Large Units Archives - No Shoes Allowed

The one thing that will save you a world of trouble is measuring the doorway and the stairwell before you fall in love with the piece, not just the wall where it's going to live. I have seen a beautiful oak cabinet get stuck sideways in a hallway, and the delivery men standing there looking at it like it had personally insulted them. Measure the width with the doors off, measure the turn at the top of the stairs, and measure twice, because a large unit that won't fit through your front door is just a very expensive piece of modern art sitting in your driveway.

A large unit is the wrong choice in a small apartment with low ceilings, or in a room you plan to rearrange every few months, because once it's in, it's staying put for years, not weeks. It is also not for anyone who wants light and air in a room, since even a beautiful one reads as a wall once it's full. If you need flexibility more than storage, a few smaller pieces will serve you better than one big commitment that swallows a whole side of the room. But if you have real stuff, serving platters, linens, board games, the good glasses that only come out twice a year, this is where it all finally has a home instead of living in boxes in the garage.

In an ordinary room, a large unit sits well against a long wall in a dining room or living room, paired with a simple table and chairs that don't fight for attention, or tucked behind a sofa where it can hold lamps and photos without looking like storage at all. Wood tones warm up a room that's gone a little cold and modern, while a painted finish in a soft color can make a big piece feel lighter than it is. Give it a rug underneath or nearby so it doesn't look like it's floating on bare floor, and leave some breathing room on top instead of crowding every inch with decor.

Solid wood ages beautifully, picking up small dents and a little color change that only makes it look more like it belongs to you, and a damp cloth with the grain is all it ever needs. Veneer holds up fine day to day but doesn't love being wiped with anything wet, so keep the coasters and placemats close by. Either way, check the hinges and drawer runners once a year, because that's usually the first thing to loosen before anything else even thinks about going wrong.

Would I still want this piece in the room in ten years, or am I just trying to solve a storage problem I could fix with something smaller?