.

Can you fit modern hangers?

Often not. The side wings on early pieces are usually too shallow for wide modern hangers to sit straight. You can mount a small rail front-to-back instead. This solves the depth issue and they won't catch on the doors.

When looking at the back panels of the wardrobe, should I expect to see solid wood planks or is it normal for them to have some kind of fabric or paper covering over the boards?

The backboards should be plain, solid timber. Cabinetmakers used cheap secondary woods like pine or deal, leaving them unpolished on the side facing the wall. Fabric or paper linings are later additions. Housekeepers sometimes pasted wallpaper over the backboards to stop dust getting in through the shrinkage gaps. If the back looks sealed with modern plywood, someone's altered it. Regional restorers often replaced loose original boards to stiffen a wobbly carcase.

Home > Wardrobes > Breakfront Wardrobes > Page 3

Antique Breakfront Wardrobes from the 19th Century

← Page 3 of 3 →

An antique breakfront wardrobe is a substantial clothes storage piece featuring a projecting central section flanked by two recessed wings, designed to organise formal garments in grand bedrooms.