By: James Monahan
In many homes today, cabinets play an important role in storage and space. People who live in smaller homes need to maximize their living spaces and use cabinets and other fixtures to enforce this.
We see bureaus, consoles, and cupboards to store clothing, personal keepsakes, and food items. We see these furniture pieces in almost every room in the house but mostly in dining rooms and kitchens where utensils and food items need better storage facilities.
Cupboards are very prominent in most kitchens today. They store precious china sets, cooking utensils, and food ingredients. They also add storage space and style to kitchens.
One of the many types of cabinets, a cupboard is usually made of wood whose original purpose was to store cups, hence the name cupboard.
For the past few centuries, however, the term “cupboard” has been referred to any cabinet or storage area which is enclosed by doors. Cupboards now come in different designs and are created using other materials aside from wood. They are exceptionally crafted and are created so to add beauty and elegance to any kitchen.
Homeowners also express their creativity and versatility by installing different types of cupboards in their homes. Their cupboards are now more sophisticated and are mainly for decoration rather than storage. They add decorations and other embellishments to these cabinets such as fabrics, personal items, and cushions.
Today, cupboards are even more versatile than they were before. More features are being installed to enhance their basic features such as adjustable shelves, dividers, hanging rails, hooks, drawers, trays, and locks.
The cupboard has gone a long way from its original purpose of storing cups. Nowadays, cupboards are also marketed for industrial and commercial applications.
More and more companies are fabricating these units as demands for them increase through time. Cupboards are now also being manufactured for industrial, office, and work station purposes.
Cupboards for industrial purposes are sturdy and designed to fit the needs of a workshop. Office cupboards are fabricated to cater to the office environment. These cupboards come with adjustable shelves and locks and their color scheme can fit the existing decoration of any office.
Work station cupboards are specialized units meant for many purposes. They are ideal to use in stores, warehouses, and production lines. An example of this cupboard type is the computer work station. The unit comes with monitor compartment, keyboard shelf, and a series of cabinets below for further storage.
Special cupboards are also manufactured for specific purposes. These are “toxic”, or "hazardous cabinets”, general safety cabinets, personal protection equipment (PPE) cabinets, first aid cabinets, and acid corrosive cabinets.
“Toxic” or “hazardous cabinets” are mainly used for storing toxic and hazardous materials; general safety cabinets are manufactured for safety purposes; PPE cabinets are used to store safety equipment and are mandatory in most working environments; first aid cabinets are used in workplaces and homes; and acid corrosive cabinets are intended for the safe storage of caustic materials like acids and alkali.
These cabinets are effective in the storage and identification of delicate materials. They are fabricated using special materials and finished with special coatings for more protection.
Cupboards are helpful for organizing purposes. Regardless of the use and place of display, they are versatile pieces that can fit any room in the house, or any place at the office. They even enhance the appearance of the room where they are displayed, especially when they are complemented with other decoration and furniture pieces.
James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of CupboardWebs.com and writes expert articles about cupboards.
