Narrow chest with 18 small drawers – worn cream and green paint, c. 1900–1940

Narrow tall chest with 18 small drawers – workshop cabinet in worn paint

This narrow chest of drawers with no fewer than 18 small drawers is a tall, slender workshop cabinet or bank of drawers from a studio, shop or barn, the kind of piece also known as an apothecary cabinet. At the top there are two columns of small drawers (six and seven), and below them five wide drawers across the full width. Every drawer has a wooden knob. The cabinet still has its worn original paint: layers of cream and white over sage green, patches where the wood shows through and a patina that cannot be faked.

Why we chose this piece

We bought it for the paint. After years of use, the layers of cream and green have worn differently on every drawer, which makes the cabinet almost a painting. At the same time it is very practical: at just over 25 cm wide it fits into a narrow alcove, beside a bed or in a corner of the kitchen, study or sewing corner, and 18 drawers swallow everything that would otherwise lie around, from buttons and thread to keys and pens.

Style and interior

The cabinet suits a rural, brocante or industrial interior and is at home in a studio or study. In a clean, modern interior it works well as a contrast: a piece with history next to calm, new materials. The soft green combines beautifully with linen, old wood, terracotta and limewashed walls.

Dimensions: 25.3 cm wide, 77 cm high, 27 cm deep (30 cm including the knobs)
Material: softwood, painted; wooden knobs fixed with iron screws
Style: rural workshop furniture
Period: c. 1900–1940
Origin: Western Europe
Quantity: 18 drawers
Condition: The paint is heavily worn and flaking, with several layers of cream and green, darker undercoats here and there and bare wood (photos 3 and 6). That is exactly its charm, but if you are looking for a crisp cabinet, you should know this; loose flakes of paint may still come off, and if you would rather avoid that, the paint can be fixed with a matt wax. Along the top edge of the front and on some of the dividers there are old woodworm holes (photos 4 and 5). At the bottom of the side a patch of paint is missing, exposing the bare wood (photo 2). The bottom drawer has a different, dark knob, a later replacement (photo 6). Some drawers do not close completely flush or sit slightly askew in their openings (photos 3 and 6). The top is painted cream, with scratches, small stains and signs of use (photo 7). The back is untreated wood (photo 8).
Price:
€ 245

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More about this style: French country living: wood, stone and the calm of country life

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