If you live in an Edinburgh tenement or older house, you probably have a press. In Scotland, a "press" is a built-in cupboard, usually set into the thickness of a wall or the space beside a chimney breast, with a panelled timber door. Some are shallow with shelves; some are deep enough to walk into. They are one of the most useful, and most under-used, features of a period flat.
Here are seven ways to make better use of yours, and what to think about before you start.
The simplest upgrade: take out the old shelves, add a hanging rail at the right height, a top shelf for bags and boxes, and a shoe rack at the bottom. If the press is deep, a pull-out rail lets you hang clothes front to back. Add a light that comes on when the door opens, and a dark cupboard becomes a usable wardrobe.
A press with a window, or one beside a chimney breast in a living room, can hold a compact desk. A fixed desktop at the right height, shelves above, power and data, and good lighting are the essentials. Close the doors at the end of the day and the office disappears. Check ventilation if you plan to use it for long periods, and keep any heat-producing equipment well ventilated.
Many tenement kitchens are small. A press near the kitchen can take a washing machine or a stacked washer and dryer, with shelves for cleaning things above. This usually needs a plumber and electrician, and venting a dryer is not always possible, so a condenser or heat-pump dryer is often the practical choice. Check your title deeds and the building's rules if you are changing plumbing in a tenement.
Shallow presses make excellent pantries because nothing gets lost at the back. Adjustable shelves, door racks and good lighting make it easy to see everything. If the press is on an outside wall it will often be cooler, which is useful for storing food.
In a living or dining room, a press can become a drinks cabinet or coffee station, with a worktop at counter height, glass shelves and a mirrored back. A small under-counter fridge needs power and some ventilation.
Take the doors off, line the inside, add lighting and turn the press into a built-in bookcase or display alcove. Keep the doors in the loft in case you, or a buyer, want to put them back. Paint the inside a contrasting colour to make it a feature.
Larger presses, especially ones next to a bathroom, are sometimes used to create a small shower room or WC. This is a bigger job: it involves drainage, ventilation and waterproofing, and is likely to need a building warrant. In a tenement, new drainage and changes to walls also need checking against your title deeds and the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004.
Is the wall load-bearing? Press cupboards are often set into thick walls. Do not remove or cut into the walls around a press without getting advice first.
Is there a flue? Presses beside chimney breasts may sit next to old flues. Check before running cables or fixing into the back.
Is the building listed? Many Edinburgh tenements are. Listing covers interiors too. Changes that affect the character of original features, such as removing panelled press doors, may need listed building consent. Restoring and adapting the inside of a press while keeping the original door is usually the safer route.
Damp. Presses on outside walls can be cold and prone to condensation. Good ventilation and avoiding packing them tight against the wall help.
The panelled doors are part of what makes a press feel right in a period home. They can usually be stripped, repaired and rehung, and new ironmongery added. Where a door is missing, a joiner can make a new one to match the others in the flat.
A press is the Scottish word for a built-in cupboard, often set into the thickness of a wall or beside a chimney breast in tenements and older houses, usually with a panelled timber door.
Yes. Hanging rails, shelves and lighting can turn most presses into a practical wardrobe. Deep presses suit pull-out rails.
Often, yes, with a plumber and electrician. Venting a tumble dryer may not be possible, so a condenser or heat-pump dryer is often used.
Changes that affect the character of the building, such as removing original doors, may need listed building consent. Fitting out the inside while keeping the original door is less likely to.
Sometimes, if it is large enough and drainage and ventilation can be provided. It is likely to need a building warrant, and in a tenement you should check your title deeds.
Our joiners make fitted interiors for press cupboards across Edinburgh, from wardrobes to desks, and can restore or match original press doors. The price depends on the scope. After a home visit we give a fixed written quote for the agreed work. See our built-in furniture service.
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