The French armoire began as a knight's wardrobe closet.
Originally, French armoires were used for storing arms or tools. Today, French armoires are used for storing clothing, linens or other items or for housing entertainment centers. French armoires are large cabinets, usually with double doors, sometimes with shelves and drawers. French armoires are made of solid hardwood painted white, off-white, French country blue, French country green, or stained and varnished. They are made with frame-and-raised-panel doors. The provincial style has arched upper rails. French armoires often have hand-carving, hand-painted designs and metal ornaments. Make a business of building French armoire cabinets to customer's specifications for use as entertainment centers or other special purposes.
Instructions
1. Build as many sample French armoires as you can afford to make and store. Create variety in style through paint color, wood finish, ornamentation and interior cabinet design. French armoire plans are available online or in woodworking books.
2. Take digital photographs of your French armoire samples. Lighting is key to good photography, as is angle. Place the cabinet near a large window or open door on an overcast day. The lighting on an overcast day is even and less likely to create shadows. Check the background to make certain there is nothing distracting. Aim the camera at the vertical center of the cabinet to prevent distortion. A low angle makes the bottom look wider and the top narrower. A high angle does the reverse.
3. If you can afford it, hire a professional to photograph your cabinets for you.
Establish a web presence with a blog and a website. Resize the copies of your photographs to 200, 300 or 400 pixels wide. As long as you have the originals, you can make copies and change the sizes until you have the right size. Keep in mind that the appearance of the photograph on your computer screen may not match how it will look on your website.
4. Network through fine furniture stores, antique shops and specialty shops. Leave cards and brochures that include your web address and contact information. Negotiate a finder's fee with store managers, paying them a percentage for every sale they send your way.
5. Place samples of your work in fine furniture stores, along with your business card or brochure and web address.
6. Give talks and demonstrations. Clubs and civic organizations are always looking for speakers. Present the history of French armoires to historical societies, reading groups or even garden clubs.
Tags: French armoires, French armoire, entertainment centers, fine furniture, fine furniture stores, French country
