Most display cabinets quietly avoid glazing the sides. It costs more, it complicates the build, and a solid panel is easier. The Hudson does it anyway.

Glass on three sides rather than just the front changes what the piece does in a room. The eye travels into and through the cabinet from any angle, light passes across the contents from multiple directions, and what you have stored inside is lit rather than merely contained. It reads as an artisan-built vitrine or an apothecary case rather than a traditional china cupboard.

The slim elmwood frames are doing deliberate work here. Keep the timber narrow and it recedes, so the glass and the contents dominate. A heavier frame would turn the same cabinet into a piece of joinery with windows in it.

The solid elmwood is finished in a warm honey tone with visible grain, knots and natural variation. Elm has a wandering, interlocking grain with warmer undertones than oak and far more character board to board, which is why it has been prized for furniture for centuries.

The proportions are deliberately tall rather than squat, drawing the eye upward and giving the cabinet the architectural presence of a built-in even though it stands free.

• Glazed on three sides, so contents are lit from multiple directions rather than sitting in shadow
• Six interior shelves giving seven horizontal compartments, from dinner service to glassware to ceramics
• 25kg load rating per shelf, which is a serious specification rather than a decorative one
• 196cm of height with the presence of a built-in, without the builder
• Solid elmwood with warm honey tone, visible grain and genuine character
• Antique patinated knob handles in a dark bronze that suits the timber rather than competing
• Only 40cm deep, so it holds a wall without eating the room
• Wall brackets included, so nothing extra needs sourcing on the day
• Over 100kg of solid elm. A generational piece, bought once and kept through several houses

Choose the wall carefully. The cabinet must be fixed to it, so a solid masonry or properly studded wall is what you want. Avoid a stud wall where you cannot locate timber behind the plasterboard at the fixing height.

Light it well. Glazing on three sides only pays off if light can reach it. Position it where it catches natural light from a window during the day, and add a lamp nearby for the evening.

Measure the route in. At 196cm tall and 102kg, doorways, hallway turns, stairwell corners and ceiling height on the stairs all matter. Tell us your access route before ordering.

This cabinet must be wall mounted. It is not optional. At 196cm tall on a 40cm footprint and weighing 102kg, the proportions make it a genuine tipping risk if it is left freestanding, particularly once the upper shelves are loaded.

Concealed wall-mount brackets are supplied. Fix into masonry with appropriate plugs and screws, or into studs on a timber-framed wall. Plasterboard fixings alone are not adequate for a piece of this weight and height.

Assembly is required and instructions are included. Given the weight and the amount of glass involved, this is a two person job at minimum, and we would suggest a professional fitter if you are at all unsure.

Loading it safely. Heaviest items on the lower shelves, lightest at the top. Each shelf carries up to 25kg, but a cabinet loaded top-heavy is far less stable than the same weight distributed low even when the fixings are correct.

If there are young children in the house, secure the cabinet before you put anything in it rather than after. Glazed furniture and climbing children are a combination worth taking seriously.

Seven horizontal compartments, all framed and lit by the glazing on three sides. That is a lot of display, and what goes in matters more than with a solid cabinet, because everything is visible from every angle.

The best possible use of a three-sided vitrine. Light passing through glass on the sides and through the glassware itself is the whole point. Keep it to one type per shelf rather than mixing.

Stacked plates on the lower shelves where the weight belongs, with bowls and serving pieces above. Our crockery and bowls and dishes ranges are built for exactly this.

Group by material or by colour rather than scattering. Odd numbers, varying heights, and leave real gaps. A packed shelf reads as storage, a sparse one reads as a collection.

The compartment heights take bottles standing upright, which turns a dining room cabinet into a serving station.

Anything you would not want on permanent view. With glass on three sides there is no back corner to hide things in, which is the trade for how good it looks.

A darker wall behind a glazed cabinet is transformative. Deep olive, charcoal or a soft ink blue makes the contents read as lit objects rather than blending into the wall. Warm honey elm holds up beautifully against all three. Against pale walls it is softer but the contents lose definition.

A table lamp or a wall light beside the cabinet does more than an overhead fitting, because side light passes through the glazed panels rather than bouncing off the front.

Do not crowd a 196cm cabinet with furniture up against it. This is the piece the wall is about, and it needs a clear run either side to read properly.

Warm honey elm wants an echo somewhere in the room. A dining table, a console or a set of chairs in a related tone stops the cabinet reading as an orphan.

At 196cm there is barely a surface to style, and that is a mercy. Leave the top alone and let the glazing do the work.

Solid elmwood frame. A hardwood with a wandering, interlocking grain that gives it both its distinctive appearance and a natural resistance to splitting. Warmer in tone than oak, with far more variation from board to board, which is why the honey finish reads with such depth.

Glazed doors and side panels. The defining feature, and the reason the cabinet costs what it does. Glazing a side panel is considerably more work than fitting a solid one.

Six interior shelves, 25kg each. A real load rating rather than a decorative shelf. That is a full stack of dinner plates per shelf with margin to spare.

Antique knob handles in patinated metal. Dark bronze tone, aged rather than bright, so they sit quietly against the honey timber.

Grain, knots and tonal variation differ from piece to piece, because this is genuine solid timber. That variation is the material working as intended.

The glass. A glass cleaner on a soft cloth, sprayed onto the cloth rather than onto the panel, so it does not run onto the timber frame. Wipe the frame dry immediately if any does.

The timber. Dust along the grain with a soft dry cloth. Avoid silicone polishes and all purpose sprays, which build up and dull a wood finish over time.

The handles. Dry cloth only. Never use metal polish, which will strip the antique patina back to bright metal in patches.

Check the fixings. Worth a look once a year, and after any house move. Wall fixings on a heavy piece are not a fit-and-forget job.

Placement. Keep it clear of a radiator and out of prolonged direct sunlight. Dry heat is hard on solid timber, and strong sun will lighten the honey tone over years.

Your cabinet is packed with the care a glazed 102kg piece needs and travels with our specialist furniture courier rather than a general carrier. Allow 10 to 14 days, and they will call ahead to arrange a time that works around you. Full details on our delivery page.

Before you order, talk to us about access and about the wall you intend to fix it to. On a piece like this the route in and the fixing surface matter as much as the room it is going in, and we would far rather work that through with you beforehand. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right once it is in the room, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Specifying for a project? Ask about trade accounts.