This invention relates to modular furniture .

This invention has particular, but not exclusive , application to modular wall furniture that may be used for storage and/or display purposes , such as a cupboard, bookshel f , chest of drawers and like furniture , and wherein reference will be made to same . However, it will be appreciated that the invention also has application to freestanding modular furniture that may be used for storage and/or display purposes , such as kitchen cupboards , bookshelves , chests of drawers and like furniture that is supported by a plurality of legs , or which rests on a pedestal or kickboard .

Modular furniture units typically include a carcass or shell consisting of two , vertically orientated, opposing side walls that are maintained in a preferred spaced apart relationship by a top wall and an opposing bottom wall , each of which is secured to adj acent opposing end portions of the two side walls . The shell may also include internal bracing so as to prevent skewing of the side wal ls , such as one or more bracing members , and/or a rear wall .

The side walls may include at least two columns of apertures , commonly referred to as shel f-pin holes or mounting openings , for attaching shelves , drawers , doors etc to the side walls and wherein the location of the shel f-pin holes generally dictates the location of said shelves , drawers and doors relative to other shelves , drawers and doors .

The columns of shel f-pin holes in use extend generally vertically along much of the length of each side wall and wherein the columns of shelf-pin holes are typically located adjacent a front edge portion and a rear edge portion of each side wall respectively. Further, most, if not all, of the shelf-pin holes contained in the rear column of shelf-pin holes in use are aligned horizontally with a corresponding shelf-pin hole contained in the front column of shelf pin holes.

Typically, the centres of adjacent shelf-pin holes contained within a column are spaced 32 mm apart, or multiples of 32 mm, and wherein there are purpose-built machines that have been designed for drilling shelf-pin holes in shell walls. The shelf-pin holes typically have a diameter of 5 mm and a depth of between 10 mm and 18 mm.

When designing modular furniture comprising a plurality of modular units, it is common for persons to begin with a drawing of the wall on which the furniture shall be mounted and wherein representations of various shells, often of different heights, may be positioned on the drawing, while having regard for any pre-existing fixtures, such as doors, windows, chair rails, picture rails, exposed posts and beams and any external plumbing fixtures, as well as any additional functional requirements of the furniture. For example, a top wall of a shell may in use serve a secondary purpose, such as a desktop, workbench, or support for a television or entertainment unit. Similarly, the bottom wall of a shell may provide support for an article that depends therefrom, such as a cloths rail.

Manufacturers of modular furniture units typically also manufacture a range of accessories or interiors for use with these units, such as shelves, drawers and doors. Having settled on a preferred layout of shells , persons may then select various accessories for attachment to said shells , such as shelves , drawers and doors in order to suit their needs and taste .

A problem with existing modular furniture units is that accessories or interiors tend to be designed to suit a shell having a predetermined height . Consequently, where a range of modular furniture units are combined, such as two or more shells of di f fering height , edges of drawers and doors designed for one shell may not be aligned with edges of drawers and doors associated with an adj acent shell having a di f ferent height .

To accommodate numerous combinations of accessories and interiors , retailers typically are required to carry in stock a wide range of accessories and interiors of di f fering dimensions . This in turn can lead to problems for the retailer, particularly in relation to storage , such as the allocation of storage space to items that are not as popular as others .

Further, because of a lack of interchangeability of accessories and interiors , customers are limited in the number of ways that various modular units may be combined and/or utilised . Alternatively, in order to accommodate speci fic needs , customers often commission cabinetmakers to manufacture customised accessories and/or interiors .

It would be beneficial i f standardised drawers , doors and shelves could be used with shells of di f ferent height and wherein the shelves associated with one unit could be aligned hori zontally with the shelves of an adj acent unit , i f desired, and similarly i f the edges of drawer fronts of drawers associated with one shell are aligned with the edges of drawer fronts of drawers associated with an adj acent shell , and similarly that the upper and lower edges of doors attached to adj acent shells are aligned, i f desired .

Further, having regard for economy, it will also be beneficial to have standardised modules that can be combined in di f ferent ways depending on the final piece of furniture to be formed . The modules may be placed on top of each other and/or side-by-side to form furniture of di f ferent si zes and designs .

It is therefore an obj ect of the present invention to provide modular furniture which will alleviate at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art .

With the foregoing and other obj ects in view, this invention relates to a set of modular furniture units that are intended to be used together to create a storage system and wherein each unit shall include a shell having opposed side walls having upper and lower edge portions , said side walls being maintained in a preferred spaced apart relationship by a top wall that is attached to said upper edge portions and an opposing bottom wall that is attached to said lower edge portions , said set of modular furniture units including : at least some shells of di f fering height and wherein the height of all of the shells is a multiple of 256 mm .

For example , the minimum height of a shell may be 256 mm and wherein the set may include shells that are 256 mm high and multiples of 256 mm high . For example , the set of modular furniture units may include a set of shells that are 256 mm, 512 mm, 768 mm, 1024 mm, 1280 mm, 1536 mm, 1792 mm, 2048 mm and 2304 mm high . The shells may be supplied in a disassembled state and subsequently assembled on site .

Preferably, the shells are stackable , such that the shells , when used to create a storage system, may be stacked one on top of the other so as to create a stack of shells and wherein the height of the stack may be the same as the height o f either one other shell from the set , or a second stack of shells that includes at least one shell having a height that is not the same as any of the shells from the first stack .

For example , the first stack may comprise two shells , each having a height of 512 mm, that are stacked one on top of the other so as to form a stack that is 1024 mm high, while the second stack may comprise either a single shell that is 1024 mm high, or two shells that are each 256 mm high that are stacked on top of a shell that is 512 mm high

Preferably each side wall , in its operative attitude , includes a front edge portion and a rear edge portion, and a first or forward column of shel f-pin holes and a second or rearward column of shel f-pin holes that are located adj acent said front and rear edge portions respectively . The columns of shel f-pin holes are preferably parallel to one another and to the front and rear edge portions .

The shel f-pin holes each have a diameter and wherein preferably the diameters of the shel f-pin holes that make up a column are aligned with one another .

Further, the diameter of at least some , and preferably all , of the shel f-pin holes contained in one column are aligned with a diameter of a corresponding shel f-pin hole of an adj acent column such that they form a row of shelf-pin holes that is orthogonal to said two columns of shelf-pin holes.

Further, it is preferred that the diameters of each row of shelf-pin holes of one side wall are contained in a horizontal plane that contains the diameters of a corresponding row of shelf-pin holes of the opposing side wall.

Preferably, when shells of differing height are placed side by side, such as adjacent shells that abut as well as adjacent shells that are spaced a distance apart, at least some, and preferably all of the shelf-pin holes in a row of shelf-pin holes of a side wall of one shell are contained in a horizontal plane that contains a corresponding row of shelf-pin holes of a side wall of the adjacent shell.

Preferably the diameter of adjacent shelf-pin holes of a column of shelf-pin holes are separated by a predetermined distance or a multiple of a predetermined distance. For example, the diameter of adjacent shelf-pin holes may be spaced 32 mm apart, or multiples of 32 mm apart.

The diameter of the shelf-pin holes contained in the forward column of shelf-pin holes may be spaced any suitable distance from the front edge of the side wall and will often be dictated by available hardware, such as drawer slides and door hinges. However, it is preferred that the diameter of the shelfpin holes contained in the forward column are spaced 37 mm from front edge of the side wall, (industry standard) .

The diameter of the shelf-pin holes contained in the rearward column of shelf-pin holes may be spaced any suitable distance from the rear edge of the side wall, and wherein the spacing may depend upon the depth of the shell and/or available hardware , such as drawer slides .

The shel f-pin holes may have any suitable diameter . However, it is preferred that the diameter of the shel f-pin holes is 5 mm .

The shel f-pin holes may have any suitable depth . However, it is preferred that the depth of the shel f-pin holes is between 10 mm and 18 mm, and more preferably 12 mm .

For all of the shells that make up a set of shells , the diameter of the lower most operative shel f-pin hole contained in a column of shel f-pin holes is preferably spaced a predetermined distance , or the sum of the predetermined distance and multiples of the distance separating the diameters of adj acent shel f-pin holes , from the lower edge of the side wall and wherein the chosen predetermined distance may itsel f depend upon available hardware, such as the depth of drawers and/or the height of any drawer face intended to be used in conj unction with the shells .

Similarly, for all of the shells that make up a set of shells , the diameter of the upper most operative shel f-pin hole contained in column of shel f-pin holes is preferably spaced a predetermined distance , or the sum of the predetermined distance and multiples of the distance separating the diameters of adj acent shel f-pin holes , from the upper edge of the side wall and wherein the chosen predetermined distance may itsel f depend upon available hardware, such as the depth of drawers and/or the height of any drawer face intended to be used in conj unction with the shells . Preferably the sum of the distance separating the diameter of the lower most operative shel f-pin hole from the lower edge of the side wall and the distance separating the diameter of the upper most shel f-pin hole from the upper edge of the side wall for all of the shells of a set of shells is constant , ( say "x" ) . Further, it is preferred that the sum of these two distances is a multiple of 32 mm . For example , the diameter of the lower most operative shel f-pin hole may be spaced 40 mm from the lower edge of the side wall and the diameter of the upper most operative shel f-pin hole may be spaced 56 mm from the upper edge of the side wall , and wherein the sum of these two distances is 96 mm, which is itsel f a multiple of 32 mm .

It therefore follows that when two shells from the set , regardless of their height , are stacked one on top of the other, the sum of the distance separating the diameter of the upper most operative shel f-pin hole from the upper edge of the lower shell and the distance separating the diameter of the lower most operative shel f-pin hole from the lower edge of the upper shell will also be the same constant "x" . For example , the diameter of the upper most operative shel f-pin hole of the lower shell may be spaced 56 mm from the upper edge of the side wall and the diameter of the lower most operative shel f-pin hole of the upper shell may be spaced 40 mm from the lower edge of the side wall , and wherein the sum of these two distances is 96 mm, which is itsel f a multiple of 32 mm .

The set of modular storage units may further include a plurality of accessories , such as doors , and wherein there may be doors that are adapted to close an opening in a shell defined by the side walls , top wall and bottom wall , or at least a portion of said opening . There may also be provided doors that are adapted to close an opening defined by the side walls , top walls and bottom walls of two or more shells that are stacked one on top of the other, or at least a portion of said opening .

The doors may be attached to a s ide wall of a shell using at least two suitable hinges . The hinges may include a cabinet mounting plate , for attachment to a side wall of a shell , and a cup plate , for attachment to a door, and wherein the cabinet mounting plate is pivotally connected to the cup plate . The cabinet mounting plate may include at least two mounting apertures that , in use , may be aligned with shel f-pin holes contained within a column of shel f-pin holes and wherein a threaded shank of a screw may extend through the aligned mounting aperture and shel f-pin hole in order to secure the cabinet mounting plate to the side wall .

The accessories may also include drawers and one or more sliding mechanisms , such as a slide , associated with each drawer for mounting each drawer to opposed side walls of a shell . The slide may include a plurality of mounting apertures that , in use , may be aligned with shel f-pin holes contained within a column of shel f-pin holes and wherein a threaded shank of a screw may extend through a mounting aperture that is aligned with a shel f-pin hole in order to secure the cabinet mounting plate to the side wall .

The drawers may vary in depth and may be adapted to fill , or partially fill the space defined by the side walls , top wall and bottom wall o f a shell . For example , a shell may include one drawer or several drawers located one above the other .

Further, where there are two or more drawers located one on top of the other, whether they be contained within the same shell , or in adj acent shells , preferably the reveal , ( the distance separating the upper edge of the drawer face of the lower drawer and the lower edge of the drawer face of the upper drawer ) , is preferably constant for all of the drawers that have a drawer face of the same depth . The si ze of the reveal can be varied and will depend upon the depth of the drawer face . For example , the reveal may be 3 mm .

Consequently, where there are drawers of the same si ze located side by side , in adj acent shells , including shells that are spaced a distance apart , the upper edge of the drawer face of each drawer will be aligned and, similarly, the lower edge of the drawer face of each drawer will be aligned .

The drawers may include two opposing side walls that are maintained in a spaced relationship by opposing front and rear walls , and a bottom wall , that combine to form an open topped container .

Each of the side walls may be supported within a shell by a slide and wherein the slide may include two front and two rear mounting apertures , and wherein the diameters of the front two and rear two mounting apertures are spaced the same distance adj acent shel f-pin holes are spaced apart in a column of shel fpin holes , or a multiple of same . For example , the diameter of the mounting apertures may be spaced 32 mm apart .

The Slides may be secured to a respective side wall of a shell using fasteners , such as screws , having a threaded shank that extends through a mounting aperture that is aligned with an adj acent shel f-pin hole such that opposing slides are aligned hori zontally and wherein use , a drawer supported by a pair of slides may slide relative to the slides , in and out of the shell . Each drawer preferably includes a drawer face having an upper edge and a lower edge . Preferably the upper edges and lower edges of the drawer face are aligned with the upper and lower edges respectively of a drawer face of an adj acent drawer .

The drawer face may have any suitable height . However, it is preferred that the height of the drawer face is a multiple of the distance separating the diameters of adj acent shel f-pin holes in a column of shel f-pin holes . For example , i f the diameters of adj acent shel f-pin holes are spaced 32 mm apart , the height of the drawer face may be 128 mm high or 256 mm high .

The accessories may also include one or more shelves that may be positioned between and supported by opposing side walls of a shell by four pins each having an end portion that is located within a respective one of the aligned shel f-pin holes of a given row of shel f-pin holes .

Other accessories may include clothing rails or garment rods for supporting clothes hangers .

In another aspect , this invention relates to a set of modular furniture units that are intended to be used together to create a storage system and wherein each unit shall include a shell having opposed side walls having upper and lower edge portions , said side walls being maintained in a preferred spaced apart relationship by a top wall that is attached to said upper edge portions and an opposing bottom wall that is attached to said lower edge portions , said set of modular furniture units including at least some shells of di f fering height , said shells including : said side walls of each of the shells , in their operative attitude , shall include a front edge portion and a rear edge portion, and an upper edge and a lower edge ; a first or forward column of shel f-pin holes and a second or rearward column of shel f-pin holes that are located adj acent said front and rear edge portions respectively, said shel f-pin holes each having a diameter and wherein the diameters of said shel f-pin holes that make up said forward column are aligned with one another and the diameters of said shel f-pin holes that make up said rearward column are aligned with one another, and wherein the diameters of adj acent shel f-pin holes in any one of the columns are spaced a first predetermined distance apart , and wherein the diameter of the uppermost shel f-pin hole in each of said forward and rearward columns is spaced a second predetermined distance from said upper edge , or the sum of said second predetermined distance and a multiple of said first predetermined distance , and wherein the diameter of the lowermost shel f-pin hole in each of said forward and rearward columns is spaced a third predetermined distance from said lower edge , or the sum of said third predetermined distance and a multiple of said first predetermined distance , and wherein the sum of said second predetermined distance and said third predetermined distance is equal to the first predetermined distance , or a multiple of said first predetermined distance .

Preferably the height of each of the shells that make up said is a multiple of the first predetermined distance .

The set of modular storage units may also include accessories , including drawers of the type having two opposing side walls that are maintained in a spaced relationship by opposing front and rear walls , and a bottom wall , that combine to form an open topped container, and wherein the front wall functions as a drawer front or a drawer front is attached thereto . Preferably the height of the drawer front is a multiple of the first predetermined distance .

For example , the first predetermined distance may be 50 mm and wherein the set of shells may include shells that are 250 mm, 500 mm, 750 mm, 1000 mm, 1250 mm, 1500 mm, 1750 mm and 2000 mm high . Further, the second predetermined distance may be 60 mm and the third predetermined distance may be 40 mm .

Preferably the first predetermined distance is 32 mm .

Preferably the sum of the second predetermined distance and the third predetermined distance is 96 mm . More preferably, the second predetermined distance is 56 mm and the third predetermined distance is 40 mm .

Preferably, the set of modular storage units includes shells that are 256 mm, 512 mm, 768 mm, 1024 mm, 1280 mm, 1536 mm, 1792 mm and 2048 mm high .

In order that this invention may be more easily understood and put into practical ef fect , reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings :

Fig . 1 is a pictorial view showing a set of shells constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig . 2 is a side view of the set of shells shown in figure

1 with one side wall having been removed;

Fig . 3 is a pictorial view of view a shell that is 2048 mm high;

Fig . 4 is a front view of the shell shown in figure 3 ;

Fig . 5 is a side view of the shell shown in figure 3 with one side wall having been removed; Fig. 6 is a top view of the shell shown in figure 3;

Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the upper edge portion of a side wall of the shell shown in figure 3;

Fig. 8 is a detailed view of the lower edge portion of the side wall shown in figure 7;

Fig. 9 is a front pictorial view of a plurality of shells of differing sizes that have been selected from the set shown in figure 1 and arranged side by side and one on top of the other in order to create the carcass of a wardrobe that has been constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a front pictorial view of the wardrobe shown in figure 9 complete with accessories, including drawers and doors ;

Fig. 11 is a front pictorial view of a second wardrobe, complete with accessories, including drawers and doors, that has been constructed using the same carcass shown in figure 9, and

Fig. 12 is a detailed front view of the wardrobe shown in figure 11.

Figures 1 and 2 show a set 10 of eight shells 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, and wherein the height of the respective shells is 256 mm, 512 mm, 768 mm, 1024 mm, 1280 mm, 1536 mm, 1792 mm and 2048 mm.

Figures 3 to 8 show shell 18. However, we wish to point out that all of the shells that make up the set 10 are constructed in like manner.

The shell 18 includes two opposing, rectangularly shaped, side walls 20 that are 2048 mm high and 580 mm wide. However, the width of side walls may vary and is in part dependent upon the intended purpose of the furniture . For example , in other embodiments , the width of the side walls may be 280 mm or 380 mm .

The side walls 20 each have an upper edge portion 21 , including an upper edge 22 , and a lower edge portion 23 , including a lower edge 24 .

The side walls 20 are maintained in a preferred spaced apart relationship by a rectangularly shaped top wall 25 , that is attached to the upper edge portions 21 of the two side walls 20 using a suitable mechanical means of attachment , such as a bolt and cam nut , (not shown) , that may be accessed via recesses 26 in the top wall , and by a rectangularly shaped bottom wall 27 , that is attached to the lower edge portions 23 of the two side walls 20 , again using a suitable mechanical means of attachment , (not shown) , that may be accessed via recesses 28 in the bottom wall .

The shell 18 also includes a rectangularly shaped rear wall 30 made from medium density fibreboard, ("MDF" ) . The rear wall 30 has an upper edge portion 31 and a lower edge portion 32 and wherein the rear wall 30 further includes an upper bracing member 33 , that is attached to the upper edge portion 32 , and a lower bracing member 34 , that is attached to the lower edge portion 32 . The bracing members 33 and 34 may be attached to the rear wall 30 using any suitable means , such as an adhesive . However, it is preferred that the bracing members are secured to the rear wall using nails or staples .

The rear wall 30 is attached to the upper edge portions 21 of the two side walls 20 using a suitable mechanical means of attachment , such as a bolt and cam nut , (not shown) , that may be accessed via recesses 35 in the upper bracing member 33 , and to the lower edge portions 23 of the two side walls 20 using a suitable mechanical means of attachment , such as a bolt and cam nut , (not shown) , that may be accessed via recesses 36 in the lower bracing member 34 .

The rear wall 30 is also attached to a rear edge portion 37 of the top wall 25 at two locations using a suitable mechanical means of attachment , such as a bolt and cam nut , (not shown) , that may be accessed via respective recesses 38 in the upper bracing member 33 .

The rear wall 30 is also attached to a rear edge portion 39 of the bottom wall 27 at two locations using a suitable mechanical means of attachment , such as a bolt and cam nut , (not shown) , that may be accessed via respective recesses 40 in the lower bracing member 34 .

The side walls 20 , top wall 25 and bottom wall 27 may be constructed from any suitable material . However, it is preferred that the walls are manufactured from particle board and wherein the external faces of the particle board may be covered by a protective layer of a melamine resin or a plastics laminate .

Further, because the side walls , top wall , bottom wall and rear wall are all connected together using internally located connectors , the exterior of the shell is free of any blemishes , such as fixing apertures , and because there are no fixing apertures located on the exterior of the shell , it is not necessary to conceal these fixing apertures with a respective plug . More importantly, because there are no plugs that protrude from the external face of the side walls , top wall and bottom wall , there are no gaps between adj acent abutting walls of shells that are placed side by side one another or which are stacked one on top of the other .

The side walls , top wall and bottom wall may have any suitable thickness . However, it is preferred that the side walls , top wall and bottom wall are 16 mm thick .

The rear wall may be constructed using a thin sheet of plywood or a type of hardboard, such as Masonite .

The side walls 20 each include a front edge 41 and a forward column 42 of shel f-pin holes 43 and wherein the shel f-pin holes have a diameter of 5 mm and a depth of 12 mm .

The shel f-pin holes 43 , that make up the forward column 42 , extend along much of the length of the side wall 20 and wherein the diameters of adj acent shel f-pin holes are spaced 32 mm apart and are spaced 37mm from the front edge 41 .

The diameter of the lower most operative shel f-pin hole 43a, of the forward column 42 , i s spaced 40 mm from the lower edge 24 of the side wall 20 , while the upper most operative shel f-pin hole 43b, of the forward column 42 , is spaced 56 mm from the upper edge 22 of the side wall 20 .

It will be appreciated that the sum of the distance the lower most shel f-pin hole 43a is spaced from the lower edge 24 and the distance the upper most shel f-pin hole 43b is spaced from the upper edge 22 is 96 mm, which is a multiple of 32 mm, which also happens to be the spacing separating adj acent shel fpin holes of the forward column 42 . The side walls 20 each include a rear edge 45 and a rearward column 46 of shelf-pin holes 43 and wherein the shelf-pin holes have a diameter of 5 mm and a depth of 12 mm.

The shelf-pin holes 43, that make up the rearward column 46, extend along much of the length of the side wall 20 and wherein the diameters of adjacent shelf-pin holes are spaced 32 mm apart and are spaced 85 mm from the rear edge 45.

The diameter of the lower most operative shelf-pin hole 43c, of the rearward column 46, is spaced 40 mm from the lower edge 24 of the side wall 20, while the upper most operative shelf-pin hole 43d, of the rearward column 46, is spaced 56 mm from the upper edge 22 of the side wall 20.

It will be appreciated that the sum of the distance the lower most shelf-pin hole 43c is spaced from the lower edge 24 and the distance the upper most shelf-pin hole 43d is spaced from the upper edge 22 is 96 mm, which is a multiple of 32 mm, which also happens to be the spacing separating adjacent shelfpin holes of the rearward column 42.

Further, it will be appreciated that the shelf-pin holes 43a and 43c form a horizontal row of shelf-pin holes and wherein the row of shelf-pin holes is orthogonal to both the forward and rearward columns of shelf-pin-holes.

It will also be appreciated that the diameters of the shelfpin holes 43a and 43c of the two side walls 20 are contained in the same horizontal plane.

Thus, because the diameter of each shelf-pin-hole in each column of both side walls 20 is spaced 32 mm apart from the diameter of each adjacent shelf-pin hole, it follows that the diameter of each of the shelf-pin holes 43 contained in the forward column 42 of each of the side walls 20 is horizontally aligned with the diameter of a corresponding shelf-pin hole in the rearward column 46 of the same side wall 20, and that each of the resulting horizontal rows of aligned shelf-pin holes of one side wall lie in a plane containing a corresponding row of shelf-pin holes of the opposing side wall 20.

Figure 9 shows twelve shells, namely six shells 12, two shells 13, two shells 14, one shell 16 and one shell 18, that have been selected from the set 10 of shells, and wherein the shells have been arranged either on top of the other and/or side by side, to form a carcass 50 of a proposed wardrobe.

Each of the shells 12, 23, 14 and 16 have features that are similar to the shell 18 described above. They all have two opposing, rectangularly shaped side walls 20 that are maintained in a spaced relationship by a top wall 25 and a bottom wall 27, and wherein the side walls, top walls and bottom walls are all 16 mm thick.

Each shell includes a forward column 42 of shelf-pin holes 43 and a rearward column 46 of shelf-pin holes and wherein the diameter of the lower most operative shelf-pin hole 43a or 43c is spaced 40 mm from the bottom edge 24 of the side wall 20, and wherein the diameter of the upper most operative shelf-pin hole 43b or 43d is spaced 56 mm from the top edge 22 of the side wall 20.

Further, the diameter of each shelf-pin hole contained in a column is spaced 32 mm from the diameter of an adjacent shelfpin hole. Accordingly, it follows that the diameter of all of the shelf-pin holes contained in one column are aligned with a diameter of a corresponding shelf-pin hole of an adjacent column of the same side wall such that they form a row of shelf-pin holes that is orthogonal to said two columns of shelf-pin holes.

Further, each row of shelf-pin holes of one side wall are contained in a horizontal plane that contains a corresponding row of shelf-pin holes of the opposing side wall of the same shell .

Further, when shells of differing height are placed side by side, as shown in figure 9, all of the shelf-pin holes in a row of shelf-pin holes of a side wall of one shell are contained in a horizontal plane that contains a corresponding row of shelfpin holes of a side wall of the adjacent shell.

Figure 10 shows a wardrobe 60 that has been constructed using the carcass 50, as shown in figure 9, to which a user has added various accessories, including drawers 61 and doors 62.

Figures 11 and 12 show an alternative wardrobe 70 that has been constructed using the carcass 50, as shown in figure 9, to which a user has added various accessories, including drawers 61 and doors 62, 63, 64 and 65, and wherein it will be noted the versatile use of the doors. For example, a door 62 is used to selectively close access to the interior of shell 14a, while door 64a has been used to selectively close access to three shells 12a that are stacked one on top of the other. Somewhat similarly, door 64b has been used to selectively close access to shell 12 b and an upper portion of shell 16. The drawers 61 include two opposing side walls that are maintained in a spaced relationship by opposing front and rear walls , and a bottom wall , that combine to form an open topped container .

Each of the side walls is supported within a shell by a slide having two front and two rear mounting apertures , and wherein the diameters of the front two mounting apertures are spaced 32 mm apart . Similarly, the diameters of the two rear mounting apertures are also spaced 32 mm apart .

Slides may be secured to a respective side wall 20 of a shell using fasteners , such as screws , having a threaded shank that extends through a mounting aperture that is aligned with an adj acent shel f-pin hole such that opposing slides are aligned hori zontally and wherein use , a drawer supported by a pair of slides may slide relative to the slides , in and out of the shell .

The front wall may function as a drawer face . Alternatively, a drawer face 66 may be attached to the front face .

The drawer face 66 includes an upper edge 67 and a lower edge 68 .

Figures 10 , 11 and 12 show drawers 61 , and wherein two drawers 61 are adapted to fill the interior of a shell 12 , while four drawers 61 will fill the interior of a shell 14 .

Where drawers 61 are located one above the other, the reveal , namely the distance separating the upper edge of the drawer face of the lower drawer from the lower edge of the drawer face of the drawer above , is 3 mm . Further, it will be noted that the upper edge 67 of drawer faces 66 of adj acent drawers 61 are aligned . Similarly, it will be noted that the lower edges 68 o f drawer faces 66 of adj acent drawers 61 are aligned .

The wardrobe 70 also includes clothing rails 80 that include a rail 81 having opposed end portions that are supported by a respective mounting bracket 82 , and wherein each mounting bracket includes two mounting apertures that , in use , may be aligned with respective mounting openings 83 in the side walls 20 and wherein a threaded shank of a screw may extend through the aligned mounting aperture and mounting opening in order to secure the mounting bracket to the side wall .

The foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention and any modi fications and variations which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .